Big on Education

by Laurie Ames

  Dylan’s mouth fell open. Amanda looked from Dylan to the man and back again. She didn’t know what this meant, but clearly it meant something to Dylan.

  The bear got onto all fours and sauntered up to Dylan, its head reaching his shoulders. Dylan reached out a hand for the bear to smell and the bear nudged his palm, asking to be touched. Dylan obliged. Then the bear turned and began to walk into the forest.

  Dylan looked at Amanda.

  “Are we supposed to follow him?” Amanda asked.

  “I think so,” Dylan said. “We’re about to find out.”

  He grabbed her hand and took off after the bear. Even though it was only walking, it was still fast enough that Dylan and Amanda had to keep up a nice jog to keep pace with it.

  They passed through the trees in the darkness, only the snow illuminated in the moonlight giving them some idea of where they were going. They hiked up the mountain until they came to an opening, and at the opening, there was a cave.

  The white bear turned and looked at Dylan and Amanda as if to see if they were still following. They were. Amanda clutched Dylan’s hand a little tighter as they neared the entrance of the cave.

  They walked inside after the bear. They walked straight into darkness.

  After turning a corner, Amanda could see some sort of light in the cave. The great bear ahead of them projected an even more massive shadow onto a wall where there were thousands of drawings. Amanda tried to look at each of them but there were just too many. They depicted hunts and they depicted groups of the Kermode Spirit Bears. She wasn’t sure what exactly they meant.

  They continued through the cave until they reached a point where there was a fire and several men stood gathering around it.

  They were talking but stopped abruptly when they saw the bear and the company it had brought with it.

  Amanda and Dylan looked at each other. Amanda swallowed. This probably wasn’t good.

  Amanda looked at the men who were gathered around the fire in the cave. They were older and looked to be Native American. One of them had a pipe like Sherlock Holmes’ hanging out of his mouth. He had long gray braids and stood erect.

  “Jase,” he said to the bear in front of him.

  Slowly, the bear morphed back into Jase’s form. Jase stood there nude and beckoned for Amanda and Dylan to join the circle of men.

  Amanda was reluctant to step forward, but Dylan pulled her with him. He stepped into the circle as the older man threw a blanket to Jase.

  “So this is Dylan,” the older man said with a smile.

  Amanda looked around at the other men and saw that they were smiling, too, much to her surprise. She hadn’t imagined that they would be greeted with so much hospitality.

  “This is Dylan,” Jase said with a smile. “Dylan, this is Robert Williams.”

  Jase pointed towards the man with the pipe.

  Dylan nodded and spoke.

  “This is Amanda.”

  The man nodded at Amanda.

  “Make yourselves comfortable,” he said.

  “What’s this about?” Dylan asked after they sat.

  “I’m sure you know who Jase is,” said Robert, puffing on his pipe, blowing smoke rings.

  Dylan shook his head and looked at Jase as though looking him over one more time might somehow give him the answer.

  “He’s your brother,” said Robert.

  Dylan looked confused.

  “I don’t have a brother,” he began.

  “You were adopted, were you not?” Robert asked with the hint of a smile.

  Dylan paused.

  “I was,” he finally said.

  “Jase is your brother,” he repeated.

  Jase smiled at Dylan as though there was so much that he wanted to say to him, but now was not the time. Amanda felt somehow that she had intruded on an incredibly private moment and that she should leave, but there was nowhere to go.

  “Alright,” said Dylan, trying to absorb everything.

  “The Kermode Spirit Bears are rare. Even more rare in these times,” said the old man. “There is one other, but only one knows where he is, and we cannot find the one who knows his location.”

  “What does this have to do with me? I mean, other than that they’re my brothers?” Dylan asked.

  The old man smiled.

  “If the three brothers can be reunited, the Kermode Spirit Bears will break the curse that has been placed upon their people.”

  Dylan never looked away from the old man.

  “Curse?” he asked. “You’re joking right?”

  “You know nothing of this either, do you?” he asked.

  “I just don’t understand, my dad was the one who taught me about the Kermode Spirit Bears…”

  “Your father is one of us, too, but you are not his biological child. You must be reunited with both of your brothers to break the curse.”

  “I still don’t understand this curse business,” said Dylan.

  “A curse was placed on the Kermode Spirit Bears by the black bears. You know that they don’t want you to breed. They placed a curse that said if the last brothers of the Kermode Spirit Bears could be separated and never meet again, then the shifters of that race would die out, ceding all the lands to the black bears.”

  “And if I am reunited with both of my brothers?” Dylan asked.

  “Then the curse is broken, and the Kermode Spirit Bears will flourish again. Without your other brother, though, you will fade into extinction.”

  Dylan thought about this for a moment. Amanda let it settle on her, too.

  “So what does this mean? What does Dylan have to do?” she asked.

  “We must find Edgar,” said the old man.

  “Someone has kidnapped him,” said Jase.

  “He knows the location of your other brother,” said Robert. “If we can get him back, he can tell you where to seek your other brother so the three of you can break the curse.”

  “Well, who took him?” asked Dylan.

  “How are we supposed to find him?” Amanda asked at the same time.

  “We think that he was captured by a poacher,” said Robert, as a darkness passed over his face.

  “Poacher?” Amanda asked.

  “Yes, a poacher,” said Jase. “Sometimes our kind get caught in our shifted form. Before we can transform back into a human, the poachers inject us with a toxin that keeps us in animal form. They want to sell us on the black market to be used as slaves or in sideshows.”

  “I didn’t even know that was a thing anymore,” said Amanda.

  “Oh, it is,” said Robert. “Once drugged, our kind make great performers. It’s a terrible, terrible thing. And we need to get Edgar back. Not just because he shouldn’t be a circus performer, but also because he knows where you two can find your lost brother.”

  Jase and Dylan looked at each other.

  Everyone stayed quiet around the campfire for quite some time. Amanda tried to absorb everything that she’d just learned.

  Finally, Jase stood.

  “I’d better take you guys back to your cabin before people are wondering where you are,” he said.

  The three of them left the cave and trekked down the side of the mountain until they were back in the resort. Jase left them at the treeline.

  “I’ll meet you again here tomorrow at nightfall. We’ll go after Edgar then,” he said.

  Dylan nodded and took Amanda’s hand once more.

  Chapter 9

  They walked in silence back to the cabin. Once inside, they went to their room and started peeling off their layers of clothing. Amanda took off her shirt, standing there in only her bra and panties. She unhooked her bra and her breasts fell loose. The cool air in the cabin made her nipples stand erect.

  She turned to grab some pajamas.

  Dylan stood naked in front of her. His tanned skin seemed out of place for somewhere as cold as this, Amanda thought. He was fully erect, and he stared at her, his eyes dark with desire. He stepped forward
until their bodies were touching in the cool room.

  Dylan placed his hands on her waist, slowly grazing his fingers along her skin as he made his way up to her breasts. He ran a finger across the tops of her breasts, making her flesh pucker with goosebumps. He stepped back just enough to place a palm over her raised nipple. He grabbed her breast gently, massaging it slowly with just enough pressure.

  Amanda leaned into his touch and reached down with her left hand and cupped the head of his cock in her palm. He thrust his hips into it, groaning at the sensation and leaning his head back.

  Dylan ran his hands down her body and used his foot to spread her legs slightly, just enough so that he had access to all of her body with his hands. He ran his palm over her soft pubic hair and traced his finger along her folds, making her want to beg him to take her already.

  She could feel herself becoming aroused by his touch and knew that if he only slid his finger inside of her, he would feel it, too.

  Then he did.

  Dylan slid one finger inside of Amanda, making her moan and grab onto his shoulders to steady herself. She looked up into his eyes as he made a ‘come here’ motion with his finger. She could feel him stroking her wall, hitting that sweet spot with each caress.

  Her hips moved involuntarily along with his touch. She ground on his hand, wishing it were more of him and wanting to elicit those noises from him that she so loved.

  She stopped him.

  Dylan looked confused but Amanda took charge. She pushed him back towards the bed until his legs hit it. Still standing, she kissed his lips. She went down his neck and bit his nipple. He gasped. She kissed down his abdomen and then got on her knees and looked up at him.

  His breathing was shallow and rapid. His eyes were practically black. He stroked her cheek with his hand.

  Amanda took his length into her fist and pumped up and down a few times until there was a little bead of liquid about to pour out of the tip. She looked up at him once more and then she slowly placed her lips on the tip of his cock and licked a little taste of him. Dylan hissed with pleasure at the touch of Amanda’s tongue to his cock. She felt him pulsate in her mouth, becoming even more aroused at the warmth and wetness of it.

  She looked up at him again, partially making sure she was doing it right and partially because the pleasure on his face was delicious to her.

  Amanda ran her tongue up and down the shaft of his cock listening to him groan. The sound went straight to her groin and she longed for him to be inside of her. Finally, she took the entirety of him into her mouth as far as she could.

  Dylan groaned loudly and she moved her head up and down.

  Dylan stopped her abruptly.

  He pulled her to her feet and shoved her onto the bed, so that she was face down on the covers, standing at the edge, bent over at the waist.

  Without even hesitating or guiding himself in, he found her opening and fucked it. His cock slid in quickly, and as her heat enveloped him, he groaned even louder and said her name.

  “Fuck, Amanda,” he said.

  She whimpered, so glad to finally feel him filling her up.

  He thrust in and out, over and over. She could feel herself getting close to the edge. Her legs began to shake.

  Dylan grabbed her hips and pulled her onto him, rougher each time, and she could’ve sworn that his cock went deeper with each thrust. He pounded into her cervix, almost making her cry out in pain. He picked up his pace, fucking her deeper and deeper.

  She found her peak and a wave of pleasure cascaded over her. She felt her body contract and release and a gush of liquid spread between her legs, all over Dylan’s cock.

  When he felt it, he came. He groaned her name as he thrust involuntarily into her and finally, they stopped.

  After staying there a moment, still deep inside of her, Dylan pulled away and got them both a towel. He cleaned her up tenderly. He always enjoyed her body but made an effort to show her how much he truly cared for her. After they had cleaned up, they climbed into bed.

  Amanda lay awake for some time after Dylan fell asleep. She wondered what the next evening was going to bring, and what this was going to mean for her and Dylan. She wondered how dangerous of a situation they would be getting themselves into.

  She tried to push those thoughts to the back of her mind and occupy herself with the comforting rhythm of his heart against her ear.

  Chapter 10

  The next night, Dylan and Amanda met Jase at the edge of the forest. They retreated inwards and reached the cave, where Robert was waiting for them.

  “If you go north a little way and then turn off to the east, you’ll find the camp where I think they have Edgar. There are other animals there, but he will be the only Kermode bear. You’ll have to find the antidote that will shift him back into a human before you can get out of there. Once you get him out, come back here,” said Robert.

  It all sounded much easier than Amanda believed it truly would be.

  She looked at Dylan for some reassurance, but Dylan was too busy listening and trying to remember exactly what they needed to do.

  After Robert had given them instructions, the three of them took off through the woods. It reminded Amanda of the time she’d gone hiking with Dylan and how scary she had found it. The snow-covered woods were just as scary, but for other reasons. They were eerily silent. She didn’t hear any wildlife, but every once in a while, a falling branch would startle her. She remained alert the entire time.

  They trekked endlessly through the woods and Amanda grew more and more nervous that they wouldn’t be able to find their way back out. She knew intellectually that the guys could do it but anxiety still began building within her. She wondered what would happen if she were separated from them, or worse.

  She tried to keep those thoughts from invading her mind. She tried to focus on the objective. They were trying to rescue another Kermode Spirit Bear that was stuck in shifter form. Amanda wondered if the bear would even understand that they were there to help. She wondered how much the bears understood in that form.

  “Will he be able to understand us?” she asked Dylan and Jase.

  “He will,” said Jase, “Depending on how long he’s been in that state, though, will determine to what degree he’ll be able to understand us.”

  “So he might not be much help,” Dylan concluded.

  “Exactly,” said Jase.

  The thought didn’t do much to ease Amanda’s mind. They were practically dealing with a wild animal. That was what she gathered from the conversation.

  They went onward through the woods. Amanda spotted a white fox at one point, or at least, she thought she did. It darted so quickly out of her line of vision that she wasn’t sure that it had been there to begin with.

  As far as wildlife went, that was all she saw. The day dragged on as they inched closer to their destination.

  Finally, Amanda could hear voices.

  “That’s them,” hissed Jase. “That’s the poachers.”

  The three of them stood quietly and listened to the voices on the other side of a snowy embankment.

  “This one’s worth more than twenty grand,” said one of the men.

  “Easily,” said another man.

  A couple of other voices joined the conversation and it was clear that they were speaking about an animal, though what animal, Amanda couldn’t be sure. She wondered if the other trapped animals were also shifters. She wondered how many shifters were being poached and sold on the black market.

  Jase signaled for them to keep hiking upwards, to gain a position above the men. The three of them climbed up onto a ridge that overlooked the men’s encampment. Down below, there looked to be a group of four people. Off to the side, tied to a tree was a huge Kermode Spirit Bear, pacing back and forth. The bear appeared to be horribly distressed.

  It saddened Amanda to see the bear like that. It would have saddened her to see any animal that way, but to know there was a person stuck inside disturbed her. They had to
do something.

  “What are we going to do?” she asked Dylan and Jase.

  “We have to wait for nightfall,” said Jase.