by P J Gordon
“I beg your pardon,” Josh protested in feigned outrage. “I don’t have anything cute.” He said the word like it was an insult. “I only do fierce and awe-inspiring.”
“Awe-inspiring,” Richard guffawed. “Right. Shall I tell her about the time you got yourself grounded for a month when you were fourteen? You inspired something, but I don’t think it was awe.”
Josh blushed scarlet. “Okay. Cute and cuddly it is.”
In the blink of an eye Josh disappeared, startling Manda. On the corner of the blanket where he’d been standing, his pants lay in a heap atop the rest of his clothes. Manda glanced around in confusion. Where had he gone? When she glanced back to his clothes, a small, furry face was pushing free from the pile of fabric.
“Josh?” she ventured uncertainly. The animal—a small otter, she realized—managed to wriggle free. It sat up on its haunches and waved at her with one tiny paw.
Manda giggled in delight. “Awww! You are cute and cuddly. You can’t deny it.”
Richard chuckled beside her. “I don’t think that’s the kind of ‘awe’ he wants to inspire.”
Josh bared his teeth to show his displeasure, producing a high-pitched grumbling sound. He belied his aggressive appearance however, with a wink that was so startling it made Manda giggle again. Josh bounded closer, stopping in front of her. He stretched his head forward and nuzzled her hand gently. Manda realized she was still holding the thermos and sat it on the blanket beside her.
“You can touch him if you’d like,” Richard advised, “as long as he behaves.” Richard delivered the last part as a warning to Josh, who stuck his otter-tongue out at his brother.
Manda giggled again and Josh narrowed his eyes at her, managing to look annoyed. She reached out and hesitantly stroked the fur on his head. It was thick and soft.
“Sorry Josh, but you’re like a Disney character,” she explained apologetically. Josh snorted and backed away from her. “Well, don’t go away mad.”
Josh winked at her once more and then, as fast as a thought, he became a raccoon. He circled once and then stood up on his hind legs and waved both paws at her in a very raccoon-like gesture. Manda managed to contain her amusement this time, limiting it to a broad grin.
“Still fairly adorable, but not quite so Disney-esque,” she conceded. Josh covered his black-masked eyes with two tiny paws and shook his triangular head.
“Clown,” Richard laughed. “You can try something fiercer now. Something small though.”
Josh cocked his head for a moment and then shifted into the form of a lynx. This was definitely more intimidating than the otter or raccoon had been. He was easily three times the size of an average house cat, with a short tail and tufted ears. He regarded her with amber eyes that made her a little nervous; so nervous in fact that she unconsciously shrank back from him. She realized what she’d done when Richard wrapped his arm around her reassuringly.
“It’s okay. It’s still just Josh.”
The Josh lynx winked at her then, and pounced comically on Richard’s outstretched leg. It occurred to Manda that his clowning was meant to put her at ease. She had to admit, such a display would have been terrifying if she hadn’t been prepared for it and if it hadn’t been someone she knew and trusted. Josh’s deliberately amusing human gestures served to remind her that it was still just him, and nothing she needed to fear. She leaned forward and reached her hand out toward her friend. He padded over and let her bury her hand into the thick, soft fur on his shoulders.
“This one’s really beautiful, Josh. I like it. What else can you change into?”
Josh turned away from her and leapt from the blanket into the deep snow. His broad, heavily furred paws acted like snowshoes, keeping him from sinking too deeply. He turned to face her and then in slow succession became a cheetah, a horse, a bighorn ram, an owl, and a dozen other forms. The larger animals didn’t fare as well as the lynx had, and sank into the snow. As a golden eagle, Josh launched into the air and soared across the clearing, then turned and glided back, landing amidst a flurry of powdery snow.
“Now that looks fun!” Manda exclaimed excitedly. “Is it difficult to fly?”
“It definitely takes some practice,” Richard replied, “but it’s even more fun than it looks. Do you want to see my favorite out of Josh’s collection?” Manda nodded enthusiastically. “Show her the big one, Josh.”
Josh backed away from them with his wings outstretched, then stopped and swept them forward. Before he had completed the wing stroke, the eagle was replaced by a massive, pristinely white polar bear. Manda gasped and recoiled reflexively. Richard gave her shoulders a quick, reassuring squeeze.
“Impressive, isn’t he?” he said with a smile.
“Yes, very,” Manda agreed breathlessly. She was a little unnerved by the nearness of such an imposing predator. It was a little difficult to remember that this was Josh. She knew it intellectually, but on a more primal level the huge bear inspired a thrill of fear. Refusing to let her fear overrule reason, Manda stood up, letting the blanket drop from her shoulders.
“You’re sure that it’s 100% Josh, right? Up here?” She tapped the side of her head. “There are no stray bear impulses or anything?”
“100% Josh,” Richard assured her. “You’re completely and totally safe. I promise.”
Trusting Richard’s word, Manda stepped forward to the edge of the blanket. She waited for Josh to approach with her hands clasped tightly in front of her. When he was within arm’s reach, he stopped and tipped his head to one side. With all four paws on the ground he was able to look directly into Manda’s eyes only by lowering his head.
“Good grief, Josh! You’re huge.” Josh made a small huffing sound that resembled a laugh. Manda reached out to stroke the fur between his ears. It was softer than she expected. She took a step backward and let her hand drop to her side. “This is amazing. Thanks for showing me.”
Richard wrapped the blanket around her shoulders again and stood beside her.
“Are you warm enough?” he asked. “We can go back to the car and warm up for a bit if you’d like.”
“No, I’m fine.” She was quite warm, actually, with both her coat and the blanket and with the sun beating down. She was beginning to think she should have brought sunscreen. “Is it your turn now?”
“I suppose it is,” Richard agreed, though not as enthusiastically as Josh. “But first.” He grasped her shoulders and turned her around so that her back was to Josh, guiding her away from the edge of the blanket. “Close your eyes,” he directed, covering them with his hands for good measure.
“What?” she asked. When she heard the rustling of clothing behind her she understood and blushed. “Oh.”
“No peeking,” Josh teased as he donned his clothes.
“Don’t flatter yourself,” Manda shot back, eliciting a chuckle from Richard.
“Okay, it’s safe,” Josh advised, a minute later. Richard removed his hands from her eyes and she turned around to find Josh standing barefooted on the blanket, safely clad in his pants and pulling his shirt back on over his head. “Pretty cool, huh?” he prompted when his head emerged.
“Very cool,” she agreed.
“Well done, little brother,” Richard commended. “Thank you.”
Josh replaced his coat and sat down on the blanket to put on his socks and boots. “My pleasure. Now it’s your turn.”
Manda sat down next to Josh and poured herself some tea from the thermos while Richard proceeded to disrobe as Josh had. He lingered over the task though, folding his clothes carefully and stacking them in a neat pile. Manda edged closer to Josh while they waited.
“What did you do to get grounded for a month?” she asked, slightly impressed. She’d gotten herself grounded for a week here and there when she was younger, for infractions she couldn’t even remember now, but she couldn’t imagine what she would have had to do to earn a month. Well, actually she could think of plenty of things that would have earned her that
or worse, she just couldn’t imagine ever doing them…or imagine Josh doing them.
The explosion of laughter that her question prompted from Richard drew a glare from Josh. The younger man relented though, and with a shrug and a self-deprecating grin he explained to Manda.
“When I was fourteen I thought it would be cool to collect a skunk. I didn’t know of anyone else who had one. I thought it would be unique. It took me about a week to find a decent one, and a few more days to master it. When I had it, I thought it would be funny to play a little joke on Mom, so I snuck into the horse barn and waited for her one morning. I thought I’d just startle her a little. You know, make her scream or run away or whatever.” He looked decidedly sheepish as he recounted the tale. “Before she ever showed up, though, our big tomcat spotted me in the barn. I guess he didn’t appreciate a skunk intruding on his territory. He snuck up on me and jumped me before I heard him coming.”
“It startled Josh so badly that he accidentally stunk up the whole barn…and the cat!” Richard’s laughter was hindering his attempts to remove his socks and he hopped on one leg to maintain his balance.
“The barn was uninhabitable for days. When Mom and Dad found out, they grounded me until the smell was completely gone.” Josh was chuckling now too. “Stupid cat got what he deserved. He was miserable for a week.”
Manda laughed along with the men. She tried to imagine how Josh would have explained the ill-fated prank to Sarah. She would have to remember to ask her about it when she saw her again.
Richard had finally managed to strip down to his pants and stood shirtless and barefoot in the frigid sunshine, seemingly in no great hurry to begin his segment of their little show.
Manda took a sip of tea and tilted her head expectantly. “I’m ready when you are.”
“Okay, okay.” Richard took a deep breath and then bent at his knees and waist, coiling his entire body like a spring. He released the tension explosively, launching himself off of the ground and throwing his arms wide. His arms completed their arc as wings, for in the split-second when his feet left the ground he became an owl. His now empty pants dropped forgotten to the blanket as he climbed high into the air on powerful wing-strokes.
“He makes that look so easy,” Josh muttered wistfully.
“Does he not like to change shape?” Manda asked quietly. “He seemed kind of hesitant, like he didn’t want to do it, but it was his idea.”
“No, he loves to shift. That’s when he’s happiest.” He glanced at Manda. “Well, it used to be anyway. I just think he’s worried about how you’ll react. You know, when you actually see him transform. I mean, you seem to be okay with it all so far, but what if deep down you think we’re freaks of nature or something?”
Manda lost sight of Richard in the glare of the sun. When he re-emerged from the brilliant halo of light, he had transformed from the owl to something much, much larger.
“He shouldn’t be worried about that,” Manda said, shaking her head dismissively. “I do think you two are freaks of nature. This doesn’t change anything.”
“Oh, well…I…,” Josh stammered uncertainly, taken aback by Manda’s blunt statement.
She grinned and expanded upon her declaration. “Oh come on, Josh! You two are much more talented, handsome, kind, and intelligent than is even remotely normal. Even without the whole therianthropy thing, you are completely freaks of nature…but in a very good way.”
“Ah, I see,” Josh chuckled. “Well, it takes one to know one, doesn’t it?”
“Fair enough,” Manda laughed, taking Josh’s teasing with the good natured humor she knew he intended it.
Richard glided in low across the treetops and then dropped lower to soar across the clearing, much as Josh had earlier. When he was a few yards from the blanket, however, he backstroked with his wings and dropped lightly to the ground as a reddish-brown, thickly maned African lion.
“Wow!” Manda exclaimed. “Was that a condor?”
“Yep. Andean,” Josh verified. “The biggest one on record, to be exact. His wingspan is well over thirteen feet.”
“It’s beautiful.” Manda commented. The feathers had been a sleek, glossy black with some white on the wings and around the neck. The vulture-like head hadn’t been particularly appealing though. “Well, except for the head,” she added apologetically.
“You’re right,” Josh agreed. “That’s a face only a mother could love.”
Lion-Richard paced back and forth in the snow as they spoke and then growled softly at the uncomplimentary comment about his condor.
Manda chuckled and scooted closer to the edge of the blanket. “Oh, don’t pout. Come here. I’ve never been close to a lion before. You’re very impressive.”
Richard padded close and dropped his head until he was eye-to-eye with Manda and just a few inches away. Manda didn’t even flinch this time, even though the lion was every bit as impressive as Josh’s polar bear had been. This was Richard after all, and that made all of the difference. She buried her hands in his thick, dark mane and pressed a kiss to the velvety fur between his eyes. The king of beasts was like a kitten in Manda’s hands. He closed his eyes and purred contentedly—an odd, growling rumble.
Manda stroked her hands through his mane. “What else?”
Before she could move her hands, he flashed from lion to tiger, and Manda’s fingers were buried in dense orange and black fur. The only sign that he had startled her, however, was her quick intake of breath.
“Oh, Richard! He’s beautiful!” she breathed appreciatively. The tiger wasn’t quite as tall at the shoulders as the lion, but his body was longer and he must have outweighed the lion by several hundred pounds. His striped coat was luxurious and Manda buried her face in the fur of his neck.
“Shall I leave you two alone?” Josh inquired with a grin. “I hate to be the third wheel.”
Richard growled menacingly. Taking one step away from Manda, he batted at Josh with a large paw, knocking his brother over onto the blanket
“Hey! No fair taking cheap shots when I can’t fight back,” Josh protested. He slapped Richard away and righted himself. “Okay, she likes the tiger. Can we move on?”
Richard leapt away from the blanket and obligingly demonstrated a quick sampling from his collection. Bear. Gorilla. Snow leopard. Horse. Elk. Fox. Cougar.
When he got to the cougar, Manda gasped and her hand flew up to cover her mouth. This form she had seen. She was powerfully reminded of the fear and confusion she’d felt the last time she’d seen Richard this way, though this time those feelings were overwhelmed by love and gratitude. This was her protector. This was the Richard that had saved her. The unexpected maelstrom of emotions constricted Manda’s throat. Tremors racked her body, defying her attempts to suppress them.
“Are you okay, M?” Josh asked. He placed a comforting hand on her trembling arm. “It’s still just Richard.”
“I know,” she managed in a strangled whisper. “I’m fine.” It was a ridiculous lie. She didn’t sound fine at all.
“Really, he won’t hurt you.” Josh wasn’t a fool; he knew better than to believe her words when her reaction was so completely contradictory. He misunderstood what she was feeling, however, and was at a loss. He looked helplessly at Richard, silently seeking his brother’s aid.
Richard knew Manda better, though. He saw the softness of her eyes and understood. In one lithe leap he was standing before her with his golden eyes just inches from hers. His breath was warm and clean on her face, and he placed one snowy paw on her leg. Except for the tremors that shook her, Manda was still, overpowered by emotions that she was unable to control.
“Jeez, Richard!” Josh barked. “You’ll scare the...” He trailed into silence when Manda flung her arms around the cat and held on as if her life depended on it. Richard laid his head on her tense shoulder with a soft, growling huff.
Manda battled her rebellious feelings in silence. This was uncharted territory for her. For as long as she could rememb
er she had been the master of her emotions—always in control, always steady, never showing the weakness that would make her a target. Even when her parents had been killed, she’d buried herself in her school work, only allowing herself to cry at night, and even then so quietly that her roommate couldn’t hear her from the other side of their dorm room.
All of her carefully cultivated control had crumbled since she’d met Richard though. Since he’d come along, she seemed to wear her emotions on her sleeve. Still, she didn’t want to look like a hysterical fool so she tried to calm down. She took deep breathes until she thought she could speak. She had so many things she wanted to say, but she was only able to force out two words before her throat closed again.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Josh cleared his throat discreetly and Richard’s head swiveled in his direction. “I think I’ll get in a little air time—leave you guys alone. Do you mind?” He made a spinning gesture with his finger. “Just for a sec?”
Manda released Richard as if she’d been burned, then quickly scooted around until her back was to the men. She felt like an utter fool. Could she possibly have overreacted more? She wrapped her arms around herself protectively, still shaking slightly, and closed her eyes tightly. She heard Richard growl softly behind her, followed by the rustling of cloth. Before she could even begin to sort herself out, Richard spoke from directly in front of her.
“You can open your eyes now, sweetie.”
She opened her eyes hesitantly, certain that there hadn’t been enough time for Josh to undress and transform, much less for Richard to don his clothes. She was only partially right. Richard was kneeling in front of her dressed only in his pants. Josh was nowhere in sight.
“Come here,” Richard said softly, pulling her toward him. Her self-control was a house of cards that collapsed as soon as Richard’s arms encircled her. His bare chest was warm against her cheek.
“Thank you,” she repeated, no longer trying to control her quavering voice.
“You don’t need to thank me. Just having you here with me is thanks enough,” Richard murmured into her hair. “I was so afraid I was going to lose you, and I’ve only just found you.” His voice was no steadier than hers, and his arms held her as tightly as hers clung to him.