Talia Of Animalistic 10 Panther & Reynold

"Yeah," Richy confirms none too happy about it. "I have to set bail for Sheila. Margie called to let me know she used her phone call to call her mother. So her mother is supposed to be showing up with an attorney for her."

"Maybe Uncle Bob should go with you," suggest Talia.

"He's going to stay here with you," Richy informs Talia. "Keep an eye on you for me. I'll call him if I need his advice. You are to stay in bed except for trips to the bathroom. I'ld like you to sleep, but I know you won't without me here. Uncle Bob will be up with a breakfast tray for you in a few minutes. After I get back, we'll get you a shower and Cougar wants to irrigate your wound."

Talia makes a disgruntled sound low in the back of her throat. The shower sounds good, but the wound irrigation doesn't. Richy simply smiles as he leans over Talia and gives her a deep kiss. And despite her wounded condition, Talia is just as aroused as Richy.

"d.a.m.n," Richy says softly as he licks his lips. "You gotta get well soon. I don't know how much more I can take."

"Maybe after you get back, we just need to figure something out," suggest Talia.

Uncle Bob comes in carrying Talia's breakfast tray, followed by Cougar.

Richy takes a deep cleansing breath. "I'll be back as quick as I can. You try to rest while I'm gone. Cougar, try not to be a pain in the a.s.s while I'm gone. I'll see y'all later."

Cougar and Uncle Bob help Talia sit up and put pillows behind her.

"I don't think I have it in me to be a pain in the a.s.s," states Cougar smiling.

"No, not you old friend," responds Talia cheerfully amused.

"I think I should have went with him," says Uncle Bob concerned about the Sheila situation.

"Richy will call if he needs help," says Talia patting her uncle's hand. Then Talia eats breakfast and self-sedates.

"Is she aware of us," Uncle Bob asks Cougar.

"Yeah," answers Cougar. "You can talk to her. She'll answer ya if she feels it's necessary."

Uncle Bob just has to test it or himself. "Can you hear me, Talia?"

There's a silent pause before Talia answers with a disembodied voice, "Uncle Bob… hear you… yes."

"She sounds so far away," says Uncle Bob concerned.

"Don't worry," Cougar tells Uncle Bob. "I wish my dad was here. He could explain it better than me. But she's experiencing little to no pain right now, and she's getting rest. If she wasn't wounded, it would be just as good as sleeping. But this allows her to be aware of her surroundings while she's resting. It' a defense mechanism, so nothing that could or would take advantage of her weakened condition can sneak up on her."

While Cougar and Uncle Bob are discussing self-sedation, Roar is tracking Talia. He was curious when he smelled the change in her scent where she became her inner guardian. He nor anyone with him has ever seen Talia in her guardian form. Tracking with him of course is Cougar's father, Wildcat, his two sons, Talon and Howl, Talon's mother, Squirrel, Angel, a female guardian from his own tribe, Amazonia, the chief as well as a guardian of the Amazon Tribe, and Zenith, who's pregnant with her first child and Roar's third. Zenith is one of Amazonia's best guardians and she knows she's losing her to Roar.

They left before dawn with Roar carrying Howl, the oldest and heaviest of his two sons and Squirrel carrying Talon. Breakfast was eaten on the move. And around midmorning, Roar smelled it first: sulfur, the smell of guns fired maybe two or three days old. The hunters' path crosses Talia's. And then a little while later, there's the smell of Talia's shock, her pain, her panic, her blood.

Roar doesn't know how he would have reacted if he hadn't had his two sons and Zenith with him. But having them with him helps him stay calm. He finds the dry blood and flesh that was blown out of Talia. He ignores the smell of rotting flesh and the buzzing flies and pays attention to the direction of the splatter. His sharp eyes find the bullet that pa.s.sed through Talia lodged in a tree, and he carefully digs it out and places the large projectile in a pocket.

"Are you ok," Zenith ask Roar concerned because she smells how worried he is.

Roar nod. "Do you think as a guardian, you could run with Talon on your back," he ask Zenith.

"Yes," Zenith answers with a confident nod.

Then Roar, Zenith, Amazonia and Angel become their inner guardians. He places Talon on Zenith's back. She takes his weight easily.

"Hold on tight," Roar growls out to Talon.

Talon's big brown scared eyes look up at his father's now wolfish face as he answers, "Yes, Daddy." Those two words are filled with innocence and trust.

"I've got him," Zenith a.s.sures Roar.

Roar kneels and motions Wildcat to him and the man hops on Roar's back. Roar stands and Amazonia has Squirrel in her back and Angel has his son, Howl.

"Let's go find our girl," Wildcat tells Roar.

Roar nods and they're off and running with Roar setting a steady but fast pace. As they run, Roar prays. When they come to Talia's first stop at the river, Roar tells himself that if Talia made it this far wounded, then maybe the wound isn't as bad as he fears. He lets Wildcat down at the edge of the river where Talia went in.

"We're taking a short break," Roar announces as he steps into the river.

Wildcat follows Roar to the rock in the river where Talia rested, tended her wound the best she could and left her soiled ruined garments. There's a hand print in dry blood on the big rock, Talia's hand print.

"She was in guardian form," says Wildcat noting the size of Talia's hand and knowing how pet.i.te she actually is. "When the bullet hit her and when she left here, she was still in guardian form." Then Wildcat picks up Talia's top disturbing the flies that had been attracted by the dried blood. He shakes it out and turns it to have a good look at it. "Bullet entered her back on the left and exited out her front."

Roar holds up his oversized guardian hand in front of the exit hole in Talia's s.h.i.+rt. His taloned fingers are splayed wide, and the hole is nearly as wide. He could definitely put his fist through it. "I can hardly believe she continued on with a wound like this."

"She's a guardian like yourself," Wildcat reminds Roar. "A guardian on her way to her true-mate. There's not much that could stop her except death itself. If they had blown off an arm, she would have picked it up and kept going."

Roar knows Talia's a guardian like himself, but all he truly knows is that his baby sister was shot. His sharp guardian ears pick up the voices of men talking nearby. "Hunters," he tells Wildcat. "This isn't a designated hunting preserve," he growls angrily. "Yet they keep coming here to hunt."

Wildcat doesn't like it either. "They just tell their authorities they were only camping. And even if we prove they were hunting here, the punishment is only a fine. They seldom get jail time. Even when they kill someone, it's always ruled accidental."

Roar knows he can't take any real action against the hunters without attracting unwanted attention from domesticated authorities. "I still want to talk to them. Send the others ahead with my boys. Tell them we'll catch up with them shortly."

Wildcat nods his compliance to Roar. Then he wades out of the river and sends the women and children ahead. Then he follows Roar. When they step into the clearing where the three hunters have stopped for lunch, Roar is himself. But even as himself, Roar towers over the other men. The three men stand up surprised. To the hunters, the two wild men almost materialized out of the forest. One of the men reaches for a rifle.

"That's not necessary," says Roar putting up a hand to stop the man. "I a.s.sure you, even if you manage to get off a shot at me and my companion, none of you will walk out of this forest."

The man decides not to test whether he can get the rifle faster than the giant wild man can get to him. To these domesticated hunters, Roar looks like an ancient basketball player, except instead of being dressed for a basketball game, he's wearing a deer-skin loin cloth and leggings. His long dreadlocks have been tied back in a leather thong. The smaller wild man is dressed similarly, and even though he's well-tanned, he's nowhere near as dark as the other wild man. He's obviously much older and his mostly gray hair is shoulder length. His eyes are a startling shade of blue that's rarely seen anywhere and are full of intelligence and wisdom.

"I am Roar," his deep voice commands their attention. "I am chief of the Animalistic Tribe. This is my companion, Wildcat. We came here to inform you that this is not a designated hunting preserve."

"We're just camping," the hunter who was going to try to get to a rifle lies.

"Rifles and shot guns are not necessary for camping," replies Wildcat. "We can smell that your weapons have been fired recently. And we can smell that you're lying."

"Gentlemen," Roar commanding their attention again, "you appear to be the only hunters in the area and a woman was shot two days ago."

One man's scent betrays him as the possible shooter as he says, "What was she doing running around out here by herself as a deer?"

"This is her home," states Roar. "This is our home you're tromping through uninvited. And she wasn't a deer when she was shot. Plus, you're in the wrong area for deer at this time of year. Now this forest isn't safe for civilized men like yourselves. You could fall off a cliff or into a river and drown."

"Not to mention all the different types of wild animals," adds Wildcat, "bears, mountain lions, poisonous snakes. There are lots of ways for a man to die."

"Just show yourselves out of our home," Roar orders the hunters. "You don't want to be here when I pa.s.s back through. And you better pray to whatever G.o.d you believe in that I find my baby sister alive."

"Hey, man," the man that's sure he shot someone, "We'ld remember if we saw someone as big and dark as you."

"My sister is only this tall," Roar shows the men Talia's true height with his hand, "and she's tan like a deer." Then Roar and Wildcat seem to disappear back into the forest.

Roar and Wildcat returned to where Talia had made her first stop at the river to rest and tend her wound. Leaving any sign of her presence behind other than her scent is uncharacteristic of Talia, but that just aides Roar in knowing how badly wounded she is. He puts her blood stained clothes into his satchel. Then he picks up Talia's cache from the base of the tree she keeps it in, and ties it back up in the tree for her.

Despite carrying Wildcat on his back, it doesn't take Roar long to catch back up with everyone he sent head of him and Wildcat. And not long after that, they come to Talia's next stop. Here they find the blood soaked towel Talia dropped next to an out cropping of rocks by the waterfall. Talia didn't put this cache away either. She dropped it back into place among the rocks, but the flat rock she had over it is still lying on its side on the ground with a hand print in dried blood on top from when she pushed it aside. Roar replaces the flat rock over her cache. Wildcat puts the blood soaked towel in a side pocket of his satchel. And everyone takes a long cool refres.h.i.+ng drink from the waterfall.

"Aunt Talia's scent, she smells sick," says Howl worried and scared for his favorite aunt.

Wildcat explains, "She was sweating from a fever. Fever for a domestic person is usually caused by an infection of some kind. For a guardian, it mean their body is working hard to heal a wound that would have been mortal for you, me or a domesticated person."

"Mortal," questions Talon.

"Fatal," answers Squirrel in nearly a whisper.

"What's fatal," ask Talon.

Amazonia answers the boy because she can tell no one else wants to. "Causing death. If Talia wasn't a guardian, she would have died from the wound."

"But I'm a guardian," states Talon. "Why would I have died?"

Wildcat explains, "You're still a child, a future guardian for the tribe. You and Howl are boys who will be guardians if you make it to adulthood. Until then, you're both just as vulnerable as any other free boy or girl."

"You can ask more questions later, Talon," Roar anxious to get to Talia. "Let's get moving."

Roar and Amazonia are both immediately aware when they cross into Richy's territory. It's in the smell of the land as well as the feel of it. It's not a sensation either could describe, just an automatic knowledge. And when they reach the spot where Talia nearly turned her inner guardian off, the two boys s.h.i.+ver from the change in her scent.

Zenith's eyes get big as she says, "She nearly shut her inner guardian completely off. The pain, I don't know how she kept moving. Why would she turn it down so low with such a bad wound?"

Wildcat speculates, "Mist's two first cousins each have two children. She may have been afraid she'ld scare them. Fjord hates Mist. So his family is Fjord's favorites to pick on. Consequently, they spend more time here with Mist than with the Water Tribe. Plus, his house is also part of Bayberry Falls. She probably didn't want to take the chance of someone domesticated seeing her."

Roar may not know what he looks like as a guardian, but he knows he's big and scary. So he follows Talia's lead and turns his inner guardian off. The others do the same, and then they follow Talia's scent trail to the house. Roar spots children peeking at them from a tree house as he approaches two women and a man at a fire pit. The adults nearly freeze as they stop what they're doing at the fire pit and focus on Roar, chief of Animalistic. Roar can smell their nervous anxiety.

Wildcat takes the lead with a smile as he greets warmly, "Seal." He hugs Richy's aunt and inhales her scent. Then he does the same with her daughter, "Otter," and her son, "Ba.s.s." Wildcat says, "I'll be quick with introductions. I'm sure you know, we're anxious to see Talia. This is Mist's Aunt Seal, his cousin, Otter, and his cousin, Ba.s.s. This is Talia's older brother, Roar, her nephews, Howl and Talon, her friend, Squirrel who's Talon's mother, and Angel. And also with us is Amazonia and Zenith."

"I'm sorry to arrive uninvited," Roar apologizes.

"Family doesn't need an invite," responds Seal pleasantly. "Follow me. Talia is in Mist's bedroom. Cougar and her uncle Bob are with her."

Roar's response is a simple nod as he follows Seal with the others trailing behind him. Seal stops at Richy's bedroom door and nods for Roar to enter.

Sitting in a chair next to the bed is Uncle Bob. It's been a long time since Roar has seen Uncle Bob, but he only gives him a quick nod of acknowledgement. Cougar hops up from where he was lying across the foot of the bed and crashes into Roar. Roar hugs Cougar tightly and inhales his scent.

"She's self-sedated right now," Cougar informs Roar. "She won't bring her guardian on full. And with Richy gone for work, she won't sleep." Then as Cougar hugs his father, Wildcat, Roar crawls onto the bed.

As Roar's scent invades her nose, Talia unsedated herself. She gasps slightly as the pain hits her, but recovers quickly. She smiles at Roar as he carefully takes her in his arms and starts to cry.

"Roar," Talia tells him softly, "please don't cry."

Yet Roar lets his tears flow freely as he kisses her forehead. He shares with her, "I was terrified I was going to find your body."

"You found it," says Talia putting her pet.i.te hand to his strong jaw as the others move in close enough to touch her, "I'm just still using it."

"Thank Mother Earth," says Roar kissing her forehead again.

"Aunt Tali," Talon concerned, "you're hurt. I smell it," he says crawling onto the bed.

Talia smiles at Talon. "I think if you give me a kiss, it will help me feel better."

Roar helps Talon lean over so he doesn't put any weight on Talia, and he kisses Talia on the lips.

"Thank you," Talia tells Talon with a smile, "I really needed that."

"But it doesn't smell better," says Talon worried.

"But it feels better," a.s.sures Talia smiling, "here in my heart where I needed it most, it feels wonderful."

Squirrel has knelt at the side of the bed by Uncle Bob. Her face is wet with tears as she tells Talia, "We were so worried."

Talia puts out her hand to Squirrel who presses Talia's hand to her cheek. "I'm a little tougher than you all seem to think I am," responds Talia.

Howl squeezes around Squirrel to wiggle onto the edge of the bed just behind Talia's left shoulder. He opens his mouth to say something, but the words are lost to tears as he buries his face in Talia's neck and puts an arm across her and hugs her.

"You're all upsetting my boys," says Talia becoming upset too.

Then Richy, having just arrived home from work, steps through his bedroom door minus his shoes he toed off at the front door, and he's not happy. He heard what Talia said and smells that she's ready to cry.

"d.a.m.n it," says Richy, who was already in a bad mood from being stuck at work most of the day when he wanted to be here with Talia. "She needs all your love and support, but I can't have you upsetting her." His voice has all the authority of a chief in his domain.

Uncle Bob stands and asks, "Have the boys met the other children yet?"

"No," answers Wildcat, who's been standing against the wall out of the way with Cougar and Amazonia, "I don't believe they have. Besides, they need to stretch their legs properly after spending the day toted on someone's back."

"What's your name young lady," ask Uncle Bob.

"Squirrel," she answers.

"Squirrel, I'm Talia's Uncle Bob. Would you be so kind as to help with the boys?"

"Here, Squirrel," Roar orders, "Take Talon and go outside with Uncle Bob. Howl you go with them."

"But I want to stay with Aunt Talia," Howl protest.

Angel slips forward, leans over and gives Talia a quick kiss on the cheek. Then she picks up Howl, who begins to cry harder as he protests he doesn't want to go. And seeing his older brother upset, Talon begins to cry too.

"Look at your aunt," Angel whispers in Howl's ear. "See how weak she is right now. Smell how tired she is. And you and Howl upset is upsetting her when she is already weak, tired and in pain, now, let's be a big boy about this for your aunt's sake."

Howl nods his compliance and allows Angel to carry him from the room. Squirrel carrying Talon follows, followed by Uncle Bob. Amazonia steps forward and gives Talia's hand a rea.s.suring squeeze and heads out of the room too. Zenith sits on the edge of the bed by Talia and Talia runs a hand over Zenith's swollen belly and is rewarded with a kick from within.

Zenith smiles as she presses Talia's hand to her cheek. She tells Talia, "Rest, we'll be close by." Then she walks over and stands by Cougar, who doesn't hesitate to put a hand on her belly. Then Cougar suddenly gets sad as he realizes he won't get to do this with Sheila. Zenith pats his hand wondering why he's suddenly so sad.

Roar runs his thumb over Talia's cheek as he tells her, "I don't want you upset." He looks up over at Richy, "But before I go outside and let her rest, I need to see the wound."

Richy nods his understanding and sits on the edge of the bed next to Talia. Wildcat and Zenith come and peek over his shoulder as he slides the sheet down, pulls the t-s.h.i.+rt up revealing the bandage that's ready to be changed. Then Richy carefully peels away the soiled bandage with his neutral cop face in place. He's too angry to put on his good old boy smile.

At the sight of the wound, Zenith puts her hand over her own mouth to keep herself from making a sound. But she can't keep her distress from scenting the room or her eyes from welling up with tears.

Cougar rubs Zenith's back as he a.s.sures, "It's looking much better. And it's not leaking half as much blood as before. It's mostly just fluid now to keep the wound moist as it heals. The muscle is starting to regrow already."

"You're all so young," Wildcat tells them. "Thank Mother Earth, this isn't near the worst a guardian can heal, and she'll heal this. Of course, you'ld heal much faster Talia if you were your full guardian. You don't have to suffer like this."

Talia doesn't respond as she looks down at her clawed finger tips seeing the heat of her own hands.

"Let's get you a shower," says Richy as he helps Talia from the bed. As Richy is leading her to the bathroom, Talia glances back to see Roar hugging Zenith.

"Go out and check on the boys for me," Roar request of Zenith. "Wildcat and I will stay."

Richy gets the shower ready as Talia leans against the sink. She can tell by Richy's heat pattern he's mad and she states, "You're angry."

"Yeah," admits Richy as he steps back over to Talia, "but not at you or anyone here." He helps her out of his t-s.h.i.+rt. Then he undresses. When he's naked too, he helps her into the shower. He had his own shower that morning, so he's about the business of was.h.i.+ng Talia. The wound keeps her from lifting her left arm without a lot of pain.

A while later, she's sitting on the chair her uncle was using. Cougar irrigated the wound, was.h.i.+ng out some nasty looking clots and it's now covered with a fresh bandage while Talia is wrapped in a towel. Zenith back in from checking on the boys is behind her towel drying her hair. Wildcat is sitting on the edge of the bed staring at the stubborn young woman he couldn't love more if she were his own daughter. Richy has gone downstairs to get Talia and himself some dinner.

"Dearest, why are you being so stubborn about this," Wildcat asks Talia.

Talia sighs and asks, "What if I'm really big scary ugly? I don't want the children to be afraid of me. And what if I'm so big hairy scary that Richy is repulsed by me."

Zenith smiles, "You can't possibly be half as big, hairy, ugly, scary as Roar, and it doesn't change how I feel about him. I even enjoy mating with him like that."

"The children will get over it," Wildcat tells Talia. "They may be frightened at first. But they love you and will forget their fear quickly. Mist is your mate. It will change nothing between you."

"Zenith," Talia takes her hand, "I want … I want children with Richy. What if he doesn't want children? What if seeing me as my guardian makes him not want children with me?"

"Dearest, you think too much," Wildcat tells Talia, "too much domestic education and living I suppose. I can tell you this about Mist: he's a family man. He wants children. But he doesn't want them with just anybody. And you ain't just anybody. Stop thinking so much and just let nature take its course."

Zenith hugs Talia and strokes her hair. "He's right. You're over thinking it."

Richy was listening and hangs back away from his bedroom door for another minute before entering carrying the tray of food into his bedroom. He sits the tray on the nightstand. "Wildcat, you and Zenith must be hungry."

"Yes," confirms Wildcat as he stands. "Come on, Zenith. Let's go feed that baby. We'll check on ya later, Tali."

Richy lifts a dish cover revealing a huge steak.

Talia's eyes widen at the sight of the huge steak. "I don't think I can eat all of that Richy.

"I don't expect you to eat all of it," Richy responds as he slices off a bite size piece. "I'm gonna eat some too." He feeds the piece to Talia then slices off a slightly larger piece for himself. He goes back and forth, feeding her a piece and then a piece for himself, until they're about half way through the huge steak.

"Something's on your mind, Tali," Richy says as he puts down the knife and fork and hands Talia a gla.s.s of water. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Talia shakes her head no and drinks her gla.s.s of water. She hands the empty gla.s.s to Richy, "Thank you."

Richy request, "Eat a few more bites for me."

Talia nods yes and he feeds her a few more bites until she puts a hand up signaling she's full. Richy hands her another gla.s.s of water.

"So you're not going to talk to me," states Richy frustrated. "I'm your mate and you're not going to share with me whatever's bothering you."

Talia's black orbs well up with tears. "I wouldn't put it that way. I'm not sure how to approach the topic and I'm afraid it may be too early in the relations.h.i.+p to discuss. And I've never been in a real adult relations.h.i.+p before. I don't know what I'm doing. Plus, I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I'm suddenly somebody's mate, that I have a true-mate. Would you want me if you didn't have to?"

Richy picks Talia up from the chair and lays her on the bed. He removes her towel and strips off the shorts he threw on after their shower. He's careful not to settle any of his body weight on her as he kisses her and she opens her legs for him. As he begins to work himself inside her, she tries to raise her hips to him only to have a wave of pain wash over her.

Richy grabs her hip on the left side and pins it to the bed. He tells her, "Don't move. Let me do all the work."

Talia nods yes as she grips the wrist of the hand pinning her hip to the bed. It's a slow sweet torture.

Richy ask her, "How can you doubt my wanting you? You're the one I've been waiting for my whole life. I love you, and it's just a fact I accept like I accept that you'll be the mother of my children. You'll give me children, won't you, Tali… sons and daughters?"

"Yes," Talia answers as a tear makes a run for it down her temple, "as many as you want."

Richy smiles and kisses her deeply. "We'll take as many as Mother Earth will give us." Then for the first time in his life, Richy becomes his inner guardian.

Talia's not afraid as Richy grows in size over her and inside her, as if he wasn't large enough there before. His skin becomes cooler against hers. For a moment Talia wishes she could see him properly, but an o.r.g.a.s.m washes the thought away, and she relaxes enough to let her inner guardian turn up a couple more notches.

A while later, Richy is watching Talia sleep as Wildcat steps into the room to check on Talia. Richy's guardian eyes look Wildcat over.

Wildcat smiles as he tells Richy, "Well, if you ain't the most unique guardian I've ever seen. Can't say I'm surprised with the way it lay dormant in you for so long. I expected something special. Your skin's about the same color as a dolphin's… feels water resistant too."

"I have a tail," Richy informs Wildcat. "Is that normal?"

"Rare," answers Wildcat, "but not necessarily unusual. Talia's brought hers up a few notches. That's a good thing. She looks a little felinish. Guardians are good at animals similar to their guardian forms. It explains why she does big cats so well. Maybe that's why you've never had any animal forms you can do. You're too unique or maybe the animal you're similar to is long extinct."

"Whoa, Richy, look at you," says Cougar as he steps up to the foot of the bed.

Richy ask Cougar, "Am I scary?"

"No, not scary," answers Cougar tilting his head as he looks at Richy. "You've got black claws and sharp teeth, but you've got this cool dolphin color to your skin, makes your hair look blacker. Hey the kids want to say good night."

Richy tells Cougar, "Sure."

"Okay, kids," Cougar says out into the hall in a loud whisper, "Come on in."

Richy's little second cousins hesitate while Talia's two nephews rush up to Talia's side of the bed. Richy smiles at the two boys and talks softly so he doesn't wake Talia, "You must be Howl and Talon. Your aunt has told me a lot about you two. She loves you both very much."

"You're her mate," Talon stating more than asking.

Richy nods confirmation, "Yes I am. And you can either call me Uncle Richy or Uncle Mist, which ever you're more comfortable with."

"Can we give her a kiss good-night," ask Talon.

"Of course you can," answers Richy as his black orbs register the boys' nervous energy, "Just don't wake her."

Howl helps Talon up to plant a soft kiss on the corner of Talia's mouth. Then Howl leans over and puts a kiss in the same spot. Talia makes a soft sound in the back of her throat and murmurs, "My beautiful boys."

"Uncle Richy," Howl choosing what to call his new uncle by what his aunt calls him, "I know I behaved badly earlier and I'm sorry. But could we sleep in here? Right here on the floor if it's ok with you?"

"But I want to sleep with Aunt Tali," insist Talon.

"You kick in your sleep sometimes," Howl reminds his younger brother. "Aunt Talia needs rest. She can't rest and get better with you kicking her half the night."

"There on the floor is fine boys," Richy tells them.

"Thank you, Uncle Richy," responds Howl gratefully. "We'll get our bed rolls." And then he runs out of the room pulling Talon with him.

"Cougar, pull the mattresses out of those two roll away beds in your closet for them," request Richy.

Cougar nods, "No problem."

"So how long are you four kids going to stand there and gawk at your Uncle Mist," Richy ask his four little second cousins.

"Well, children," ask Wildcat, "are you going to say good-night or what?"

Richy's four little second cousins look at Wildcat, then at Richy and then at each other not sure what to do or what to think.

The youngest Sh.e.l.l takes a step closer and questions, "Uncle Mist?"

"Yeah," Richy answers.

"Are you mad," ask Sh.e.l.l.

"Do I smell mad," ask Richy.

"No," answers Sh.e.l.l. "But if you're not mad, then why did you change?"

"I'm trying to encourage your Aunt Talia to do the same and change. Because if she did, she'ld get better faster," explains Richy.

Wildcat sits on the edge of the bed, takes Richy's hand and tells the children, "Look here, he's still your Uncle Mist. He's not going to hurt you. He would never hurt you. He has always kept you safe here. Now, either come say good-night or go on with ya."

Sh.e.l.l being the youngest and most curious climbs onto the foot of the bed. Richy puts out his hand and Sh.e.l.l takes it. Then he pulls her up onto his chest and kisses her tiny nose.

Sh.e.l.l giggles, "Hi, Uncle Mist." She looks back at the other three children smiling and informs them, "its Uncle Mist."

Then the other three children clamber onto the bed. Wildcat gets up out of the way to give them room and gives Cougar a hand while Richy's small cousins crawl over him, hug him and kiss him.

"Okay guys," Richy says with his oversized hand on Beaver's head, "carefully give Aunt Talia a kiss good-night and I'll see you in the morning."

After giving Talia a kiss, Richy's small cousins run out of the room past Cougar and Wildcat as they're leaving the room. Richy hears the two men exchange a quick greeting with Uncle Bob.

Uncle Bob pauses in the doorway for a moment to stare at Richy. "Forgive me son, there's knowing something exist and then there's finally seeing it with your own eyes. I feel like a kid who actually caught Santa Claus putting gifts under the Christmas tree."

Richy shrugs it off as Uncle Bob steps up to Talia's side of the bed and sits on the edge. He tilts his head as he looks at Talia sleeping peacefully. Uncle Bob says, "She looks different. Her, but a little cattish."
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"She turned it up a couple of notches," explains Richy as he cuddles closer to Talia. "I'ld say the equivalent of being about a quarter guardian."

Uncle Bob nods his understanding as he strokes back the braids from Talia's forehead. Then he leans over and kisses her forehead, "Sleep well."

"Night Uncle Bob," bids Richy. Uncle Bob pause at the door and smiles as he gives a little good-night wave. Then he steps out into the hall where he opens his arms wide for Roar, and tells him, the boys, Zenith and Squirrel good-night.

Talia's two nephews rush in carrying their bedrolls and start to set themselves up on the rollaway bed mattresses. Zenith and Squirrel step into the room followed by Roar. None of them gives Richy a funny look as the two women step up by Talia's bedside one at a time. Zenith closes her eyes as she rest her cheek against Talia's forehead for a moment, then she kisses her forehead and steps out of the way for Squirrel, who basically does the same thing and steps out of Roar's way.

Roar sits on the edge of the bed looking at his only sibling as he speaks to Richy, "I didn't know you were a guardian."

"Neither did I," admits Richy. "Apparently it was a dormant ability. Cougar thinks Talia woke it up."

"Seems possible," responds Roar glancing at Richy for a moment. "I'm sorry I over reacted when I got here and got so emotional. I'm her elder brother and we have no other siblings, just each other."

"Normally, I wouldn't have been so testy," Richy shares with Roar, "but I had a situation at work that kept me away all day and left me in a foul mood. She's overly sensitive to the emotions of the children. If they get upset, she gets upset."

"She's overdue for motherhood," states Zenith.

"I'm working on that," responds Richy.

"I came across the hunters on our way here," shares Roar. "I kind of threatened them. The one who shot her, thought he was firing at a deer. They should be finding their way out of tribe territory by morning."

"They don't have any business hunting in tribe territory," states Richy as he looks at Talia's heat signature.

Roar's not happy about it, but responds, "Most hunters are in and out without doing any harm. And we try to encourage camping and hiking. We get to meet new people that way, potential mates, people to trade with etc. Talia's own grandfather was a hunter. But he was the first to admit, they were doing more beer drinking than hunting. They were all pretty drunk and most were pa.s.sed out when a group of adolescent females happened upon them.

Talia's grandmother, Panther, wasn't the biggest or the oldest of the young women, but she was the most dominant and what she saw p.i.s.sed her off: a bunch of young men lying around half unconscious with a mess of beer cans and food wraps around them. She marched into their camp, grabbed one by the s.h.i.+rt pulling him up to face her and said, 'You best not leave dis mess here.' To which young Reynold Devons.h.i.+re responded, 'My stones, you're beautiful.'

He was the first man to ever tell her she was beautiful and she was so shocked, she dropped him. He rolled to one side, vomited, rolled back, hugged her legs and begged her not to leave him. He promised that if she wasn't a figment of his imagination, he'ld never get that drunk again."

Roar smiles as he watches his baby sister sleep next to her mate, a mate that at this point in her life, even he had doubted she would ever have. "Panther felt trapped. She wanted to kick him aside and walk away, but her heart wouldn't let her do it. Next thing Reynold remembered was waking up holding onto the most beautiful woman he'ld ever laid eyes on. He and his companions, most of whom were still past out, were surrounded by what must have been at least half the tribe. Everyone seemed thoroughly amused except for the beautiful young woman he was clinging to.

An amused tribesmen asked him, 'My daughter, Panther, good pillow, yes?' Reynold looked at the pet.i.te young woman he was holding on to and said, 'yes,' which produced a roar of laughter from the tribe's people.

Panther finally ordered, 'Let me go.'

Reynold still very hung over with his brain still not working properly asked, 'Why?'

Panther answered, 'Cause I need to pee.'

Reynold was reluctant to release her and asked, 'Oh, but you'll be right back?'

Panther sighed frustrated but answered, 'Yes.'

'Promise,' asked Reynold.

'Promise, yes,' answered Panther embarra.s.sed.

'Ok,' responded Reynold and he slowly released his hold on her. Panther hopped up angry and embarra.s.sed, dusted herself off and stomped into the forest to relieve herself. Reynold dug out a water bottle and took two tablets for his headache. He grabbed Panther's father by the hand and shook it as he asked, 'Your daughter, Panther, you said. My stones, she's the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on. Is she spoken for?'

'Panther speaks for herself,' her father told him.

Reynold clarified himself, 'I mean does she have a husband, fiancé or boyfriend.' He was hurriedly brus.h.i.+ng his teeth.

'No mate,' her father shrugged, 'no virgin either, but no mate yet.'

Reynold relieved himself on a tree with his back to everyone as he responded, 'No mate, good. Explains why no one has beaten the s.h.i.+t out of me for manhandling their woman. Sir, she's your daughter. Why haven't you beaten the s.h.i.+t out of me?'

'Panther usually does ok at that by herself. If you truly offend her, she will beat s.h.i.+t out of you herself,' explained her father.

At that time, Reynold couldn't imagine pet.i.te little panther beating the s.h.i.+t out of anybody. He pulled out a comb and started to comb his hair when he realized, 'Criminy, I reek.'

Then Panther grabbed the comb from his hand and took over combing his hair as she informed him, 'You need was.h.i.+ng. You have clean clothes and was.h.i.+ng soap?'

'Yes, I do,' answered Reynold as he looked down into her beautiful face.

'Get dem,' ordered Panther and Reynold complied. She then grabbed him by the arm and ordered, 'Come.' Reynold said she could have dragged him straight into h.e.l.l itself and he would have followed her willingly. But she led him to a waterfall. And when he fell on his a.s.s taking off a boot, she proceeded to undress him.

'I can undress myself, woman,' Reynold insisted.

Panther wasn't deterred, 'You still sick from too much alcohol drink. You need help.' Then she took off her top and Reynold went very still. She smiled, 'If women went topless all time, men would be too transfixed to make war.'

It was the first time he saw her smile, and he said it was the most blinding smile he'd ever seen. He said he didn't see much else as she stripped him and herself naked. And when he slipped stepping into the river, she steadied him. Then she proceeded to wash him down like he was a child. And when he tried to protest, she dunked him under water. He wasn't happy about the unexpected dunking and she was laughing.

He asked her, 'What was that for?'

Panther told him, 'You embarra.s.s me in front of my fawder, my uncle and nearly half my tribe.'

Reynold responded, 'I didn't do it on purpose. What did I do?'

Panther informed him, 'You been holdin' onto me all night sayin' I'm beautiful, beggin' me not to leave you. Dey tease me for most de morning.'

Reynold apologized sincerely, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarra.s.s you.'

Panther asked him, 'Did ya mean what ya say 'bout me being beautiful? Do ya really t'ink dat?'

He lifted her chin and saw tears in her eyes. He asked, 'How does a drop dead gorgeous woman like yourself, not know you're beautiful? Yes, I mean it. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my whole life.'

She stepped close to him, pushed up onto her toes as she slowly pulled him down by his neck and kissed him. Then they made love for the first time by that waterfall. Reynold said from that moment on, he wors.h.i.+pped Panther. But when he started talking about coming back to see her, she told him, 'Don't make promises ya may not keep.'

Reynold responded, 'What do you mean? I'm a man of my word.'

Panther explained, 'I know a girl in anodder tribe. She meet a man out here hikin'. She luv him very much and dey all sure him luv her same. But him stop comin' to see her while she pregnant wit deir daughter. Just not come back like he promise.'

Reynold responded, 'But we don't know his side of the story. Maybe he was in an accident.'

Panther informed him, 'Oh, he just accidently marry him a supermodel. My friend got family in town. She point him out on the TV to her cousin. Dey was showin' him wit his new fancy supermodel bride.'

He a.s.sured her, 'Panther, I'm coming back.' And he did, again and again. By the time he learned Panther was only sixteen, she was already pregnant with their first child, a son they named Hunter."

"Talia hasn't mentioned an Uncle Hunter yet," Richy tells Roar.

Roar explains, "That's because we never knew him. He was killed by a mountain lion when he was three. When a predator is wounded or sick, that's often when it's at its most dangerous. Panther was on her way with the boy to meet Reynold. She had been carrying him on her hip. But he was excited about seeing his daddy, knowing his daddy was on his was to see him and Mommy, he didn't want to be held. Panther finally put him down on the path knowing Reynold was approaching up the path from the opposite direction. Hunter ran ahead just a short ways and the mountain lion pounced on him. It took off running with the boy's neck in its mouth. Reynold heard Panther scream and ran. When he got to them, Panther was in her guardian form. She had killed the mountain lion, but the mountain lion had nearly decapitated Hunter. He couldn't be saved. Panther was cradling Hunter to her chest and sobbing uncontrollably.

Reynold watched as she shrunk back to her normal self and dropped to his knees beside her, pulled her and their son into his arms and sobbed with her. He stayed a full month with Panther and the tribe mourning their son with his domesticated family and friends calling him, telling him he was missing work to which he replied, 'My son is dead and my woman is a mess. I don't have time for that s.h.i.+t right now.'

When he finally left to return to domestic life, Panther was with him and he had a tribal tattoo. He bought a huge piece of property on the edge of tribe territory and built the estate that sits there now. Our tribe has spent the worst winters there."

"That's why the main house is so big," Richy realizes, "He didn't just build it for her, he built it for the whole tribe."

Roar tells Richy, "I don't like when hunters come into our territory. But if Reynold Devons.h.i.+re hadn't come on that hunting trip with his buddies, Panther wouldn't have ever met her true-mate, they wouldn't of had children together, and consequently, the woman lying next to you, Talia Devons.h.i.+re, would never of been born."

Richy hugs Talia tighter to him. After all, his own father had been out camping with college friends when he met his mother. He glances over at Talia's nephews and they're sleeping. Roar's mate, Zenith, is sitting on the chair next to the nightstand with a hand resting on her swollen belly. The other woman, Squirrel, is sitting on the floor by the boys, her eyes s.h.i.+ny with tears.

"Good-night, my brother," Roar bids Richy and then kisses Talia's forehead. Squirrel gets up and leaves the room to find a place to bed-down for the night as Roar takes Zenith's hand.

Zenith tells Roar, "You tell that story well. You made Squirrel cry."

"I don't tell it as well as Grandma and Grandpa did," admits Roar. "To hear it from them personally was a real experience," he tells Zenith as they leave the room.