Brown Bear Coffee House - Chapter 17

Chapter 17 

Brian's visits home from college were regular, and a joy to all concerned. When he left them to return to Humboldt after the winter break, Moose turned to Rusty and said, “He's turned into a fine man, hasn't he? He’s keeping up with his exercise routine, too; and damn me but he's hot! ”

Rusty poked his lover in the belly. “Due largely to your influence and work, love.”

“Both of us, you mean. Don't forget, it was your idea to bring him inside and feed him.” They both smiled and went about their day's business.

A few weeks later, with the help of the information Rusty and Moose had ferreted out at Boris' request, and the financial backing of Boris and his bear financial friends, the firm of Behr, Lyons, and Stagg had completed the purchase of Valmer, Jefferson, Wyeth, Upton and Fipps and all its assets, and had assumed the now-extinct firm's liabilities. Valmer had purchased some of the properties outright and held them in his own name. Those were taken by the state as criminal gains, to be sold off or returned to those he had cheated. Some of the properties had been obtained by Valmer acting as the law firm itself, by corrupt but apparently legal means; and those went with the firm. Behr, Lyons, and Stagg quietly made generous offers of either compensation or the outright return of the properties to those Valmer had swindled in the name of his firm. Those with pending lawsuits, triggered by Valmer's conviction, were offered out of court settlements that either restored their business properties or offered compensation for the loss of their businesses. After some hesitation and doubt, all but one suitor accepted. The whole process took nearly a year. The one remaining partner, Fipps, was given the chance to retire gracefully after a few months. He did so, and moved to the Bahamas.

Simultaneously with all this, the new law firm had several meetings with Moose, Rusty and, later, Brian, who on a visit back in Wolverton argued passionately in favor of re-establishing the shelter, even expanding it. Finally, the firm let it be known to the charity that ran the shelter that Behr, Lyons, and Stagg wished to assist in the rebuilding of the shelter, and offered their services pro bono. “Our home office in Seattle has always been involved in the community, and they expect us to be, as well. Our intention is to be here in Wolverton for a long time. We want to be good neighbors,” Larry Lyons had said to the City Council. Privately, to Moose and Rusty, he said, “This is, in part, a strategic move. Boris always thinks ahead, and with my having to move, we are accomplishing two things at once. A new place for me, and another place in the northwest where bears can come for legal advice and help relocating when that becomes necessary. It's best to spread these 'facilities' out some, we were beginning to attract some notice due to all the big, hairy clients!” Rusty and Moose had laughed at that, but recognized the wisdom of the strategy.

Since the two most recently elected city council members had found it prudent to resign with the arrest of Valmer and the ensuing investigation, new elections were to be held, and that boded well for permitting the new shelter. Temporary accommodations had been found for the surviving shelter residents, some in a neighboring town, until the new shelter was finished. It was a very happy day when the city council voted to approve the required environmental report and move ahead with the shelter project.

Rusty bounced into the physical therapy side of the building that had become the center of their lives. “Look at this, Norman!” he said, waving the newspaper in front of his mate's bearded face.

Moose chuckled. “I can't read it unless you hold it still.” Rusty handed the paper to the bigger man but continued to babble out the story on the front page.

“It says that the new city council approved the environmental report and has given final OK for the new shelter and outreach center! They've instructed the planning department to give the OK to solicit bids on the contract. It's finally going to happen!” The smaller bear was vibrating with happiness. “Something really good is going to come out of all that evil and badness... finally!”

Moose continued to read the article, a smile growing on his handsome face. He finally put the paper down and swept up his lover in his arms and gave him a huge bear hug and a prolonged smooch. “And I think I know just the building crew to do the work!”

Later that evening, after supper, the two bears were lounging naked on the couch, Moose noodling on his laptop, Rusty reading a book. “There. I've sent a note to Ron about the new shelter and center, with the link for them to submit a bid on the contract.” Moose closed the laptop's lid with a click. “I think it would be cool if the Bear Crew got the contract, don't you? We could, umm, 'entertain' them after work, like a bed and breakfast sorta thing… or den and dinner.” Moose smiled widely at his turn of words. He peered over his glasses at Rusty.

Rusty peered back at Moose with a slow smile. “You mean 'feed and fuck', don't you?”

Moose rubbed his nose. “Well, yeah... I guess I do; you up for that?”

“Oh, hell, yeah!” Rusty closed his book and reached over to rub his lover's thick thigh. “But now, bedtime? I've hit the wall here, I think.”

“Hey! Do you suppose the guys could stick around awhile after and we could all go out to meet Josephus?”

“Norman, sweetheart, love of my life… you’re putting the cart before the horse, we don’t even know if they’ll get the contract.” Rusty smiled; Norman could be excitable and it was really charming most of the time.

Moose grinned, “Yeah, I guess I am. But I still think it's a good idea!” Moose got up, held out a paw for Rusty, and helped his mate up from the couch. They stood and looked at each other, then slowly hugged. “I love you so much, you big lug,” Rusty murmured into Moose's thick chest fur. They padded off to the bedroom together.

They did not make love that evening, preferring to simply say in full human form and kiss deeply and repeatedly, and cuddle close, inhaling each other’s scent and feeling the thick layer of fat that overlay dense muscle underneath. They laughed a bit at each other’s' rigid cocks but still felt completely satisfied with the tight hugs and caressing paws. As their penises slowly deflated and relaxed, they drifted off to sleep, smiles on both their faces.

Later in the night, while Moose slept soundly, his regular deep breaths audible as he lay on his side, Rusty whimpered, turning his head back and forth.

'No! No!' he muttered, mumbling in his sleep. It was the same dream from his youth, the one that had haunted his high school and college years, but now came only on the rarest of occasions.

The thick, heavy cock swung in his face, the thick foreskin only half-concealing the bulbous tip, the faceless man taller than him, and not just because Rusty was being made to kneel. Everyone was taller than him. 'Go on.... lick it. You know you want to, faggot! Just the tip, LITTLE man! See how BIG it is, you hairy little fag?' You can't get the whole thing in your mouth, can you? CAN YOU, BOY?' The faceless brute gripped the shaft and shook the thing in Rusty's face, then slapped his cheeks and nose with it, his voice mocking. 'THAT’S a MAN’S cock. That's a REAL baby maker, not like that tiny thing you've got, boy!' Rusty turned his head away, his ruddy face turning a deeper red. 'Awww, lookit that. The little boy's all blushing. Hell, he's almost as red as my monster cock!' He pointed down at Rusty's penis. 'SEE? His is all tiny and cute and pink... almost like a girl's thingie.' The brute's voice turned to disgust. 'Hell, my little brother's prick is bigger than that, and he's only 11!' He pushed Rusty over and aimed a kick at his backside.

Rusty jerked awake, eyes wide and breath rasping, sweating from fear and the exertion of his dream struggle. His hands involuntarily reached down and felt the warm bulk of his equipment. His own warm, bearish cock and furry balls, heavy and thick now. His! A slow smile stole across his face in the soft darkness of the bedroom. He rolled over and pressed close to the thick fur on Moose's back, the air from his nostrils ruffling the auburn strands. 'I'm not so small anymore, now, am I?' directing the thought to his dream assailant. 'Besides, I've got something you'll never have… someone who loves me: loves my cock and my body and my fur...all of me! Loved me before, and loves me now!' He extended his arm out and across Moose's side. The big bear grunted and the rhythm of his breathing altered. Moose slept on, but reached a paw out and took Rusty's in his own, pulling him close, as if he were pulling a blanket up for more warmth and comfort. His light snores returned to their quiet, placid rhythm

'All I ever wanted was someone to love me for me, for what I was, even if that was gay, fat, and hairy,' he thought as he felt the steady rise and fall of Moose's side under his arm, 'someone I could be with for the rest of my life.'

For the first time since that night of savage, bruising sex that Moose had inflicted on him, sex for the sheer lustful, animal need to breed; Rusty truly understood – heart, belly and mind – the principal aspect of what weredom meant for him and Moose. Reflecting, Rusty thought it must have been something Moose had understood as soon as he was aware of what they were becoming and what it meant. It explained why Moose had had that goofy look on his face, and his casual acceptance of such a profound life changing event. Rusty’s revelation warmed him and the feeling of deep peace and contentment it brought swelled until he thought he would burst; starting deep in his gut, it radiating outwards, suffusing his whole being.

“I can spend my life with you, my love,” he whispered. “my whole life! And that will be a long time... a long, LONG time.” He nuzzled his face in the middle of Moose’s furry back... gods, but he smelled good! The larger bear grunted again contentedly in his sleep. Rusty swirled his soft beard a couple of times in the middle of his husband’s back, soaking it with his lover’s scent and, comforted, yawned and drifted off again; this time to pleasant dreams of bears and love and eternity.

THE END

(A note to our readers: We wish to acknowledge a long-standing debt of gratitude to our friend, LJ's very own Designer Otter, whose perceptive comments on our fiction have helped us both in the development of our characters. For this specific story, we'd like to thank two other friends for technical assistance... a waggle of our paws to Mike and to John.

We have been asked if our characters are modeled on real people. Authors are always influenced by their life experiences, but none of our characters are stand-ins for real persons. The fiction we write is just that, pure fiction; though, inevitably, some bits and pieces of our actual lives do find their way into the stories.

A final note: in these stories, the characters do not practice safe sex. In our fantasy, such precautions between werebears are not necessary, but in the real world, they most definitely are. Enjoy the fantasy, but play safe in the real world.)

Brown Bear Coffee House - Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Over the summer, Brian thought a lot about what he wanted to do with his life. He thought about the lives that Moose and Rusty were leading and what all that meant, short- and long-term. Their mutual support of him, and their obvious love and affection for him pulled him towards that way of life. The rightness of life with them had a deep attraction. But his talk with Tony at the bear run the previous fall had given him much to think about as well. He found himself agreeing more and more with the black bear's thoughts on having a life and experiencing some of the world before he made an irrevocable change, a truly life-changing one. He felt strongly pulled towards a 'helping' profession, but really wasn't interested in medicine. He was becoming more interested in social work as a possible career, and he found a good program at Humboldt State. With Rusty's help he checked out which of his existing credits would transfer as was pleasantly surprised to find that he would only have to make up one class to be on track to graduate in three years’ time.

He was pleased with the amount of money he had saved, and, after much consideration, decided that he would buy a car. This would give him mobility while he was at school, and allow him to visit Moose and Rusty when he wanted to without having to depend on others for rides. He told Moose and Rusty his plan and set aside time one Saturday towards the end of summer to go car shopping. “I think something used, maybe a Jeep.”

Rusty nudged Moose and whispered in his ear, “We should take care of that for him, so he can save the money for other stuff at school, and...” But Moose shushed him.

“Nope. He needs to do this himself.” When Rusty started to interrupt, Moose continued, “No, I mean that. It will be good for him to contribute, to do something on his own. And before you say anything, yes, I will go with him and see that he gets a good 'un, not some piece of crap that just looks good.”

Rusty looked doubtful, but could see the wisdom of Moose's point of view. And that Saturday, he was content to let Moose and Brian go off on their own to hunt down a vehicle.

At one local car lot, Brian was very attracted to a Jeep Rubicon. “What do you think, Moose? It's looks clean and in good shape, and the price is good, too. Not too many miles.” He was walking around the Jeep, touching and patting the fenders. Moose stood back and looked the vehicle over.

“Well, it does look to be in good shape. You'd need to have the engine and tranny checked out by a mechanic. But you know....” Moose stopped, considering how he should put what was on his mind. “I wonder if you might like a pick-up better. More cargo space, more stability. Better ride.”

“You think so?”

“Well, it IS your choice, your money and all. But think about a pick-up.” Moose called over to the salesman who had been shooed away from hovering a while back. “You got any pick-ups, about the same price range as this?” The salesman nodded, and lead them to the other side of the lot.

“This one is really good... low miles, excellent condition, well maintained. It's an older model, I know, but it handles and pulls well. You can't go wrong with this baby, no sir!” He lovingly stroked the high hood of the Chevy Colorado Xtreme. “Cherry body, NICE rims, and pretty good torque. Wanna test drive it?” the salesman said, hopefully.

While Brian climbed in and checked the seating position and controls, Moose asked, “What's the story in this one, it's a 2008, no? How come the low miles?”

“Well, there's no trick here. A lawyer bought it for his son's graduation from high school. The kid drove it for just over a year, and then went into the Army, asked his dad to keep it for him. He got sent to Afghanistan, two tours, I think. When he got back, he decided he wanted to get something more sporty. He went a bit wild, actually. He traded it in on a Camero. His dad had taken real good care of it, hardly drove it but kept it serviced, all done right here, we got the papers on it. It's a good choice if your boy doesn't mind something a bit older, less stylish.”

Moose chuckled at the 'your boy', but didn't correct the man. “It's his money and his choice, but thanks for the info. We'll let you know if we need anything else, or want a test drive.” Brian continued to look at the truck, eyeballing it from every angle. They looked at several others on other lots, but returned later in the afternoon to the Chevy, test drove it, and Brian proudly wrote the check and purchased his first vehicle. Moose's silent but imposing presence ensured that Brian got a fair deal, with no up-selling, add-on's, or secret defects.

“You like it, Moose?” Brian asked when they got back to the Brown Bear, eager for his closest friend's approval.

“Yep! It's a good looking hunk of truck. Smaller, but that's not at all bad. Pretty decent cargo space, and the cab is comfy. You done good....'son'!” He slapped Brian on the back.

“You caught that, huh?” Brian chuckled. “I thought it was a hoot, but it made me feel good, though... 'dad'!” He smiled at Moose, love in his eyes.

The last weeks of the summer flew by in a blur of work at the coffee shop, a few day trips to nearby towns that had bear bars or gay-friendly resorts, and conversations about Brian's future plans. He and Moose had continued to weight train and Brian had grown out of most of his clothes, which he gave to charity. He was becoming truly massive. He kept a few of the tighter ones, the ones that really showed off his muscles, at Moose’s request; and would dress in them when going on the day trips. Moose was inordinately proud of his cub and loved to show him off. Before they all knew it, it was September, and their time together was coming to an end. Rusty insisted on making a farewell meal featuring all of Brian's favorites.

“I am seriously going to miss this food. We eat like kings around here, you know that?” Brian pushed his very full self back from the table. “That was SO good.... and thanks for making my favorite stroganoff, and everything else.” While Rusty had been cooking up a storm of Brian's favorites, Moose had helped Brian pack his car with all the gear he was taking to Humboldt the next morning. Since the night Brian had discovered the true nature of his papas, he hadn’t slept in the room downstairs but maybe three times. It had become more of a store room for his stuff. New student orientation began in two days, and Brian planned on leaving early the next morning. This dinner had been their last together for a while, so there was some inevitable sadness involved.

“You are more than welcome,” Rusty said, with a sigh. “We'll miss having you around here, you know that. More than miss you, actually.” Moose nodded in agreement and reached a paw under the table to squeeze Brian's knee. “Shall we clear?” Rusty asked.

“Nah, it can wait. We need to do some serious cuddling. Com'on.” Moose got up from the table and reached for Rusty and Brian. “Everything else is done, just leave it. Time for us, now.” They all headed into the bedroom.

Moose turned on the low bedside light. It was too warm for any bed clothes, but he did light a couple of candles, who's dancing light made their shadows flicker as they stripped and got onto the bed. As was their usual positioning when Brian shared their bed, Moose and Rusty were on the outside with Brian in the middle. All three happened to sigh together, and then all three laughed.

“It's funny when that happens,” Brian said, still smiling. The three were silent for a while, enjoying the warmth and closeness of each other. Finally, Brian broke the silence.

“I don't know about you guys, but I'm really horny. Think we could do something about that?” Brian was grinning again as he reached down to fondle Rusty and Moose's cocks. Rusty's was surging erect, with Moose's not far behind him; the warm growing thickness in his hands started Brian's response as well, and soon all three were hard. Moose started to ooze precum. Brian made to rise up and get a condom for the big red bear, but Moose pushed him back down on the bed.

“Nuh-uh. Tonight we're doing all the work. Your job is to lay back and enjoy. Rusty?” he said looking over at his mate on the other side of the now-reclined Brian.

Rusty nodded and both of them began to nuzzle every nook and crevice of Brian's body. They licked and nibbled, bringing shivers of delight from their young companion. Starting at the top of Brian's head and working all the way down to his feet, the pair, one on each side, kissed every square inch of his body. They turned him over and did the same on his neck, back, butt, and legs. Moose then began a deep tissue massage on Brian's back and butt, while Rusty cuddled around Brian's head and face, kissing him and talking softly. Brian alternately groaned and sighed in pleasure. When he was finished, Moose turned Brian over, revealing his still rigid cock and a sizable wet spot on the sheet.

“You got some more of that for us?” Rusty chuckled, and moved down and attached his mouth to Brian's cock, working his tongue in between the foreskin and the glans.

“Wait, Rusty,” Brian said, gently pushing Rusty's head off his cock. “I want to ask something.” Both Rusty and Moose looked at each other then at Brian.

“I've been having some dreams lately, fantasies, I guess; and again just now. I sort of wondered if we could try something. If you're willing, I mean.”

Both Moose and Rusty had half-expected Brian to ask them about becoming a werebear, and both started to say something, but Brian stopped them before they could voice their thoughts.

“Moose, you're the biggest guy I've seen, I mean your cock is the biggest I've seen. Tony was surprised I could take you.” Moose blushed lightly while Rusty smiled with pride. “But what I'd like to try is to... well, maybe... take you both. At once, I mean. I want to have you both in me at the same time, I’ve wanted it since I first saw it on Triple X Tube. I thought at the time that it would be wonderful to feel both of you in me and surrounding me with your furry bodies.”

Moose and Rusty looked at each other again, then down to Brian. “Cub, I don't think you could. We could, but we're weres and any damage would repair quick. You're not. We wouldn't want...”

Rusty interrupted Moose, “...to hurt you,” he finished.

“I know, but if you took a lot of time, stretched me a lot and used lots of lube... I’ve been working at stretching myself for a month now, preparing for this.” Brian blinked and looked, first at Rusty, then at Moose. The tone of his voice and the rigid flare of his cock head made it clear that he really wanted this to happen.

“I dunno...” Moose was plainly doubtful. “I suppose if we used Rubber Moose and worked a couple of fingers in along with that, it might open you enough...” He was still uncertain.

“You know,” Rusty said, “I think one of the guys left a bottle of poppers here.” He looked at Brian. “You're young and strong, no heart issues or meds, so there really isn't much risk. It might help you relax your muscle ring enough.” He looked at Moose with an unspoken question in his eyes. Moose nodded slightly. Rusty got off the bed and rummaged around the night stand on his side for the little bottle. “Ah. There it is.” He held up the small brown bottle.

Meanwhile, Moose had opened the drawer in his nightstand and fished out the Rubber Moose. As a gag one year, back in the early days of their relationship, Moose had a life cast made of his cock, and a silicone dildo made from that, and had given it to Rusty. “I ain't braggin' but you know I'm big. I don't want to hurt ya, so I kinda thought you could... sort a practice with this.” Far from being offended, Rusty eagerly 'practiced' with the dildo, which they nicknamed the Rubber Moose. It certainly made taking Moose easier for the smaller man, and besides, Rusty had developed a taste for being overfilled. Once they had moved in together, the Rubber Moose was rarely used, the real things being much more available, and satisfying. Moose also got out a pair of condoms, one extra-large for himself and one for Rusty, and the lube.

“This might be best with you on all fours to start,” Moose said. Brian scrambled into the classic position and Moose began to lovingly lube his butt. He slowly worked one blunt finger in, spreading the thick lube in deep. Feeling Brian relax some, he worked a second finger in with more lube, and stretched the muscle ring by moving his fingers apart. Brian grunted, but pushed back to let Moose know he was OK. Moose continued to work his fingers and the lube in deeper.

Rusty held the small brown bottle up to see if there was any liquid left. There was, and he opened the cap and sniffed lightly. The nitrite hit his brain almost instantly, with his enhanced sense of smell even in human form. He felt a warmth spread throughout his body and a heightened sense of awareness. It faded rapidly, the result of his speeded-up were metabolism. He held it out to Brian, who raised his head and looked, unsure of what to do.

“This will help your smooth muscles relax, and you'll feel warm. Blood will rush to your head. It will feel odd but probably good. Take a small sniff first. It smells kinda funky, but it won't hurt you.” He held the bottle under Brian's nose. Brian sniffed.

He felt an immediate rush of blood to his head, and a warm flush radiating from both his head and his chest outwards. The feeling was not unpleasant but definitely strange.

“You OK?” Rusty asked. Brian nodded as Moose slipped a third and fourth finger easily in. Rusty held out the bottle again, and Brian inhaled deeply.

The effect this time was more pronounced. Moose withdrew his fingers and replaced them with Rubber Moose, which slid in with more lube and almost no resistance. In the next five minutes or so, Moose worked Brian's ass, gently working a couple of fingers in alongside Rubber Moose. He looked over at Rusty, at Brian's head, and asked, “How are we going to do this?”

“I've been thinking, we can't both fit behind him. How about we get on our backs, you put your legs outside mine and I scoot up close to you. Use pillows to support our backs so we can be a bit more like we're sitting. We'll be cock to cock. Then Brian can straddle us and lower himself onto us. Think that would work?”

Moose nodded, and asked Brian, “You game?”

Brian's eager nod was accompanied by his getting up and out of the way so Moose and Rusty could get into position. Once there, the two bears began stroking themselves to harness. Brian reached for the condoms, and in his eagerness, nearly tried to put the smaller one on Moose.

“Other way 'round,” they both said together, and they all laughed. Brian rolled down the rubber on Moose's thick meat, pinching the tip to leave room for Moose's cum, and smoothed as he rolled downwards on the shaft, skinning back the hairs that grew all over the bottom third of Moose's shaft. He then did the same for Rusty, causing Rusty to moan with pleasure at the stroking motions. His tip flared wide. Brian then got up and stepped across both bears, straddling them and squatted down.

“Guide yourselves in, I can't see.” Moose and Rusty obliged. Rusty handed the little bottle to Brian. “Take another hit, then start to lower yourself on us. If you feel yourself tightening up, you can take another hit or stop. Don't hurt yourself, take it nice and slow.” While Rusty was talking, Moose was busy squirting more lube on both their erect poles. “Ready.”

Brian began to slowly lower himself, then stopped. “I gotta shift here.” He got on one knee, with his other leg bent and once again began to lower himself, this time with more control. “That's better.”

Under Brian, both Moose and Rusty were guiding themselves in. Brian's hole gaped, stretched wide from Rubber Moose and the real one's fingers. Moose's tip nearly filled the opening, but not quite. “Guide me in,” Rusty said to Moose as he put his hands under his butt and raised himself so his tip was at the same height as Moose's. Moose gripped both his and Rusty's meat in his paw, holding them together as Brian lowered slowly. Both tips together spread the puckered skin and muscle wide, then wider, and then, with Brian's very loud grunt, disappeared inside.

“Oh, fuck me! That feels...” Brian paused and drew a deep breath.

“OK? Good?” Rusty asked.

“Fan-fucking-tastic!” Brian slowly lowered more, so half the length of the pair of cocks was inside him.

“Will you look at that!” Ain't that a sight?” Moose was becoming visibly excited, his breath coming in faster gasps as well. Rusty was breathing hard.

“I can't see from here, not like you can, but it feels fantastic... both of you in me at once!!”

Brian was facing away from Moose, which gave Moose a better view of his butt, but Rusty a better view of his face. “What's he look like?” Moose asked.

“Well, his eyes have definitely rolled back in his head, and he's drooling a bit. Um, make that a lot from his cock.”

Brian was incoherent by this point, raising and lowering himself on the pair of cocks. Unable to bottom out, but unwilling to stop trying, his rigid erection bounced with the effort. Suddenly, his cock jerked rhythmically and he pumped out a huge load, the first shot arcing completely over Rusty's head, the second and third hitting the red-blond bear square in the face and mouth, and the fourth and fifth the lower part of his beard and chest. Both Moose and Rusty growled deeply, and Brian moaned and gasped in time with the pulsing of his cock, and then started to fall backwards. Moose quickly put his large hands under Brian's butt and pushed upwards until his ass had cleared both bear's cocks. Brian sort of collapsed onto Rusty, pinning his legs against Moose's. His breath came in ragged gasps. Rusty cradled Brian in his arms, murmuring in his ear. Moose did his best to ease out from under Rusty and Brian. He rolled slightly on his side and pulled his condom off and tied it off. He motioned to Rusty.

“Your condom. It looks like you shot.”

“I did, but I can't reach it, can you get it for me?” Moose did and removed the filled rubber and tied it off as well.

“Did you shoot?” Rusty asked. Moose nodded and held up the pair of tied condom, both distended with bear cum. Rusty grinned. “This guy sure did, I'm covered in it!”

“That’s my CUB!” Moose said.

Brian's eyes had returned to their usual position and they looked into Rusty's face. “Wow…” was all he could manage to say.

Rusty smiled and Moose patted Brian's back. With Moose's help, Brian rolled off Rusty, and lay between them, his face buried in Moose's arm pit, nuzzling. He reached back and pulled Rusty in closer. Silence descended while each processed the events of the past half hour.

One of the candles guttered out. The smoke smell roused all three out of their post-play daze.

“Guys, I don't know how I can tell you how much you both mean to me. How grateful I am for everything you've done for me. You've never once asked for anything in return. I just...” Here he paused, trying to get control of his emotions. His falling out with his parents, being disowned, and his time on the streets had all toughened him to a point where he rarely allowed himself to show deep emotion; but he was struggling now to keep his composure. Both Moose and Rusty reached over and hugged him tight, and then he lost it, crying softly into Moose's chest fur while clutching Rusty's hand.

“We both love you very deeply, Brian.” Rusty said

“And we’ll always be your papa bears. Nothin’ ever gonna change that,” Moose said and kissed the young man on top of his head.

“Sorry, guys. It's just that no one has ever treated me as generously, as lovingly as you... you didn't know me from Adam and you just took me in. I'll never forget that, and I'll never stop being grateful. You changed my life, you saved my life... and now you’ve helped me begin to build my life.”

“Brian, you know we will miss you a lot. You always have a place here, whenever you need it. You can drive to visit us, it's not all that far, really. Anytime. And we can visit you. And if you ever need any help, you only have to call.” Rusty was getting a bit misty himself, partly because he really would miss Brian, and partly because he knew how much Moose would.

Moose stroked Brian's furry chest and belly. “There is something we will ask of you, cub.” Brian looked up into Moose's thick beard-framed face. “Make use of that degree you’re getting, go out and help people. You've got a gift for empathy, and you've been there and know what it's like to be on the other side of economic security. I know social work gets a bad rap sometimes, but get yourself in a position where you can make some changes, make the system work the way it should. That's what we ask.”

“You know I'll do my level best, Moose, Rusty. I owe it to you.”

“No, not to us. To yourself and to others.” At that, Brian nodded, then gathered his thoughts.

“And guys.... I've decided. PLEASE don't be upset. Please. But I've thought a lot about this. Every time I go off for a walk alone I'm thinking about this. Deciding to go to Humboldt was easy. But this... My talk with Tony really helped me, cleared my thinking some, and...and I've decided I want to have a career, a life. I would LOVE to spend the rest of my life with you guys, but I need to go out and do stuff... not that being here with you isn't good... great, I mean...” Brian's voice faded away as he tried to find the words he needed to say.

“It's OK, Brian. We both love you, and we know you love us. That's all that really matters.” Moose stroked Brian's shoulder and chest. Rusty rested a paw on Brian's belly.

“But guys.... what I mean is that I just am not ready yet... not ready to... for... to be like you. To be were.” He stopped, tears in his eyes again. “I want to, I think. But just not now. Later. After I've had a career, a life, after I've been human for a while.” He stopped, afraid, in spite of what Moose had just said to him, that they wouldn't want him to return to them, now or ever.

“Oh, Brian. Don't worry yourself about this. It's NEVER been a requirement, you know that. We wouldn't change you anyway, at least not until you've had a chance to live a life on your own with other bears if you want, human bears. We'll always be here for you. Never doubt that. But we want you to go out, to be on your own, and to discover what kind of person you want to be and what kind of life you want to have.” Moose hugged Brian tight.

“We've got lots of time, you know.”

They were silent for a while, and then Brian spoke up. “Guys, could I ask one last favor?”

“Of course cub. What do you want?”

“Could you both go into full bear form and let me sleep with you tonight like that. One more time?”

“Sure!” Moose almost immediately started his change into full grizzly form. The process was now familiar to Brian, but he still gazed with wonder at what his beloved Moose was becoming in front of his eyes. Rusty deliberately delayed changing so that Brian could concentrate on watching Moose.

When Moose was finished and had chuffed at Brian and nuzzled in his beard, Rusty began his change. Brian turned to watch the other bear in his life morph into a beautiful Kermode, fur shining in the low candle light of the room. Each bear settled on the bed and Brian, after snuffing out the remaining candles, settled between them. Each bear was on their side, facing Brian, their soft breath ruffling Brian's beard and fur. Each put out a heavy paw and rested it on Brian's chest and belly. Both growled and nuzzled the young man, and all three fell asleep.

Brian rose early the next morning, and very quietly eased out of bed, leaving the two bears, still in full form, to slumber on. He thought of waking them, but knew he wouldn't handle the goodbye well. 'Better to remember last night,' he thought. So he quietly showered downstairs, dressed, locked the doors behind him, and drove off to Humboldt, to a new phase in his life.

Brown Bear Coffee House - Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Rusty hadn't forgotten the old bear he had run into in town earlier in the spring. Both he and Moose badly wanted to get back together with Josephus and run wild with him in the forest. The press of work and a series of open mic nights at the Brown Bear had kept them all busy. Moose had been pressed into service as a general dogs body, watching the door, moving sound equipment, and just being 'useful'. He enjoyed the music and stand-up a lot, the poetry less.

Finally, in late spring, the opportunity presented itself. Two new workers at the Brown Bear had been trained and were doing fairly well under Bekah's stern eye, making a weekend off with Brian possible. Both Moose and Rusty wanted to take Brian out into the woods, both to let him see another aspect of werebear life and to make a proposal to him.

As Brian was helping load the last of the camping stuff into the back of the SUV, he turned to Moose and said, “This is going to be fun! I haven't ever been camping before, well, not voluntarily, anyway.”

Moose caught the slight change in Brian's voice with the last words. “Do you still think about that? Those times are gone, you know.” He rested a paw on Brian's shoulder.

“Well, not a lot, no. Sometimes I have dreams. Oh, not when I'm sleeping with you guys. I always have good dreams then. I feel safe, comfortable.” He paused. “It's more when I'm sleeping downstairs. Sometimes I dream of the shelters, or of sleeping half-awake, under an overpass or in a park.”

Moose gave his shoulder a squeeze. “Those days are over now.”

Brian nodded. “I know.” He hugged Moose.

Rusty brought out the last of the food. “Geez, I leave you two alone for a minute and you're making out. His grin negated the sting of the words. “Snacks for the drive,” he said, putting the bag in between the front seats.

“Is there enough food here for all of us?” Brian asked, eying the rather small box of freeze-dried meals and fruit and trail mix in the back.

Moose chuckled. “Wait and see. We won't be eating much of that.” He nodded at Rusty. “We will forage on our own, but we won't expect you to eat like that.”

Brian scratched his head, plainly doubtful. “OK.”

They all piled into the vehicle and, with Moose driving, headed out for their first spring run in the woods. It was very early in the morning and the air was fresh and scenting with green growing things. They all had their windows down, enjoying the beautiful late spring weather. “This is going to be SO much fun!” Brian exclaimed, and both bears smiled. The miles unwound as music played, alternately oldies for the bears and house and 'hippity-hoppity music' as Rusty jokingly called it for Brian. During the drive, Rusty spoke to Brian while Moose focused on the road and traffic.

“Brian, we wanted you to come with us so we could show you an aspect of werebear life that you haven't seen.” Privately, both Rusty and Moose had been discussing what they thought might be an inevitable question on Brian's mind. Both wondered if Brian would ask about becoming a werebear himself, and how they would handle that. Both were in accord that they themselves would welcome Brian as a were, but both firmly insisted that the decision would be entirely Brian's, and that they would both insist that he take a great deal of time, years if need be, before making the decision. They had decided that Brian should see a variety of werebear as well as gay life. The Thanksgiving bear run in Eugene had been one part of that. This weekend was another.

They reached the area they favored for these jaunts and Moose piloted the SUV carefully along a rutted track that curved around an outcropping and then down a ways.

“Brian, take a look here. We can't just go to a campground and set up camp and then turn into bears. The campers wouldn't take well to nature that up close and personal.” Rusty grinned. “So, when werebears go out to run in the wild, we have to do things differently. You see that we've parked the vehicle well out of sight of the highway. Moose is using a branch to sweep our tire tracks away. Help me unload this stuff.” Rusty took a few minutes to carefully scan the area for other humans. He neither heard nor smelled any. “We always check carefully before we change out here, just to be safe.”

Once the SUV was unloaded and the rather small pile of tent and supplies was on the ground, Brian spoke up. “What about all that?” he said, pointing to a larger tent and other stuff that remained in the back.

“Oh, that's camouflage, in case someone would look in there or if we would get stopped for some reason by the state police. We won't need tents or cooking supplies for us. Your stuff, you'll have to carry with.” Both Moose and Rusty shed their clothes and folded them up and placed them on the car seats. Brian looked kind of puzzled but started to strip, too, as he admired the two fine hairy naked men.

“You can get naked if you want to, Brian, but keep your clothes with you. Now watch.”

Moose locked the SUV, and then Rusty and Moose took branches and dead-fall from the surrounding area and piled it artfully around the vehicle. When they were finished, no one would know there was an SUV there unless they came very close and started moving branches. Both Rusty and Moose began peeing all around the perimeter and on the branches and leaves. Brian started to unzip, too, but Moose stopped him.

“Not you. Just us. It keeps the other wild critters away, sort of a warning that something big and dangerous is around and that this belongs to them. Your pee might actually attract them, curious about a human; us, they’ll avoid.” He shook off, and both Moose and Rusty looked at Brian.

“Now, we'll change to half form and walk away from there and towards that ridge over there.” Rusty gestured towards a nearby ridge that was crowned by trees. “It overlooks a small lake and will be a good camp site for you.”

Brian nodded and shouldered his backpack and the small dome tent in its carry bag. He watched with eager delight as Moose and Rusty changed into half form after carefully scanning the area again for any stray campers or hikers. “Come and walk with us, Brian,” Moose growled, barely intelligible.

The three moved off, Moose in the lead, Brian behind, and Rusty bringing up the rear. “You know, I've had dreams where I was walking and running with bears, but it wasn't like I was walking exactly. It was more like gliding or floating... and I rode on their backs some, too.” Although he couldn't see it, Moose smiled at Brian's comment. Rusty, who was easier to understand in half form, growled.

“When we change to full form, you can come with us while we forage. You can ride on our backs if you like, too. But first we need to get your camp set up. We won't have to worry about food or shelter, but you will.” They walked on.

Not quite an hour later, the bears and Brian were on the ridge and had found the cave and stone ledge that looked out over the lake. Moose showed Brian how to set up the dome tent while Rusty unpacked the small camp stove and other necessities.

“I need to pee,” Brian said. “You think I could... I mean, over the ledge?” Brian was unzipping and pulling out his cock.

“Sure, knock yourself out,” Rusty said, noticing that Brian's meat was getting a bit thicker with arousal. Brian put his hands behind his head, arched his back and let go with a long, satisfying piss. “I always wanted to do that for some reason.” He tucked back in with some difficulty and zipped up.

“Get something to eat now, Brian,” Moose said, “We're going to change into full form and go forage. You can come along if you like, but don't forget your sunscreen.”

“Yeah, got it right here. I guess you guys won't need any, huh?”

“No. We won't. We don't sunburn, and we don't have to worry about skin cancer. There ARE advantages to all this,” he said, gesturing to Rusty as he was changing into full bear form, “and ain't he beautiful?”

“Oh, yeah!” Brian said, filled with admiration for the stocky, obviously successful Kermode in front of him. Rusty padded over and nosed Moose in the crotch and chuffed, plainly urging Moose to hurry up and change.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, in a minute!” Moose chuckled. He turned to Brian.

“You won't be able to understand us in full bear form, you know that. But we can hear and understand you, and if there is something you have to know or ask, we can shift to half form to talk. Rusty says I'm a lot easier to understand in half form now, and you didn't have trouble understanding me that way at the bear run. So, you OK? Anything you want to ask before I shift?” Brian shook his head.

“OK, here goes.” Moose finished his metamorphosis into a full, powerful grizzly, imposing in bulk and stature. In this form, he was the very picture of a bear god of legend. Rusty, although slightly smaller, was striking with his glowing, creamy coat; and a perfect complement to the glossy brown of Moose's coat, tipped with silver. He and Rusty touched noses and wuffed, looked at Brian and then ambled slowly off. Brian grabbed a water bottle and compass and his binoculars and followed.

The afternoon was spent in pleasant foraging, with Moose and Rusty sharing delectable roots and tender green shoot and leaves. It was too early for berries, but there were many delicious flowers to sample. Brian followed at a slight distance, watching how the bears interacted with their surroundings and each other. He had to keep reminding himself that he knew these two creatures, that they were the men he often slept with and not only wild forest creatures. He rode on Moose's back for a while, then on Rusty's. He joined them splashing in a cool stream that exited from the lake.

“Can you swim?” Brian asked. Both bears nodded vigorously and plodded to the edge of the lake and waded in, eventually swimming off a ways. They turned and looked at Brian in open invitation. Brian shucked his clothes and waded in and immediately regretted it. The water was damn cold. His ball sack contracted tightly and he began to shiver.

“Too cold! I gotta get out!” Brian splashed to the narrow sandy stretch that bordered the lake as Rusty and Moose laughed.

“We shouldn’t laugh,” Rusty said. “He doesn't have our coats and layer of fat; of course he's cold.”

“I think that's the smallest I've ever seen his cock,” Moose said chuckling.

“Norman!”

The bears swam for a bit, then joined Brian on the sand where he was trying to warm himself up in sun. Both bears growled and chuffed and rolled themselves next to the shivering young man to help warm him. In only a minute or so, Brian stopped shaking as the almost furnace-like warmth of the bears' fur and bulk soaked in. “Thanks, guys,” Brian said, kissing both bears on their muzzles and then dressing.

Later in the afternoon, Moose found a bee's nest in a partly hollowed tree and motioned to Rusty to join him in the feast.

The two bears slurped up the honey with their long bear tongues, ignoring the angry buzzing of the bees and the frequent stings, which healed quickly in any case. The sweet sticky honey was a real treat, high in energy and a delectable taste to cap off the afternoon's feeding.

“Reminds me of how sweet you taste when you feed me, woofer,” Moose said to his mate and he clawed another section of comb and pushed it towards Rusty, who chuffed with pleasure. Both bears were anticipating a vigorous mating once finished with the snack.

Brian watched the pair devour the honey from a safe distance, wary of the bee's anger. 'Poor bees,' he thought. 'But they'll have all summer to restock, I guess. Everybody's got to eat.' He took a long drink from his water bottle. His attention was forcefully shifted from the bees to the bears as he saw Rusty nose under Moose's hefty belly and begin lapping at his slowly extending cock. It was obvious that he was nursing on it, slurping and lapping with his long, curling tongue. Very soon, Rusty turned and Moose mounted his lover, hunching over the slightly smaller bear, working his cock into Rusty's ass slowly, almost lazily. Once embedded in his bear's butt, he began the age-old rhythm of bear fucking, rocking his hips back and forth, reveling in the feeling of his thick meat sliding deep into warm inviting bear ass.

“You think Josephus knows were here?” Rusty growled as Moose penetrated him.

“I'm sure he does now if he didn't before. We're both pumping out pheromones and when you shoot, big boy, this whole valley's gonna smell of bear sex.” Rusty said.

“I want you to add to that, you know,” Moose growled as he continued to piston in Rusty's tunnel. “Ah, shit, man, I am so fucking close.... you get me movin' like no other bear, you know that?” He hunched in hard, driving his cock in especially deep and Rusty whined and chuffed in ecstasy. Rusty pushed back equally hard and Moose exploded in Rusty's ass, filling his rectum with a very large load of seed, even for him. He roared out a thundering announcement of bear virility, a challenge to any other male bear.

Off in the distance, the old bear raised his great head and sniffed the air once again. Earlier, he had caught the scent of the two bears he remembered from last season, a pleasant memory. This time, the scent brought back the meeting in full sensory detail, enhanced with the sounds and smells of that moment, perfectly preserved in his brain. Now he heard the triumphant roar on one of the bears, most likely the larger one, not the one that smelled of summer fruit and sunshine. He also caught the scent of another, a human, close to the others. Both curious and aroused, he moved off purposefully towards the happy mating sounds.

Back by the lake, it was Rusty's turn to mount his bear, but he decided to roll Moose on his back. He motioned with a paw for Moose to raise his heavy back legs, and Moose obliged, resting them on Rusty's creamy shoulders. Rusty reached down and laid a paw on Moose's belly and gave it a friendly scritch with his shorter black bear claws, and then gave his now-receding cock a tug. He gently patted his scrotum and then used both paws to part the thick fur surrounding the bigger bear's anus. He chuffed and put on paw on the top of his own rigid, drooling penis. He pushed it down slightly so it matched Moose's hole. Moose growled loudly, plainly asking to be fucked.

Rusty nodded his bear head and pushed forward, removing his paw once his bear cock was properly lodged. He leaned forward and pushed in deep, savoring the heat of Moose's gut. He noted with pleasure that a fat blob of bear cum appeared at the tip of Moose's penis that last of the load he had so recently pumped out. Rusty could usually last a long time, but the heady mix of having just been royally fucked, the fresh pine-scented air, and the glorious weather all combined to shorten his ability to last long. He started moving faster and faster, with Moose chuffing in time with him, sounding like a human urging their lover on towards their climax. It hit, the sensations exploding in Rusty's were brain; and he, too, roared out a tree-shaking shout of joy.

Josephus picked up the pace and hustled towards the lake and the rutting bears with their happy roaring. When he got close, caution made him slow down. He sensed the human again, still close by. In general, the old bear didn't much like human company. He avoided them whenever possible, but here was a puzzle. His two fellow weres were together with what was obviously a human, and a human that didn't smell as if he was approaching his first change, either. Obviously not a cub, then. But what? Josephus approached slowly through the undergrowth.

Brian had watched, mesmerized, as his two closest friends in the world mated and bred each other, the fat and muscle of their magnificent bodies rippling with their exertions. He had seen Moose and Rusty fuck many times before, but never in full bear form out in the open. It was a revelation and the full-throated roars of virility at their climaxes startled and somewhat shocked him. He realized, though, that always before they had muffled their cries of joy in either human or bear form, in spite of the thick walls and double paned windows back in town. Out here, in the wild, there were no such constraints. He was about to go over to the two panting bears and hug and nuzzle them when Josephus moved into the clearing.

Brian froze. This bear was larger than Rusty, and only slightly smaller than Moose, and he was advancing directly towards where Brian was standing. As he made to run, Rusty reared up on his hind legs and motioned for Brian to stay where he was. Brian and Moose both instantly recognized Josephus by his scent. Rusty motioned again for Brian to stay still as he changed back to half form to speak.

“It's OK, Brian, we know this guy, but he doesn't know you. Stay there and we'll let him know it's OK.” While Rusty was talking, Moose padded over to Josephus and touched noses in greeting. The two bears snuffled each other and both turned as Rusty came over to them. It was plain that the bears were in a conversation, one that Brian hadn't a hope of understanding. He quelled the urge to run and stayed still as Rusty had asked.

After some minutes, the three bears turned and walked towards Brian. Brian took a step backwards, but both Moose and Rusty shook their heads. They both shifted back to full human form and stood next to the large old bear.

“Brian, this is Josephus. We met last year out here. We've explained about you to him and...”

Brian interrupted Rusty. “Is he...”

Moose answered, “Yes, he's a werebear, like us. He's very old, and he doesn't much like people. He spends nearly all his time in full bear form, and...” Moose stopped, then turned to Josephus.

“Josephus, this would probably go easier if you shifted to human form. Would you be willing to?”

He looked steadily into the eyes of the two weres, and then at their human companion. He was plainly considering, and for a moment, it looked as if he would just walk back into the woods; but finally he growled a deep basso rumble and stood, and shifted into fully human form.

Before them stood a tall, broad but stoop-shouldered bear of a man, naked but covered in iron gray fur with a thick mountain-man beard that came to his mid chest. His arms were shaggy with fur, as were the backs of his hand and the tops of his feet. As a bear, he had looked somewhat shaggy and unkempt; as a human, he looked like Sasquatch.

A deep but rusty-sounding voice said, “I'm Josephus,” and stuck out his hand towards Brian. Brian reached out somewhat hesitantly and shook the extended paw. His own hand nearly disappeared in Josephus'.

“Come back to Brian's camp with us and we can talk.” Josephus paused to consider and then nodded at Rusty. “Alright.” He followed them back to the cave and ledge overlooking the lake. On the way, Brian peppered Moose and Rusty with questions, but neither answered. Rusty said, “Not now. Later.”

Moose asked Rusty, “How come you didn't know he was close? We could have gone to him, let him know about Brian.”

“I was busy. But it's funny, I didn't sense him fully in town until he was close, and not at all the first time we saw him last year. He said he was good at not being noticed.”

Once back at the ledge, Moose suggested that Brian make some dinner for himself. Both bears were still pleasantly full form their day's foraging and Josephus indicated he was not hungry. The three bears fell to talking, the conversation plainly about Brian. It was not always low and quiet, with the bears alternately raising their voices in argument. Brian wanted to listen but he suddenly realized he was ravenous. He set the water to boil on the camp stove and selected a pouch of freeze-dried chicken alfredo. Shortly, he was wolfing down the steaming meal.

The bears' conversation continued. “I don't know. You guys are a-tellin' me that he's OK, but it's dangerous for human ta know about us.” Josephus' voice relayed his concern. “I jes don't know.”

“Look, we know it’s unusual, but you CAN trust him...we do. He knows about keeping secrets, and he understands how vital it is. He's gay, he knows how to avoid questions and about not making careless mistakes.”

“Well, iffin you say so, I guess it's OK. Still...” Josephus still had his doubts.

Brian approached the bears after his meal. “Guys, I am bushed. That was a long hike today. You mind if I take a nap?”

“Not at all,” Rusty said. Moose gave Brian a hug and a smooch, and Brian headed to the cave opening, where he had spread his sleeping bag inside the dome tent. He crawled in and was almost instantly asleep.

Josephus stared at Brian for a bit and then said, “You gonna turn him, make him a cub?”

Moose and Rusty blurted out almost in unison, “No!”

Josephus looked at them. “Has he asked?”

“No, he hasn't. I don't even know if he's thinking that way at all, not yet anyway.” Before Rusty could continue, Moose said, “We'd never consider it without his knowing everything there is to know and thinking about it long and hard.... real long and real hard.” Moose was almost defiant.

“Settle down, young'un. Jes askin'.” Josephus paused. “You fuck?”

Rusty was silent. But Moose answered sharply, “Yes. And before you say it, we are careful, we ALWAYS use condoms and we are very careful.” The defiant tone continued.

“Those things kin break, I hear.”

“We are very careful, Josephus.” Rusty was trying to play the peacemaker. He got up and came over to Josephus and sat down close to him and put his arm around the old man's shaggy shoulders. “We don't know what's ahead for Brian, if he will want to become one of us or not. He’s kindred to Norman, he’d make a good cub. He’s with us this weekend to give him a chance to see us out in the wild, to see that aspect of being a bear so he can know us better, see us for what we really are. We want him to see as many aspects of all this as possible. Maybe he'll want to stay human and live among humankind and see us only rarely, I don't know. But he won't be changed without a LOT of thought and consideration on his part. We, both of us, will see to that. Right love?” Rusty looked at Moose, who's face and eyes had softened.

“Yes, of course. We wouldn't have it any other way, not at all.”

“Well, t'ain't any business o' mine, really. Up to you... and him. You two seem pretty steady, so I guess it'll work out.” He stood up and stretched, arching his back. His cock and balls were thrust out, the thick foreskin covering the tip and only barely revealing the ridge of the tip nestled within. “I should head on out.”

Moose saw Rusty eying the old bear's tackle, and said, “Oh, come on and stay with us. We've got a bottle of good applejack we can share. Bet that's something you don't have much of out here in the woods.” He looked hopefully at the old bear.

“That's mighty nice o' you to offer to share. Iffin yur sure you can spare it, I'd sure like some.” Josephus licked his lips.

“Oh, we like to share don't we, Norman?” And so, over mugs of coffee and applejack, the three traded stories as the stars came out. At one point, Rusty brought up Boris' name.

“He said if we ran across you again, we should mention him to you, and tell you he wishes you well. He thinks he might know you.”

“Big Rooski bear, hairy as hell, horny as fuck?”

Moose laughed out loud. “Yeah, that's him alright. I take it you do know him.”

“Ayup. We met a lotta years ago up in Canada, away east. His cock ain't purdy, but it shore feels good.” Josephus mused for a moment. “His ass is purdy, though.” He sipped the last of his applejack. “Speakin' o' ass....”

“Well, I thought you'd never ask!” Rusty said, lust lighting his eyes.

The noise of vigorous bearsex woke Brian from his nap. He lay, still but wide-eyed, as he watched the three bears couple, break, and reform their couplings. Josephus' meat had a strong, pronounced upward curve when hard, and both Rusty and Moose squirmed with delight as he pumped their asses, firmly massaging their prostates in the process. The friskiness continued through much of the night, but Brian never tired of watching. Finally, plainly tuckered out, both Moose and Rusty fell asleep in full bear form, pressed tightly together. Josephus sat, now in human form, on the ledge, looking out over the valley to the slowly lightening horizon, the empty applejack bottle beside him.

Brian got up and lit the camp stove and boiled water and set to making coffee. Josephus didn't stir from his dawn contemplation. Brian shivered a little in the dawn chill, and when the coffee was ready, he gulped several mouth-fulls to warm himself and then took a mug to the old man. Sitting, he offered the mug. Josephus turned and smiled and accepted the mug but still said nothing.

“Josephus, can I ask something?” There was no response except the old bear sipping from the mug. “How old are you?”

Josephus sipped again, then said, “Don't rightly know for sure. When I was born, they didn't do birth certificates. My people were country folk and we didn't need calendars much. The last time I had to fade away over there, I hopped a ship and came over here to settle. That was easy in those days... easy to get lost and start over with a new life in the new world. I stayed around what became Boston for a time, and met up with another bear. We both had had enough of people by that time, and we lit out for the west.” He paused, and smiled. “'Course, 'west' back then was still east of the Mississippi. We just kept a' moving further north and west, staying ahead of the rest of the 'pioneers'. Silly word, that. Like they's were the first. Anyway, finally ran outta land and had to turn south agin. So', prob'ly ‘bout 600 or so years. I figure I was probably born between 1380 and 1390” He sipped the coffee again. “You make good coffee, son.”

“Wow! Thanks... about the coffee, I mean. Rusty taught me. But man, you must have seen a lot. You got to see almost the entire life of this country and a lot more before.”

“Nah. My Nate and I, we kept mostly away from folks. We heard stuff now and then, Civil War an all, but it didn't matter much to us. We kept to ourselves. Then he died.” Josephus closed his eyes.

Brian sat still for a moment, then said, “I'm sorry. You were together for a long time.” The old bear nodded. “Would you find another mate?”

“Nope. Don't seem to feel like lookin' for one. Don't seem right.” He stood up and drained the mug and handed it back to Brian. “Thanks young'un. You take care of yourself, now. I've already said good-bye to your two bears.” He extended his hand to Brian and they shook. “I wish you well, pilgrim.” With a wave, he made to set off down the trail.

“Wait! Can I watch you change?”

“I reckon so, young'un.” With that, Josephus morphed into a full bear and then shambled off, heading for the lake and the forest beyond.

Later that morning, Moose and Rusty finally surfaced. Brian told them about the conversation he and Josephus had had.

“I figured he might head out early,” Moose said.

“Yeah, he said he was getting 'itchy'. But, damn, that bear fucks well! I was whipped but he was still ready for more. Good thing you could tag me out, Norman.” Rusty absently scratched his butt. Both he and Moose were naked, unlike Brian. The morning chill didn't bother them like it did Brian.

“Well, it had been a long time for him. I don't think he'd fucked since he was with us last year. Just his own paw for relief.” Moose scratched his ball sack and gave his cock a tug.

“Anyway, you got more out of Josephus than either of us have about his past. He must like you.” Moose grabbed Brian and gave him a morning hug and smooch. “And don't think I didn't see you watching us. You must have gotten an eyeful.”

“Oh, yeah!” Brian blushed slightly. “I hope you guys don't mind, I still can't get over how... powerful you all look and act. You're so big. It's hot!” He blushed again.

“No worries, Brian. We're not shy, you know that. You've seen us fuck before, you've fucked with us. There might be times when we want to be alone together, but we'll let you know, OK?” Moose smiled. Now; I'm hungry. Rusty, how about we go forage?” He started his change even before Rusty could reply.

Brian spent part of the day following them as they wandered the valley, but when they started to roam further afield, he returned to the camp site, fixed a meal for himself, and napped a bit. He pulled out a paperback he had brought with him and read for a while, and spent time just gazing out over the peaceful landscape, thinking. It was late in the afternoon when Moose and Rusty padded back into the camp and plopped down on their furry rumps. They gazed around and then, as if they had only just remembered that they were still in full bear form, morphed back to their full human form.

“Geez, guys put some clothes on, you're gonna make me all horny!” Brian said, half joking. Both Moose and Rusty raised an eyebrow.

“Nookie?” they said together.

All three broke out laughing. “Maybe later,” Rusty said, still laughing “Besides, our clothes are back at the car.”

“I have a question.” Brian said.

The two bears answered in unison, “What is it?”

“You seem more...” Brian shrugged, “shaggy? …a bit like Josephus and your smell is stronger too… you smell more like, well, more like bears, I guess, even though you're human now. And it’s really turning me on.” Brian’s cock was at full mast, tenting his pants.

“We’ll take care of that for you later Brian.... unless you want to jack in the back of the SUV for some relief. You'd have to wait a bit, but I’ll even clean it off your hands if you want to feed it to me.” Rusty said with a lustful grin.

Brian smiled widely and blushed a bit, but continued, “Does that happen to you when you stay bears for longer, I mean, I figured you’d smell stronger of bear, but I didn’t know about the hair growth.”

“It’s something that happens, yes. Our hair grows faster, so by the time we’re finished with one of these trips we both need a haircut and beard trim. I can trim us up when we get back,” Rusty said.

“So this happens to all werebears, when they stay in bear shape for extended periods?” Brian asked.

“Apparently so; it’s kinda convenient if you want to grow your beard and hair out I suppose. Some of our bear brothers will do it purposely just so they’ll have longer hair and beard quickly, like before attending a bear run. Changes your appearance drastically… also helps you win those beard growing contests with your human friends!” Moose laughed. “I’ve seen some of our biker bear brothers with long thick braids after a winter’s hibernation, it’s kinda impressive.”

“And now I think it’s time to break camp so we can get back to the car before nightfall.” Rusty said. “I also smell rain, maybe six hours out.”

“Developing another superpower?” Moose asked with a smirk, “Shall we call you ‘Weather Bear’ and use the Warner Brother’s logo on your super suit?”

Rusty swiped at his love but didn’t connect, “No! Doofus! Heightened were sense of smell, just like yours. I’ve just been paying attention to how the change in weather has different smells, unlike you.”

Moose took a deep breath through his nose, smelling the air, “Oh… OK… so that’s what an oncoming front smells like?”

“Oncoming RAIN front, different smell from snow. Mark my words Norman; rain before we get home.” Rusty said as he scratched at his bushier beard.

The three set to clearing up and packing Brian's stuff into his backpack. Brian broke down the tent as Moose had shown him and packed it into its carry bag. They headed back on the trail to the car. On the way, Moose whispered to Rusty when Brian was far enough away not to hear. “Now?”

“Yeah. Now.”

Once they reached the car and the branches were cleared away and the gear stowed, they climbed into the SUV, but Moose didn't put the key in the ignition. He turned to Brian.

“Brian, there's something else we wanted to say to you this weekend. No, it's not 'serious' like, 'bad'. But it is serious.” Brian got quiet and listened attentively.

“You never had the chance to finish college. And we both know that you'd like to, one day. Take it from me, it gets harder and harder to go back the longer you wait. Believe me, I know. Been there and done that.” Moose was remembering his own return to an unfinished college program. “We, and I mean both of us, want to make that happen for you.”

Brian opened his mouth to say something but was quieted as Moose raised a hand to hush him.

“Now, let me finish. Boris tells us that there is a scholarship fund set up by bears for their cubs and for their kin.”

Once again Brian began to interrupt and Moose gave him a look and raised his index finger.

“Now, I said, let me finish. You are our kin as far as we are concerned. We're your family. We want to help, and since we will be paying into that fund as time goes on, Boris says that we can make a claim on it. Besides, Boris thinks he owes me, so he's more than willing to make this happen. You won't owe anything, this is a scholarship, not a loan.” Moose paused and took a deep breath. “What do you say?”

Brian was frankly stunned. Such generosity was beyond his understanding. Bears? Scholarships? Boris? People… no, bears, who didn't even know him?

“Guys... I don't know what to say. I don't even know for sure what I want to major in, or where I should go. I kinda thought I might get back one day, but not right away. I just.... I don't know. Can I think about this? And thank you! Thank you!” He grabbed Moose and hugged him tightly across the seat and turned to Rusty and hugged him equally tightly. “I don't know what to say...”

“It's OK. Take your time Brian, there's no rush. Think it over, look around some. Wait a year if you need to, or more. There is no rush, your home is with us and you can stay local or go away if you want, we'll support whatever you decide.”

Brian nodded, not trusting himself to speak. They drove back towards Wolverton in the gathering dark, with only the hum of the tires on the road breaking the quiet. Brian finally leaned forward and put his hands on both bear's shoulders. “Thanks for this weekend, guys. It was... amazing. I get how you can just be out in the wild. The diet is kinda weird but I get how you can relate to everything differently. I guess I can't really understand your senses but I see how it's freeing to be out in nature for a bear. You're kind of between two worlds, but at home in both. That's cool. I think I need to do some more hiking and camping, see what the natural world has to offer.” He paused. “Thanks, guys. For everything.” They drove on, with Moose and Rusty smiling, and Brian looking thoughtfully out the side window of the SUV as fat drops of rain began to fall.

Moose chuckled.

“Told you, just about six hours.” Rusty said.