Things were quiet and peaceful on Freedom's Run. Rale and Rock were taking it easy out on Buck's Rump while Rock got his strength back. Janet was keeping things going smoothly at Water Wings, with able assistance from Bethany and Lucas. 

So Sylvia was relaxed. 

Relaxed?...    Relaxed, Hell!    She was bored! 

There weren't even any very interesting guests, nothing like that egotistical Puma writer and his Coyote herd-dog had been. She'd even welcome those two back if it would stir things up a little. 

She was b-o-r-e-d! 

Right on cue, the phone rang. "I have a collect call for Ms. Sylvia Slipsunder. Will you accept the charges?" 

"Yes, of course." 

"Hi, Mom? Spring Break's next week, and I thought I'd come home!" Talk about prayers answered! Brad would liven things up! 

"Good! When do you get here?" It can't be too soon for me, she thought. "Does Kari's flight schedule work out right for you?" 

"Yep. It turns out it's perfect. Both ways. I'll have a whole week! Oh, and Mom...would it be OK if I brought some friends? I don't know yet if they can come. I haven't asked them yet." 

"Sure. We've got a room free here in the lodge, and there's a cabin vacant if they want more privacy." Sylvia grinned sheepishly as she found herself winking into the phone. "Rale and Rock are out on Buck's Rump communing with nature, but I know they'll want to be here at least part of the time. You've got some competition for Rale's hero-worship, son. No, actually you've got a new brother. What are your friends like? Male or female?" She knew her eldest's proclivities. "Not that it matters much. Either one's welcome if they're your friends." 

"They're both guys, Mom. Clyde's from Carolingia. He's the one that told me about Rock's trouble there. Scout's his best buddy. He's from Guildwood. They're both great! You'll like them! If they can come, that is." 

"Tell them they're welcome. Tell them they're wanted." She really meant this. She'd found that she usually liked her children's friends, and this should liven things up even more. 

"OK, I will. Thanks Mom! I'll be there Sunday. I probably won't call again. Clyde 'n Scout'll be with me if they can come; if they can't it'll just be me. Love you! Bye!" 

"Goodbye," Sylvia replied to an empty line. 

Little did she suspect how far from bored she would soon be! 

 *    *    *    * 

"Hey guys, how'd you like to spend a week on a tropical island?" Brad sat at a table in The Full Stop with Clyde, Scout, and three cold Wossgate beers. 

"What's the catch?" Clyde sipped his beer and looked skeptical. 

"No catch. Mom says it's OK, and Kari's got room in the skypig. Said she'd even give you guys a special rate since you're family. I told her we were cousins." 

Now it was Scout's turn to be skeptical. "Cousins? A white wolf, a squirrel-tailed white mouse, and a patchwork of the-gods-know-what? Sure! And what's a skypig?" 

"Well, why not? None of us Slipsunder kids are the same either. Kari's known us too long to worry about who's what. Besides, it gives her an excuse for some extra company on the flight out. Skypig's what she calls her seaplane." 

"How 'bout it Clyde?" Scout was trying to seem indifferent, not too successfully. Clyde usually headed south to be with his folks, leaving Scout to stay behind on campus and be lonely. 

"Sounds good to me! I've always wanted to spend some time in a tropical paradise. It'd sure be a welcome change from Salmon Hat." Clyde's thin Carolingia blood had never fully adjusted to the climate of Columberta; even with spring coming he was chilled. 

"Then let's do it! What do we need to bring, Brad?" 

"A toothbrush and something decent for the plane. Once we get to the islands folks won't care much about who wears what or whether they wear anything, and you certainly won't need to worry about keeping warm." 

"Great! This is Thursday. When do we leave?" 

"We have to meet Kari Sunday morning at Kicking-Ass Bay. If we start hitching tomorrow after class, we should be able to make it OK. Or do you know anybody driving that way?" 

"Nope. Did you check the bulletin board?" 

"Yeah. Nothing." 

"Well, we've all ridden our thumbs plenty of times before. If we pack tonight we can leave earlier." 

"Well finish your beer and let's get at it." 

At mid-afternoon Friday they stood by the westbound highway with their thumbs in the air. 

A day-and-a-half and four rides later they climbed the ladder into Kari's seaplane at Kicking-Ass Bay. 

*    *    *    *    * 

Spray blanketed the windows as the seaplane touched down on the quiet waters of the lagoon. Scout looked out as the spray subsided and the plane taxied up to the little dock. Several figures were immediately busy securing it to the dock as the door swung open and salt air streamed in. 

Kari emerged from the cockpit and announced, "OK gang, here we are at Freedom's Run, the jewel in the crown of the Happenstance Islands! Enjoy your stay at Water Wings!" 

Brad grinned. "Kari, you'll never change." He climbed easily down the short ladder to the dock. 

Scout followed him out, blinking in the late afternoon sun. An attractive early-middle-aged woman offered him a paw down. Even with the outsized ears he guessed that this was Brad's mother. 

He stepped onto the dock . . . and froze. 

"Dennis?" 

Scout watched in a daze as the naked otterboy helped Kari and an older boy secure the plane and button it down. 

Memories overwhelmed him... 

Dennis' mother taking him in when his mother died in a fire; Dennis becoming his protector when his own mother died; years living together with Dennis as fauves; dens dug, food shared, love shared...especially love shared! 

Then nursing Dennis back to health after he was shot, and finally watching him drown in a flood -- unable to help, wishing he could join him in death but prevented by his own overriding instinct for life. It all came rushing back. 

"Scout? Are you OK?" Clyde climbed down beside him and took his arm. 

Scout shook his head to clear it, then turned, eyes brimming with tears. 

"Clyde, it's him. It's Dennis. But...he's so young! And Dennis is dead! I watched him drown!" 

"No, Buddy, that's Rale. That's Brad's kid brother." He put an arm around Scout's waist and led him up the dock. 

"Is Scout OK? He looks like he just saw a ghost." Brad's voice was full of concern as he padded up beside them. 

"You could say he did. Scout thought Rale was Dennis for a minute. Rale looks a lot like Dennis -- you know, Scout's friend who drowned." 

"Oh... Yeah, I remember. But is he OK?" 

"I think so. He still misses Dennis a lot sometimes. They were together ten years, at least." 

Scout managed a weak grin. "Yeah, I'm OK. He just looks so much like Dennis did when he was that age. It's gonna take a while to get used to having him around." 

By this time the plane was secured and the two boys joined them. 

"Hi! I'm Rale! This is my brother Luke!" The younger boy stuck out a paw. 

Clyde took it solemnly. "I'm glad to meet you Rale. Brad talks about you a lot. I'm Clyde McNutter, and this is Scout McIntyger. We're two of Brad's friends from school. Hi Luke!" He offered a paw to the older boy. 

When introductions and handshakes were over, Brad asked, "Where's Rock, Littlebit? I was hoping he'd be here too." 

"He stayed on Buck's Rump. Said he might paddle over later. I swam over so he could have the canoe." 

Brad gave a wry smile. "I hope he does. I owe him an apology." 

"Yeah... Me too." Clyde looked sheepish. "But we didn't know the whole story. Nobody did. I'm looking forward to meeting this guy." 

"Just be glad he's on our side," Luke put in. "If you'd seen that puma stunt of his you'd know what I mean. If Rale hadn't yelled, I'd be dead! But then it turned out Rock could have been dead himself. I'll never forget the way he twisted in mid-air. Just left himself wide open. I had cut him before I knew what I was doing." 

"He was bleeding so much I thought he was gonna die. I was really scared!" Rale's face was serious as he looked up at Scout and Clyde. "He's about the best friend I've ever had." 

"Well, it turned out OK, Littlebit. Mom tells me he's family now." Brad ruffled Rale's hair and Rale beamed at this attention from his brother. 

"Yeah, he is. He's pretty shy about people, though. He didn't say so, but I think that's why he didn't come over with me. I think you'll like him, Brad. I hope so." 

"So do I, Littlebit. So do I." 

*    *    *    *    * 

Clyde and Scout looked around the cabin. Sylvia had asked if they'd rather be here or stay with the family at the lodge, and had grinned knowingly when they both answered at the same time. The cabin wasn't fancy, but it was clean and in good repair and the plumbing seemed to work. There was one large all-purpose room and a bathroom with a toilet, a shower, and a lavatory. The kitchenette in one corner of the main room was simple, but well-equipped. The furnishings were a table, two chairs, and a single large bed. The latter suited them fine, since the bunk beds in the dorm made for cramped lovemaking. 

There was a knock at the door. Scout opened it to see Rale and a silver-gray wolf about his own age against the darkness. Both were comfortably naked; the wolf was magnificently so. 

"This is Rock. Rock, this is Scout and Clyde. They're Brad's friends. Brad's helping Janet. He'll be here in a minute." 

Clyde stepped up beside Scout and offered his paw. "I owe you an apology, Rock. Mom told me what happened here. I'm really sorry! I was the one that told Brad about your trouble in Carolette, but I didn't know the whole story." 

"That's OK. Nobody knew it but me, and I was running too fast to tell anybody." He stepped into the room. "They wouldn't have believed me anyway. Fancy whores aren't all that popular down there, except in bed." Rock's matter-of-fact bluntness was disarming. Clyde found himself liking him immediately. 

Rale padded over to stand by Scout. "Scout's been fauve too, Rock! You two oughta have a lot to talk about!" 

"I don't know, Rale. Rock was in Carolingia and the Midlands and I was in Truenorth. They're pretty different!" Scout reached down automatically to stroke Rale's hair. 

His mind drifted back to the many times he'd stroked Dennis' hair the same way, the many other ways they had caressed each other, the love they had shared, their passionate lovemaking. 

With memories came unconscious arousal, though his loose trousers concealed that fact from the others. 

Rale snuggled nearer and purred at the feel of Scout's paw on his head, a healthy boy's natural response to a show of affection. 

Scout hugged him close and let himself imagine that it was Dennis he held beside him. His arousal grew more intense, more insistent. Unbidden, his body scent announced his state. A civic would not have noticed, but Rock was still far from civic. 

Scout's reflexes had slowed since he left fauve life behind. 

Suddenly he was on his back with a tawny muzzle at his throat and strong jaws tightening on his windpipe. He couldn't breathe. 

Images flashed through his mind... Dennis lying wounded in the burrow they'd dug together... his own jaws on Gavin's throat and the taste of Gavin's blood in his mouth... 

In his mind he saw his own blood pouring onto the cabin floor. He counted the seconds of life remaining to him and said a silent goodbye to Clyde. 

"Rock! No!" Rale's scream rang in his ears. 

The teeth at his throat stopped without breaking the skin. 

The jaws said grimly, "Don't!   touch!   this!   boy! . . . . Ever!" 

Scout gasped for air as the jaws relaxed their grip a little. "No! I won't! I promise! Honest! I didn't mean anything! It's just...   I...   Dennis used to snuggle like that and I imagined for a minute I was holding him. I swear I'd never touch Rale! Not that way!" 

The jaws relaxed a little more. "I'll kill anybody who tries it...   or I'll die trying." 

"I believe you! I'd help you! Could I please get up off the floor?" 

The jaws slowly released their hold. 

The paralysis that gripped the others released them as well and everyone began to talk at once. 

Through the confusion, Scout said quietly, "I think I'd better go change my pants." A subtle change in the air as he headed for the bathroom made clear what he meant. 

The door opened. 

Still in puma form, Rock looked up... 

...stared... 

...and felt his heart turn over in his chest. 

The white wolf framed in the doorway stared back. Their eyes met and locked. 

The white wolf was not exceptionally muscular or handsome or outstanding in any other way, but for the second time since coming to Freedom's Run Rock felt his life being irrevocably changed. 

"Brad!    Brad!    Rock went puma again and nearly killed Scout! I don't know what it was all about, but it's OK now!" Rale's voice shook as he spoke. "Why'd you do it Rock? Why'd you go puma? 

From where he crouched on the floor Rock continued to stare into the white wolf's eyes. He spoke gently to Rale. "Remember when I told you what it was like for me when I was little? I thought Scout had something like that in mind with you; his body scent said he did. He didn't though. He was just remembering somebody he loved a lot. But if he'd tried that with you I would have killed him." 

The white wolf spoke. His voice was musical in Rock's ears, resonant but not deep. "Scout's not like that. He may sleep around some -- we all do -- but he wouldn't do that with a kid, especially not with my kid brother. He'd never take advantage of anybody. I'm Brad, by the way. You must be Rock. I'm glad I finally get to meet you! You've really had my folks stirred up lately." 

Brad took Rock's paw to help him to his feet. He held the grasp longer than necessary, then recovered by shaking the paw vigorously. He still couldn't force himself to break eye contact, nor could he release the paw he held. 

Rock was clearly in no hurry either. 

"Hey you guys, shall we turn the cabin over to the two of you?" Clyde broke the spell with a chuckle. "Scout and I can go somewhere else if you like." 

Brad glanced at Clyde and laughed self-consciously. "There's no other place for you to go. This is the only cabin available." His eyes returned to Rock. 

He saw a strikingly handsome puma with the powerful body and graceful stance of a gymnast. Though this was his new brother, his feelings now were definitely more than brotherly. "If Rock's gonna stay on Freedom's Run tonight he can bunk in with me though. There's an extra bed in my room. Rale's room's not big enough." Somehow he forgot that there was a spare room at the lodge. 

"I think I stayed in your room when I was healing. Is that right, Rale?" Rock looked down at Rale for confirmation. 

"Yeah, you did. So somebody could sleep there if you needed them." 

"It's a nice room. If you're sure you don't mind, I'll take you up on that." Brad's paw still held his. He gave it a quick squeeze and wagged tentatively. 

"Mmm-hmm!" Clyde didn't even try to hide the grin on his face. 

Scout returned just then, smelling considerably better. "Looks like things moved pretty fast while I was gone. Or somebody did. And... uh...  Rock? Do you suppose you could go back to being a wolf? I'd feel a lot more comfortable." 

"Oh... Sorry, I don't know how to do that. It just happens. I'm surprised it hasn't by now. Maybe we just ought to leave if it makes you uncomfortable." 

"Yeah, we'd better go. These guys have had a long trip and they didn't sleep much last night." Brad didn't mention that he hadn't either. It didn't seem important. 

Rale was far from innocent; by now he'd caught on to what was happening. "You two go on back. I want to go by the dock and be sure Kari's plane's OK." It was the best he could come up with on the spur of the moment. His grin was as wide as Clyde's. 

"OK, Littlebit. We'll see you guys in the morning." 

*    *    *    *    * 

The air was warm and soft on Rock's skin as they walked toward the lodge. The scent of tropical flowers filled the air. Stars were bright through the trees overhead. 

Suddenly he caught his breath. "Brad, look!" The stars were mirrored on the ground and in the air around them by hundreds of tiny flickering lights. 

"It's the fireflies and glowworms." Brad said. "They usually come out about this time of year.The glowworms on the ground are the females and the males fly around trying to find them. They signal each other with their lights. Aren't they beautiful? They're doing their mating dance." 

"We had fireflies in Carolingia, but nothing like this. I wonder if two males ever dance together." 

"I doubt it. They're not smart enough. It's all instinct with them. They don't know what love is." 

"Neither did I till tonight. I hope you don't mind." 

"Mind what? That you love me? I was hoping it wasn't one sided, wasn't just me." 

"No. That I've been raped, and been a whore, and never knew what love was. I feel like I'm offering you soiled goods, Brad. That's what I hope you don't mind. It would tear my heart wide open if you did." 

"Rock, I don't know much about what happened to you earlier, but whatever happened wasn't your fault. Boys don't choose to be raped, and I've heard enough about what happened in Carolette to know you weren't a whore by choice either." 

"I was a whore by choice when I was fauve. It was one of the few ways I could get any money. I'd do work instead of whoring whenever I could though, if that helps." 

"Listen! I don't care shit about what you did when you were fauve! You're not a whore now! You're walking with me through the woods at Water Wings on a beautiful spring night watching the fireflies dance and I love you! That's all I care about! That's all that matters! Dammit, are you going to kiss me now or make me wait till we get back to the lodge?" 

Rock's answer needed no words. Tawny muzzle joined with white. Tawny body pressed white body close, then closer still. 

Rock felt a strange sensation in his chest and throat...  unfamiliar...  but not unpleasant. Then he chuckled quietly as he realized that for the first time in his memory he was purring! 

It was some time before they got to the lodge. 

*    *    *    *    * 

"Hey, fella, you're a wolf again." Sunlight streamed through the window onto the unused second bed. 

Rock opened his eyes, then rubbed them sleepily. "I know. I felt it after the third time, when we made love with the light off. Funny, it's always been 'having sex' for me, but we didn't just have sex, we made love. I never guessed they would be so different." 

"Vive la difference! You can have sex with just about anybody, but you can't make love with somebody unless you love them." 

"I'd been wondering if I'd ever be able love anybody, or if I'd been too badly damaged. I knew I loved Rale and I knew I loved Sylvia and the others, but that's a different kind of love. I could never make love with Rale, and I've already said I'd kill anybody who tried sex with him before he's ready. I couldn't have sex with Sylvia, but I think I could make love with her if she wanted to and took the first step. The others...? I don't know.    Luke or Beth...? No. They're too young.    Jan...? I don't know... Maybe...  But as long as you're here, the question won't arise." 

"Something else might arise, I hope." Brad's paw explored Rock's back, then his tail-root... his balls... 

"Yep! As a matter of fact...  " 

Before they could act on what had arisen, there was a knock at the door. Brad disentangled from Rock and called, "Who is it?" 

"It's your mother, dear. Are you two planning to spend the whole day in bed?" They could hear the laughter in her voice. "Should I send Rale in with a bucket of cold water?" 

"Sorry Mom! We'll be right out. Are we too late for breakfast?" 

"Breakfast? You're about to miss lunch! Get your lazy butts out here, or I'll throw it to the fish!" 

"Yes Ma'am." 

"I guess that settles that!" Rock grinned. "We'll just have to wait till afternoon.  Oh...   Brad?" 

"Yep." 

"Watch. I want to try something." 

Brad looked on curiously as Rock settled into intense concentration. He saw a subtle shift from silver gray to warm gray, then to soft gold, then tawny gold. As the color of the coat changed, the muzzle shortened slowly, almost imperceptibly, the lean body became longer and more powerful, the ears more rounded, the tail longer and less bushy . 

"Should I run? Does this mean you're about to try to kill somebody?" 

"Nope. Not this time. I think I'm learning to control it. After we made love last night it felt like I might. It felt like there was a door I could open to another part of me, a part that's closer to being wild. Always before when I'd change it happened to me all at once and I was wild and a killer. Last night I found out that I could be wild and gentle." 

"You were wild, all right!...  And you were gentle too! I never knew making love could be like that! I think I must've just been having sex before too...  Hey, we'd better quit talking like this; I'm getting hard again just thinking about it!  And Mom meant what she said about throwing lunch to the fish. I've seen her do it." 

Rock slowly shifted back to wolf and reached for a pair of Brad's shorts. 

"Don't bother with those. I'm not. Nobody cares around here." 

"If you say so. Just don't do anything to remind me of last night! I'd feel self-conscious if I got hard in front of... our family." He took time to savor these last two words and the growing richness of their meaning. What had meant pain and humiliation for so long had now come to mean love and caring. A quiet purr vibrated his throat and chest. 

Brad was purring too. "It wouldn't bother them. They'd just kid you a little, and they're gonna do that anyway... both of us. Come on, we may as well face them and get it over with. Besides, I'm hungry!" 

Steeling themselves for what they knew was coming, they went out to join the others.