“Sure." Then I noticed the look on his face. The tired look all leaders have when they were being overworked. I was glad the kid was becoming more responsible, but his father would have shown him he could still have fun, even as a leader, if he was still here. So, I'd have to be the one to remind him. "Race you,” I said, without waiting for his response, and immediately launched into my bear, taking off running before I was fully shifted. I’d surprised him enough that I was out of his sight before I heard a long, low howl. A howl that held some amusement.
Wolves appeared around me within a few seconds. They were wolves of every size and shape. Most young men. A few young women. But there were no adults among them. The adults tended to live in the city, in homes, after they reached a certain age. Even if they came back to run on pack lands. This place... it was mostly for the young.
And, oh how confidant the young are.
They ran beside me with long strides, no concern for their surroundings, just running like they didn't think of the future. Like there was only now. I remember what it was like to be that young and confident. And for a moment, I pretended I was young and free too. I chuffed at them and kept running like a maniac, instead of a wise old bear, and before long, Nathan nipped at my heels.
My bear grunted out his version of a laugh as I ran harder and faster, but I was no match for the wolves. Nathan and his pack pulled out ahead of me, but barely. As a grizzly shifter, I could really put on some speed, but not to compete with a pack of young wolves.
They reached a clearing seconds ahead of me, and everyone shifted, all of us panting and smiling, clapping each other on the back. This was one of the few places that I could stand around with a bunch of naked and not feel strange. As shifters, it was simply normal. Much like shifting from an animal to a human, it was simply what we did.
And yet, that comfort only lasted so long.
By the time they handed me a spare pair of sweats to put on, most of the pack had gathered around. “Daniel,” Nathan said. “This is Hudson. He recently moved to town and joined our back. He’s also recently been accepted into the local paralegal program. He’s going to be our legal counsel someday.”
The young man blushed and ducked his head of long, blond hair at Nathan’s praise. “I want to be a lawyer, but with money and stuff, I have to do it in stages.”
I nodded gravely at him. “You’re taking on a big responsibility. Your parents must be proud.”
Nathan squeezed his shoulders. “Hudson’s parents aren’t in the picture. He actually moved here with his grandparents after their passing. But I’m as proud of him as I could possibly be.”
It was sad to hear. There weren't a lot of shifter deaths. Usually when young people weren't involved with their parents, it was because shifters could be different than humans. When our children felt ready to survive on their own, we tended to let them try. We were there to catch them if they fell but gave them the space to come to us. That was why many of these kids had been making poor choices. I knew their parents weren't happy about it, but they also wouldn't step in. They knew making mistakes was part of growing up, and that the pack would make sure the mistakes weren't too bad of ones.
But as sad as I was for the kid and his loss, I was glad Nathan was truly growing up. He was becoming the leader his people needed. I could see that in the way Hudson looked at him, that Nathan was no longer just an alpha in name only. He was growing up. Becoming the leader who could take a pack of kids who wanted to act like adults, even though they weren't, and shape them into something other than troublemakers.
I just wished his father was here to see him.
His father. These kids. Something about the case, about Bryan's kidnapping, kept flicking about the back of my mind. I looked off into the forest, trying to search my mind to grab that elusive thread. Was someone kidnapped here? Did the shifters have a case like this one?
“Daniel?” Nathan asked, his eyes holding concern. “You okay?”
I realized I'd been staring off and shook myself.
"Yeah, sorry."
The other young people started telling me about their own changes. Many had started at our local community college. Others had gotten jobs in town. While the rest were actively working the lands now. Planting gardens, fixing up the cabins, even hunting and selling fur and meat in town. Instead of just watching the hard work of past generations crumble away, they were working to rebuild.
I praised them. Talked. Laughed. They began to drift away, to go back to things more interesting than this old bear. Even the new kid, Hudson, gave me a little bob of respect and headed back to the cabins, until it was just Nathan and me.
"You sure you're okay?" He asked.
I smiled. He had a little scruff on his face. It seemed strange sometimes that once upon a time I was his age, that I saw myself as a man, even though now that I'm staring at him, all I can see is the beautiful baby my best friend had showed me so proudly.
With a sigh, I clapped him on the shoulder. “Yeah. I’ve got an old case on my mind, and it keeps bothering me. Listen son, I’m so proud of you I could bust. Your old man is rolling over in his grave right now, but in a very good way.”
He burst out laughing. “I like to think so.” He motioned toward a nice set of patio furniture.
Belatedly, I noticed that most of the logs and cheap plastic chairs had been upgraded since the last time I was out here. The small, surrounding houses showed signs of improvement as well. New coats of paint, a few had new windows.
“Nathan, seriously. You’re doing such good out here.” I nodded toward his house. “This place looks great.”
He waved off my compliments as someone set a bottle of water down in front of both of us. “Tell me about your case,” he said, showing interest in something outside of himself and his world. More growth for the young wolf leader. “Dad used to tell me about his old cases.”
Maybe I’d make a friend out of him, yet. I described how Bryan had been kidnapped. “The method, the running up like that on the beach. Something is so familiar about it.”
Nathan furrowed his brow and sipped his drink. “You know, it doesn’t remind me of one of Dad’s cases, but it does make me think about how the football team used to do. That's what they did to new recruits. Sometimes they'd put masks on, catch them when they were alone, then run up and grab them, freaking them out.”
“Holy…” And there it was. Something my high school team used to do, although it wasn't something I participated in. That was why it seemed so familiar!
