Hunted – 28

Logan was awed at the beauty of the wolf. “Splendid,” he murmured. Then he laughed delightedly when the tawny beast lifted its head to howl, the feeling of freedom in the sound echoing through the trees. Quickly he shifted to join his friend.

"I suggest a bit less howling," Logan cautioned. "We are not really in the wild."

Brice shied away in surprise when Logan’s words came clearly in his mind then bowed his head in acknowledgement. "You startled me."

"Sorry. To run, however, is fine." Logan loped across the clearing to the edge of the trees and then began to race through them, twisting and darting among them with Brice following on his heels.

"Such freedom, I’d forgotten how it feels," Brice said in elation, "Like being at one with the natural world. No restraints, nothing to hold me back, to hold me down." He howled again with joy.

"Keep on howling and you’ll be restrained when someone calls animal control," Logan replied with a chuckle.

"‘Duly noted, but damn…" Brice leapt, spinning in mid-air, to land on all four feet in front of Logan, his lips curled back in a wolfish grin. Then he sobered. "I wish…"

"That you could stay like this forever?"

"No. I wish I hadn’t buried my wolf so deeply for so long. I… If it weren’t for you I might never again have known what it means to be truly…me.” Then, before Logan could reply, Brice took off running again, leaping and capering as he did, like a pup getting its first taste of independence.

Eventually they began to tire. Logan led the way back to the clearing where they collapsed, panting.

"Time to return to ‘real’ life?" Brice asked somewhat querulously.

"I’m afraid so. But we can do this again as often as you want." With that said, Logan shifted.

Brice followed suit then gave a soft chuckle. “If I had the energy, and if you were gay…” He left the sentence hanging, a hopeful note in his voice as he once again got to see Logan in all his naked glory.

‘Sorry,” Logan said with a smile as he clothed himself. “Although if I were… well…”  He had to admit that even from his perspective Brice was a prime example of classic male beauty.

Brice frowned. “How do I..?”   

“Just think it,” Logan told him, knowing what he was asking.

Brice envisioned himself in the clothes he’d been wearing and was instantly dressed. He took a deep breath then said pensively, “I wonder, now that I can do this again, if my life will somehow be easier for me to handle.”

“It’s possible, if you mean being able to deal with the anger that sent you to Noah for relief,” Logan replied as they started back to the car. “I’m no psychologist, but some of that could have come from the wolf raging inside you, even though you didn’t know he existed. Your rage called to him and he responded, albeit silently so to speak.”

With a slow nod, Brice considered that and then chuckled. When Logan quirked an eyebrow Brice said, “Hopefully I can control my wolf nature better than my character in the vampire show controls his. I have a feeling shifting and attacking my director, or my most recent departing lover, would not go over too well in the grand scheme of things.”

“I rather think not,” Logan agreed with a laugh.