Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 01

He could feel Pam looking at him with a question on her face. "I am not saying that you can't comfort me. You are my soon to be mate and feeling you in my mind is more comfort than you know till we make it formal." Dan almost felt like he was floundering trying to explain it. "I would do the same with Aiden if I was back at the pack house and have before. I really don't know any way to say it other than there is simply a special bond because I as a wolf know I am safe with her or him." God he was feeling frustrated at the moment.

Pam mulled on that and could tell that he was struggling to give her the information in a way that she could understand. She didn't really but then again even though she had dated a wolf it hadn't really been all that long. There was so much she had to learn and when she mated with him Pam had the feeling she was going to give up her job. From the sounds of it she was going to be getting an intensive course in both Lycan's and Kitsune's. "I don't understand Dan but will try to." It was the best she could do.

Dan looked down for a few moments. "Thank you Pam. I am trying as hard as I can to keep the impact of the pack on you to a minimum." When they approached the door to Geoff's suite the door was opened and Dan almost smiled. The girl that answered it really did make him think of Mari in a way. It was obvious she was concerned about what she was doing.

"Good morning Lord and Lady. Lady Marissa asked me to let you in and get you something to drink. Please come in." She stepped off to one side and since she was in mid-form it was obvious she was a single tail. Her clothing was brand new and had the uncomfortable hardly worn look to it.

"Thank you." Dan didn't know her name and wasn't going to make her uncomfortable by asking her. He was sure he would hear it soon enough. When they walked in Mari was sitting on the couch with a bassinette next to her and he could smell the children and fresh breast milk. "Mari I am going to borrow your lap for a while. My wolf is feeling rather stressed and needs to relax." He walked over and settled down on the floor next to her and rested his head in her lap.

"I know Dan since I can feel it over the pack bonds. You are always welcome to borrow my lap unless it is occupied by a baby." Her hands settled on his head and started stroking his hair. As she was doing that she looked up at Pam and gave her a soft smile. "Please have a seat Pam and relax. I know that you are unsure of this but it is very normal between Alpha's and Submissive wolves. I am sure after you mate with Dan you will end up borrowing one of our laps occasionally even though you are..." She scratched her head. "Um, shoot I was going to say human but you aren't any more."

She had to shrug slightly at that admission. "Marilee could you please bring the special tea in? I have a feeling both of them will need it after the last day or two." Mari smiled at Pam. "It is a soothing tea that is designed to help you relax. Normally it is used with Kitsunes but seems to work well for wolves as well. You might feel sleepy and that is normal."

The young kitsune did as requested and brought the tray with the pot and cups over. Once she had put it on the table and poured the drinks she stood off to one side. Dan could tell that she was both confused by his actions and wasn't sure what to do next. He smiled up at her. "Marilee please do me a favor and relax. I go by Dan and my mate by Pam. You do not need to call us lord or lady unless it is a formal situation. Unless Mari needs something have a seat and relax. If you would like please feel free to talk to Pam."

He closed his eyes and sort of blocked out the room. He did drink down a decent portion of the tea and was starting to fall asleep when he was nudged. Mari was grinning and pointed at the couch next to her. Dan didn't even think twice before climbing up and resting his head in her lap again and promptly fell asleep.

Mari smiled at Pam. "You might want to lay down as well for a few. As you learn about your new form it will take more energy. You will find yourself falling asleep fairly frequently." When Pam laid down and curled up Mari smiled at her.

~~~

Arthur walked out with Helda and wasn't really surprised when she tucked her hand through his arm. Neither said anything and Arthur had to wonder about the events of the morning. Well morning and last night. He had greatly enjoyed having her in his bed and he wasn't going to lie about that. Arthur did wonder why she hadn't mentioned the tail in his hair since he was sure she had noticed it. Maybe she had been waiting for him to notice it? There was the whole thing at the office as well. Frankly he was confused.

Helda quietly walked him to her shop and went in the back and after unlocking the door she showed him in. "I live upstairs if you will follow me please." Last night she had most definitely been in the mood for some fun and she had greatly enjoyed it. Helda had never intended for him to be accepted by the clan spirits the way he had. Why he had both a black tail and a white tail she didn't know. Same rather went for the fact that she had a black tail with a white tip much like his.

Of all the thoughts and implications that went through her mind she really had no idea of what was going to happen. Actually she was rather shocked by seeing his tail when they had awoken and hadn't noticed hers till later. The last thing she had wanted was to cause her clan leader problems. Having her answer her question even before she had asked had been a bit creepy. Once they were upstairs she showed him to the living area. "Would you like some tea Arthur?" She was quiet when she asked.

He settled down on the sofa and found it was rather comfortable. "Please Helda I would appreciate it." As he was sitting there Arthur looked around the room and had to smile. There were a number of pictures of what he assumed was her family on the walls. He didn't look all that close since he didn't feel comfortable doing that at the moment. "Helda what happened this morning? I don't understand and am very confused. The tails are cute and all but what do they mean and why do I have them?"

She paused for a moment and then sighed. "Let me get the tea and then we will talk. Please give me a few minutes to gather my thoughts." Her back was to him as she was heating the water on the burner. While it was heating she pulled out a tray and put a tea pot on it and spooned some loose leaf tea into a strainer. "I hope you like this. It is a local tea that is an herbal tea that is designed for soothing and relaxing." She also laid out some snacks that most kitsunes enjoyed.

Once Helda was done she carried the tray over to the coffee table and set it down. Once she had poured the tea and slid a cup over to him she honestly didn't know what to do. Should she sit down next to him, across from him, or what? If she had been in her mid-form her ears would have been lowered and her tails still.

Arthur could tell that she was uncertain which was different from the woman who had talked him into bed last night. He looked at her for a few moments after the tea was poured before he smiled slightly. "Please come and have a seat and we will talk." He patted the seat next to him and waited for a few but she still seemed uncertain. "Helda please have a seat next to me and talk to me. I do want to know what all this means and need someone to explain it to me."

Helda finally walked over and settled on the couch next to him though not to close. She had a feeling that he was going to be upset with what she wanted to say. "Before I say anything how much do you normally deal with non-human's and the supernatural?" Helda was looking down at the cup of tea in her hands. "It will give me a place to start."

Arthur picked up the tea and took a sip and considered how to answer. One thing he tried to do was organize his thoughts before he actually spoke. "In my position I do deal with non-humans but mostly lycan's. I have dealt with a few of the Fae and the occasional kitsune but the vast majority has been with the packs. I know a great deal about them even if they don't like letting outsiders learn details about them. I couldn't really say how I ended up dealing with them but have done reasonably well." Since her hands were resting in her lap he reached over and lightly grasped one. "Lady tell me what is bothering you and we will go from there."

When he grasped her hand she twitched a bit and then tried to relax though it was hard. "Well at least you have more experience with the supernatural than the regular humans. That should help some." When Arthur asked her to simply tell him Helda tensed up. "That is going to be hard Arthur for a variety of reasons." Her voice definitely sounded nervous. "I guess I will start with the tails, or at least the Kitsune tail. I can't speak for the other one." One hand came up and stroked the tail in her hair and sighed.

"When someone from outside the clan is given a tail such as you have, the silver one, it is from the spirits. It is their way of both welcoming you to the clan and to show that you are affiliated with the clan. The color of the tail indicates the clan you are connected to." Helda simply rested her hand in his but didn't return the squeeze. She was sure he was going to be angry with her. "In your case it was given to you after we enjoyed ourselves last night. In that case it is normally an indicator that the two are mates or going to be mates." There now she had said it and she tensed some more and waited for him to speak.

Arthur didn't move his hand as she was speaking though he did squeeze it lightly in encouragement. As she was talking he listened very carefully to what she had to say. Some of it he had sort of gathered since Dan, Pam, and Mari all had one. What he hadn't known was the bit about being her mate, or becoming her mate. That had shocked him and knocked him for a loop and he needed a few minutes to reconcile what she had said.

After sipping on the tea for a while longer he finally set the cup down. "Helda I need to go and think for a while. I... I need some time and will need to talk to Alysson and maybe Dan. The one thing I will say is that I will talk to you before we leave. I also will not quit my job or change countries." Arthur stood after releasing her hand and moved away. He left the room and slowly wandered out the back, the way they had come in.

Helda curled up on the sofa and tucked her head into a pillow and started crying. As shocked as he was she was as well. All she had been wanting was an enjoyable evening with him and to visit as well. Arthur was a gentle man and she could tell he was very conscientious about his job. He was smart as well which also had drawn her. "Why did this happen to me? I was comfortable with the way I was living and didn't ask for this."

~~~

Dan had finally awoken when Mari had moved since she needed to nurse again. He stretched his arms and sat up. Pam was still asleep and he had to smile a bit since she was in mid-form and one of her tails was twitching. He assumed she was dreaming about something but it was still rather amusing to watch. "Mari let her sleep and when she awakens let her know I needed a bit of time to myself. If she needs me just send to me."

She nodded and gave him a kiss before picking up their daughter and holding her to one breast. Dan gently stroked the girl's hair and had to watch for a few moments. Mari gave him a warm smile before turning back to their little girl and making sure she was latched on correctly. She was still getting used to the nursing but for the most part it wasn't too bad. "We will take care of Pam for you and I understand."

He nodded and silently left the room and headed to the hot springs. Dan didn't necessarily want to soak but wanted some privacy and to relax. The hot springs were the perfect place for it since he could get some sun as well as relaxing. He might not tan much but the sun still felt good on his skin. Eventually he found one that was off to the side and set the privacy marker and went in and stripped down.

Dan settled in a chair and leaned back and relaxed in it. Before very long he felt a slight spiritual disturbance and suddenly there was a light weight on his chest. When he opened his eyes he found what looked like a miniature kitsune sitting on his chest and she was looking at him. "Um, hello there. Not sure where you came from but if you want to relax with a rather grumpy wolf that would be fine." He knew she wasn't a danger to him.

Amariah sat on his chest and once he spoke sort of twitched her ears and whiskers. She knew that Dan would understand though he might not realize why he did. After that she leaned forward and sniffed his neck before giving his whiskers a quick lick and curled up on his chest and appeared to go to sleep. What Amariah was actually doing was sensing Dan's spirit to see if he was right for her. In this case it wasn't as a mate or anything like that but as senior as he was either Geoff or his mother would assign a spirit kitsune to him. She had felt him moving around and snuck out of the spirit realm and found him.

Dan laughed at her. "Oh, I see, you figure the mean old wolf can protect you huh? I would say you would hardly be a snack for him but..." She waved a tail and zapped him for that and he jumped. "Okay, I get the hint and if you don't mind I am going to close my eyes and relax and talk to my wolf." He knew Hammer wasn't very pleased when he had woken and had three tails as well. To be honest Hammer was in a real snit at the moment and needed to calm down.

She felt him settle into a meditative state and shifted a bit. He was an odd person but then again he was also very solid feeling. As Amariah was tasting his spirit a few memories floated up as well as he was talking to his wolf. One that came to mind was the pups and the fun he had with him. That sort of made her shudder since they had sharp teeth and seemed to like to chase tails. She would play with them but would have to teach them that her tails were off limits sooner than later.

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Sorry this took so long and I hope you enjoy it. Please give me all the feedback and comments you want.