Shifting Ground Pt. 02 of 02

They had used her greater speed to scare a hog into running away and right into James who had been in hiding. He had used the long branch he had broken off for the makeshift gondola ride to make a fire hardened wood spear. As the hog had rushed by he had stabbed it in the side so hard it went all the way through and out the other side of the animal. Death followed soon and they both had dug into the pork. After ward they had played in the water while cleaning up the gore.

James had been standing in knee-deep water along the shore cleaning himself off when Stacy had changed to human form, without his permission this time. He had turned his head a little when she had done so to see what she was about, and then gone back to washing. Then he felt a large splash of water and turned crouching low ready to fight!

Stacy just stood there with a mischievous grin and splashed him again.

"Clean enough?" she asked innocently, and scooped more water to fling at James.

He appeared in a quandary, as if this was something new to him. It possibly was! She did it again, but he didn't react. Just as she was thinking this was a stupid idea he cupped his hands together and sent a large spray of water splashing her across her chest making her give the traditional girly laugh.

Stacy returned fire and for however many minutes long it was they splashed and kicked until they both were...well, Stacy was laughing and James was silent but smiling.

When they settled down, James walked with her out of the water. He led her out with his hand on her wrist until they were on dry land. He began inspecting her again, just like he did every day, though this time it was in the middle of the day. It was odd to her, and again it felt like she was a horse and going to be traded for something.

"Why?" she asked finally. Stacy had remembered what James had said about keeping the sentences short and hoped he would pick up what her meaning was in the question.

She thought he was ignoring her question and grumbled a little and swore to hassle him with every single little thing that popped into her head in, what...two more days?

"Not ready..." James rumbled out while his hand slid over her lower stomach. She gave him a questioning look, which he ignored.

"Not ready for what?" She wanted to know. He ignored her and went back to the hog carcass. He picked up the remains and threw it over his shoulder.

"Come." He commanded.

She gritted her teeth and then started mumbling under her breath, "Come...Go...Stay...Sleep...Eat! A please or thank you wouldn't be too much to ask would it? Oh no! Strong silent type can't do that!"

That night they were eating quietly by the fire, when James stood up and walked into the trailer. When he came back out he had a pair of older cargo shorts and a tank top on. He set a pair of shorts and shirt next to Stacy and took his place back by the fire on his stump.

The shifter looked at the clothes curiously and then up at James who was now dressed. He pulled out the small brick of chewing tobacco he carried and began peeling back the wrapper. Her eyes immediately began search for the moon and saw it was just starting to switch to its next phase.

"James?" She asked excitedly.

"Yes Kitten?" he replied.

He thought that she was going to ask him something when she slammed into him kissing him all over his face and lips and cheeks and neck and was smelling him with deep sniffs making him chuckle in his throat!

"You're back! And early! I thought I would have to put up with another day of you all, what are you? You changed but you didn't change in your body. I mean you did you healed up like you said you would but what is it? You still smelled human but just a little different when you changed. You also were very..."

James' hand came up and he gently pushed her naked body off of himself.

"Hang on Kitten! Hang on!" He blinked as the eye shine had started to come back. "Give me a second to get my head on straight. And yes...I know what you are talking about. I remember everything. I was there."

"Were you in control of yourself? You hit me! Why did you keep stripping me? What did..."?

"QUIET!" James shouted and shook his head. Stacy felt his arms tighten on her as he took several deep breaths to calm down.

"Sweet Santa woman! Just give me a minute to adjust alright?" James grumbled.

It was a couple a minutes later; Stacy was sitting in his lap after getting dressed. For some odd reason she didn't want to move away from him. He appeared a little uncomfortable, but his hand was warm in the curve of her hip as he held her.

"You know about the history of the Vikings?" he asked her.

"Just what I saw on the Discovery channel." She told him.

"What's that? A TV show or radio program?" He asked.

"Its on cable TV. It's a Cable show. Or I guess you could call it a T.V. show."

He shrugged. "Last show I saw on TV was, I think..."Love Lucy" or something."

"I Love Lucy?" Stacy asked. James nodded. She bit her lower lip and thought for a moment.

"James...how old are you?" He shrugged.

"I am not exactly sure. I was born in the summer time, I don't remember what year. I do know I was able to see the end of Prohibition, which was I think in 1933. I was a young man then." He coughed, a little uncomfortably and shifted Stacy on his lap.

She was lost in thought and trying to do some math in her head, but then she remembered he asked her about Vikings.

"What about the Vikings?" she asked.

"Oh! So now you want to know more about what I was saying before? You sure you don't want to chase down every rabbit trail along the way?" He asked her teasingly.

She never thought she would be so pleased to be teased again! She nodded and waited, resting against his chest with her shoulder.

"Well, I know my family comes from Sweden, or Norway, around that area. Vikings were thought of as being incredibly fierce warriors, you know about that right...from your Discovery thing you mentioned?"

Stacy nodded.

"There are stories of Vikings that are called berserkers. Guys and gals who seem to fly into a rage and harness that for fighting their opponents. Some say it came as a gift from the gods, others that it was from a type of drugged potion. There is even a school of thought that it was a form of insanity from inbreeding!"

Stacy made a moue of distaste with her mouth and eyed James critically. "Is that why you have a big family?"

He rolled his eyes at her.

"No, I don't find my sisters, or brothers for that matter, attractive that way." He paused in his speech thinking about how to explain it.

"All I know is that I was taught from an early age, then when I became a man during the time of the full moon I would change internally. I would be much stronger and able to heal from any wound. Its probably why I look so good even though I am older." He grinned at that part.

"Now I can still die, but if I am alive and live to make it to the full moon, then I am fine. But I do change and...well, you saw it. My sisters call it PMS..."

Stacy snorted and laughed into James shoulder. "PMS?"

He grinned, "Yep...PMS. Also called Primordial Man Syndrome. Its like, everything goes back to the basics. I am still me, James, but everything is just so simple. I don't worry about insurance, because I heal up every month. I don't worry about a house since I don't need it. I am free to go where I want; I just make sure I am alone during the full moon. It can get kind of bad for people otherwise."

James looked down at where his hands were as he held Stacy in his lap.

"I am sorry I hit you. I have no impulse control on some things when I am like that...and what you said? It angered me so much, and I..."

Stacy grinned; glad she had gotten it right. She did have a temper at times. "You know, James...you really aren't all that bad during your PMS!" She couldn't help but laugh at that.

"I don't know if I could take you for much longer than that, but once a month? Having you act like a caveman wouldn't be so bad. Which makes me curious. You just slept and ate and hunted. I don't understand what all the touching was for and when I asked you said I wasn't ready? What wasn't I ready for?"

James blushed hard! Like his skin caught fire! He began pushing Stacy off of his lap. "We don't really have that kind of relationship Stacy.... can we shelve that topic for another time?"

She growled low in her throat and said as menacingly as an impatient teenager was able, "James! I put up with grunts and terse responses for 5 days! You talked more to me as an animal on the drive down here from that forest in Arkansas than you did for the past 5 days! I waited, you tell me now!"

He debated his options and grimaced, "You are a virgin aren't you?" He asked.

Stacy shrugged, "Yes...what of it?"

He coughed, "You also are not at your, fertile time." She blinked at him until the realization hit her of what he was trying to say!

"You wanted to get me pregnant? To breed me?" She said incredulously.

James held up his hands in defense, "It was just me going through that! It wasn't really me, at all!"

She shook her head in the negative, "Uh uh! Not how you explained it. You said it was you, just the more primal you!"

She grinned and ground herself a little more firmly in his lap making him groan in annoyance and heat.

"You wanted to breed me! You liked the way I looked! That's why you kept touching me? You wanted to feel when I was ready, didn't you?"

James nodded, not meeting her eyes.

"And constantly keeping me naked was for better access to my body right?" Stacy pressed. James met her eyes on that one.

"You had been drenched in blood, and you smelled like the lion, I couldn't stand having another males smell on you. It pissed me off! So, I stripped you that first time because it offended me. After that, well..."

He stopped talking, his hand sliding up and down her back softly.

"James?" Stacy asked. He sighed.

"I have never had a woman stay with me as long as you did that I didn't pursue. It was nice. You were a big help around here, and now I am not sure what to do. It's going to be another month or so before my friend gets back with his boat..." He sighed again and looked back up into her eyes.

"If I haven't scared you off, I have a proposition for you." James said. Stacy nodded her head. Her heart was beating a little faster as she had a hope of where this proposition was going to lead!

"Your family found us, and none survived to report back in. I am surprised no one has come to see what has happened to him or her. I propose this, you come with me. I know parts of the world most don't see because everyone is in a hurry with their shorter life span. You say you want to explore and experience life? Well I have, all alone!" He gritted his teeth a little on that last sentence.

"I want to experience it with someone else. I find myself feeling nostalgic and would love to revisit my old haunts. Come with me..." James asked. Stacy gasped a little even though she thought this might be where he was going. Still, the thought of traveling and being with someone who was wise to the world might not be a bad thing at all.

"Anytime you want to leave me, that's fine Stacy. I just wanted to...be with you. A trial run I guess you could call it. I want to see if there is something to this, for both of us."

Stacy stared down into his eyes for a long moment. Cupped his cheeks in her hands and gave him a long, slow, smoldering kiss.

"Yes...I accept!"

The End

Authors Note:

This is the end of the story. I have fulfilled my obligations of the bet. I tend to want to fill in as much detail as I can, and really rack my brain for as many loose ends to be tied up as much as possible. A very lovely person told me that it was unnecessary to do this all the time, and came up with this story idea and for me to write it.

At first I said no, since this felt a little too sloppy, but I liked the characters. Then came that fateful day where the bet was made!

I won't say what she would have had to pay me, or what the bet was on because that is none of your business! I will say that she is good and even conned me with odds! Let this be a lesson to all men out there, women are devious and cunning and sweet and lovely. Kind of like cats!

I always pay my bets babe, always.

Love,

Payen Brant