Silver Moon - Were-Bear Fan Fic

Suddenly Dan felt a wrenching sensation through the pack bond and he saw Grover clutch at his chest! The big man stepped back from the startled pups and turned furious eyes to the tree line. Dan's eyes followed the direction of Grover's gaze and then started as he heard a small high scream drift through the air.

Julia gasped and clutched Dan tighter in reaction to the sound, then let go as a sound like thunder being ripped into shreds crashed around them. It was Grover...Roaring!

Dan felt the fear and agony as well. Someone was attacking one of his wolves and even worse a child.*All women and children to the safe room. The guards for the women arm up and secure the house. All other wolves follow me.*His command was not one that couldn't not be obeyed. As he was sending he ripped his clothes off and shifted. Once changed he ran full bore at the source of the scream

In the space of a half step the were bear shifted into his mid-form, a melding of man and beast. His overalls fell in tatters and the playful aura of Grover sloughed off like an old snakeskin. Teeth the size of hunting knives and a guttural voice called out a name in a bellow that seemed to shake the very air around the main house making the windows rattle.

"GIANNI!"

Then, moving faster than would be thought possible the lumbering werebear took off in the last known direction of the small cry, a tree that was a foot thick in diameter at the edge of the clearing was snapped off at the base. It didn't even give Grover pause as he plowed right through it. It made a soft crashing noise as it fell.

Dan had to pause a moment when the bear went through a tree and it wasn't a stripling either. He sent to the pack.*Just follow the broken trees and you will find us.*He was also impressed at the speed the damn bear was making. Dan was catching up but it was going to take some time depending on how long Grover ran.

The strange wolves were moving fast for being on two legs. They had chloroformed the little girl their leader had pointed out to them. She was a young female Alpha and he wanted her for his pack. For whatever reason, it did not matter. For them their job was to serve and obey.

There was a noise and it was getting closer. They paused for a moment because it didn't sound like wolves...it sounded like...

The one holding the bag cocked his head, listening more closely. It sounded like a steam locomotive chugging in how deep it was, and then a crack followed by a crash, there were a lot of cracks and then crashes! He glanced to his partner who was looking in horror and pointing. He turned and saw a little distance away movement and then a tree breaking off, and then a closer one, and closer still!

Then he saw it, a head as wide as a coffee table, lungs pounding air in and out through a mouth large enough to swallow a cantaloupe! Dark beady eyes glaring and legs pumping as whatever it was came rushing down on them!

The man with the girl fell to one side and the one paralyzed with fear lost his pointing arm as the moth swallowed it up to his elbow before biting down hard and ripping it off the now screaming werewolf. He screamed again looking at the bloody remains of where his arm used to be then passed out from the shock.

The other wolf turned to run when a long fingered hand the size of a serving platter closed over the top of his head and he could feel the claws dig into his scalp!

"WAIT!" A deep voice choked out through a blood soaked maw.

"YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT BELONGS TO ME!" the voice said, taking the bag off of the other man's back. Giani was carefully poured out onto the forest floor, still out like a light. The claws turned the man so he could face the monster and what he saw made him want to start to weep. A massive shaggy thing with a squared off muzzle and wild...no...Furious eyes glared at him full of hate! The nose sniffed once and the force of the suction made the werewolf's bangs pull forward.

"I NOW HAVE YOUR SCENT, AND THAT OF ANOTHER...I WILL NOT HUNT YOU NOW, MAYBE LATER. I HAVE SOMETHING FOR YOU TO TAKE WITH YOU THOUGH. DELIVER IT AND I MAY LET YOU LIVE!"

The wolf was held in place while the empty sack was laid on the ground. The beast squatted making his eyes level with the other man while he was standing. Soon a ripe smell filled the air and the other wolf growled in annoyance even through his fear. The monster took up the pack and placed it on the wolf's back.

About that time Dan made it to the clearing and his eyes were glowing a slight red as well as the normal amber. His tails were waving around and when Grover let go the golden one flashed forward and pointed at him. A thick molten golden beam shot out. "I curse you with the truth. Every time someone asks you a question you will have to tell the truth as you know it. If you change and become a real wolf I might remove the curse. Be glad I didn't curse you so that moonlight from our mistress caused you pain every time you had to go into her radiance." Dan shifted to his mid-form with his formal robes on and his two swords.

The strange wolf carrying a smelly sack of bear scat on his back didn't know which way to turn, being faced with a monster out of nightmare or a hero out of legend he froze...unsure of what to do.

The monster made the choice for him...

"TELL THEM, WHOEVER HARMS OR TAKES WHAT IS MINE...I WILL TURN THEM INTO WHAT YOU CARRY...NOW RUN!!!" The beast bellowed and crying with fear the stranger turned and fled.

The werebear turned and saw that Gianni was still asleep. He gathered the little girl into his arms and held her close to his hairy chest. He snuffled his wet nose into her belly checking her for any hurt. He glared at the wolf that was bleeding out and still unconscious from shock. He though about eating him, then fishing around with his tongue in his mouth for the last bit of gristle he had between his teeth he spat it out onto the body.

With a groan of relief Grover began plodding slowly back to the compound he had called home for the past several months. His shambling gait returning, but not his happy hum. Instead his eyes were fastened on the little wolf pup that had become so dear to his heart.

It was strange to Dan, While never feeling threatened by the werebear, and Dan was sure that he could take Grover in a fight...he always felt a prizzle of shock run through his body when seeing Grover like this. The big man would have laughed and then felt uncomfortable to hear Dan tell him that though!

"Jus' cuz I'm 'a big boy don't mean nothin'!" Grover would chortle. That may be true, but there is something basic and primal that dictates the actions of one's instinct. The twelve foot tall hybrid form of Grover hit all of those buttons that most beings have that warn of danger! Seeing Grover obviously concerned for the little girl Dan gave a quiet cough and Grover noticed the human shape. The werebear gave a small growl...well to him it was a small growl...maybe. Dan felt it in the soles of his feet! Then Grover recognized him and hurried over to the Alpha.

Grover dropped to hands and feet, one arm holding Gianni to his chest and he lumbered over and handed the little girl to Dan. Then he spoke in that grating voice of this form.

"GOT THE WOLVES...LET ONE GO WITH A MESSAGE TO STAY AWAY!" Grover said. Dan shook his head to clear the ringing from his ears!

"Would you shift back? You're kind of loud like this." Dan asked. He knew about the one that got away, and sneered inside at how fucked that wolf now was. With Dan's curse and a full pack of shit? There was going to be an awful lot of explaining to do when that wolf got home! Grover looked sheepish, an odd expression to see on a head so big. Then changed back and stood up while moving closer to see the little girl.

"Don't rightly know what ta' do Dan!" Grover exclaimed. "I smelt somethin' funny on 'er, but it's gone away...she won't wake up!"

Dan took another sniff and grimaced, "They chloroformed her. She will wake up soon. Might not even remember what happened." Then he sent the wolves to check out what smelled like a...dead werewolf.

"You said there were two?" Dan questioned. Grover nodded. He scratched the side of his belly.

"Yep....is dead and ta' other is running back to his leader with a sack 'o shit on 'is back." He grinned and then growled, his beady eyes flashing in the dark.

"No one touches whAT IS MINE AND GETS AWay with it! Sorry Dan." Grover said apologetically. Right in the middle of talking he had started to change and caught himself.

Dan raised an eyebrow and gave Grover a sly grin. Then Dan looked sideways at the big man and said quietly, "So...touches what is yours? Do you mean...?" His voice trailed off and he darted his eyes back to Gianni, then back up to regard a shocked looking Grover.

"I don'...what a' mean is...thas' not...hell..." Grover muttered and dropped his head to look at the ground. Dan stayed silent, just watching. The giant of a man let out a sigh that made the ferns on the forest floor shiver with the passage of air. Then he leaned over and softly kissed the little girl on top of her head while being cradled on Dan's shoulder.

"I'll leave at firs' light..." Grover said softly. Then lumbered away.

Dan's voice stopped him, "Who will finish the play area? What about leaving something for them to remember you by?"

Grover paused then said, "I'll finish it tonight. A slide an' tire swings good 'nuff fur now. Ya'll can set up the moneky bars if ya'll want ta'. Come firs' light, Dan...I'm gone."

"Before you leave remember you said you would come talk to me. I am going to hold you to that or I will send Julia to call you back." His voice was firm when he said that.

Grover just waved over his shoulder at the Alpha, not even turning around.

Dan watched as he went back to the play area, put on his ruined overalls and got back to work, his were eyes seeing just fine in the dark to put the finishing touches on the guard rails.

Julia came rushing up to Dan who held out Gianni to her mother. About the same time Gianni woke up and latched on to her mother with little sobs. Julia was tearing up as well and crooning soft words to her cub.

"Thank you Dan! Thank you so much!" Julia choked out.

Dan wondered about what to tell her. Part of the reason that Grover was leaving involved one of his wolves. ...but how did he feel about it? It was a bit of a joke to everyone how the confident werebear with a penchant for pie and loud laughter would turn into a shuffling red faced boy whenever Julia was around. He also knew that Julia really, and truly cared for the big man herself. Would Julia leave? Would she leave with Grover? Or would she stay and let Grover leave? Would Grover stay, how would that affect the pack? What would be best for them? What would be best for Grover and what did Grover really want? Dan sent a silent prayer to Luna, and spoke.

"Grover saved Gianni, and he is leaving tomorrow before breakfast." Dan said quietly.

Julia gasped and Gianni's sobs went silent. The little girl turned fierce eyes to Dan's and a little of the Alpha she would become came out.

"Gwover can't weave! I wuv him! He saved me! I won't wet him!" Gianni said, and wiggled down from her mother's arms and tore across the clearing in puppy form since she could run faster that way. An unsuspecting Grover had his back turned and just finished bolting the second to last bolt in the guardrail when he heard a squeaky snarl and a very sharp pain as puppy teeth sank into the back of his calf!

"Zeus and flaming ASHES!" he cursed and began hopping round on one foot with his other leg up in the air and a determined pup growling and chewing on his leg while being swung back and forth!

"Dominoes and DAMNATION young'un! That hurts! Let go ya' near sighted badger! How's 'bout I bite you instead?" Grover roared out.

Gianni let go of him and growled at him angrily her fur all bushy and standing on end and began giving him squeaky barks of outrage!

"I can not understan' ya'! I do not do that whole mental mojo that ya'll do! I'm not pack! You got's sometin' ta' say then change, durn it all, an' say it!" Grover bellowed while standing on one leg and rubbing his sore calf.

Gianni changed back to being a little blonde headed girl. "You was going to weave Gwover! You was gwoin to weave and not say goodbye! I wuved you...Now I hate you!" Then she sat down, tilted her head back and began to bawl!

Grover looked like someone had hit him in the face with a 4x4 post! Which had happened before when doing construction on the house. It fell down two stories and he had looked up to have it hit him on the forehead straight on and he had stood there for a few moments, then shook it off and got back to work. Dan and Julia watched as Grover dropped to his knees in front of the child who was still bawling her eyes out. He reached for her and she slapped his hands away with a child's carelessness.

"You don't get to hug me! You hate me! You was gwoin to leave and don't cawre about me! You...you...Gwover!" Gianni cried harder and then held her little hands to her face. With her hands distracted by tears Grover snatched up the little girl and held her tight to his chest.

"Oh! Lil Darlin'! Don't chu' say such things...such nonsense now! Ya' hear me?" He growled, tears leaking down out of his beady eyes and falling on the little girl's blonde crown of hair.

"I don' wanna leave! I got's too!" he choked out. "I's a bear...not a wolf...I couldn' stay, I'm not pack...I'm nothin' like those foxie folk or doggie folk. We can't...we can't..."

Then Grover dissolved into tears and big sobs that shook his body as he held the little pup close. Dan was almost afraid for the little girl being able to breathe, but he didn't move...more afraid to break this moment. There was something big coming up, something that needed to come out of this man. Glancing aside at his packmate he saw her watching with hands folded and held close to her mouth, it might be something that Julia needed to hear too.

Gianni wiggled some and Grover let her loose enough so she began kissing his large round face and tugging on his beard to bring his head down for more of those little girl butterfly kisses.

"I luv' you little pup!" Grover burst out.

It was like the words were torn from him, and they carried across the yard to several other wolves ears. They all stopped to watch this strange turn of events. Grover sobbing and Gianni kissing his big shaggy head.

"I luv yor' mama too! But she don' wanna man like me! She needs a nice goo' lookin' feller whose smart an' smells nice whose got money and stuff to take care of her and ya'!"

He choked up again and then picked up the little girl in his massive hands, his catcher mitt palms almost enclosed her entire frame as he held her up so their two tear stained faces could see each other eye to eye.

"Tha's why I got ta' go child. One of these days a han'some and fine guy's gonna come 'long and sweep yo' mama off a' her feet and she will fall in luv with him." He scrunched his eyes and more tears leaked out." Gianni started to wiggle but grew still when Grover's eyes looked back at hers. The pain there was so clear even a little girl like her could see it and feel it.

"When that a' happens...My hear' will just' die child! Knowin' that she foun' someones will make me so happy, but knowin'...knowin' it can't be me jus' kills me!" Grover pulled her in again and held her tight. Giani's arms were trying to circle around his neck and failing miserably, it was just too big!

Dan glanced out of the corner of his eye at how Julia was taking this, then turned his head in surprise...

She wasn't there!

He looked back towards the two crying people and got another shock...Julia was closing in on the pair and closing fast!

Grover looked up in time to see Julia's skirts streaming and legs pumping and a fiery look in her eyes that would put Dan's Alpha expression to shame! Then the little woman launched herself through the air in a flying tackle that knocked the big man on his back as he carefully held Gianni safe from the collision.

Grover blinked in surprise up at the she wolf who glared down at him with a strange mix of...

"Mine!" Julia barked loudly and kissed Grover full on the lips!

As soon as he found Julia gone he turned and watched to see what was going to happen. When she took Grover out Dan did have to snicker a bit and her jump was as good as Angie's had been. "Signed, Sealed, and Delivered." He murmured quietly before looking up at the Ursa constellations and sent a prayer of thanks to them. He had to admit he almost hesitated since the last thing he wanted was them meddling in his life.

Saul came up next to him and watched curiously as a wolf cub, a she wolf and a large grizzly bear rolled around together in the wood chips.

"Did I miss something?" Saul asked.

Dan nodded and brought his laughter under control. "Julia is just chastising Grover for taking so long to let her know he cared for her. We just got a new pack member!" Dan said smiling, as suddenly he felt Grover's mind added to the ranks. He opened his eyes wide as it happened and stiffened.

The power of the pack was based on the moon, on Luna, but now the power of the Ursa's...a small taste of it passed through Dan's mind and body and tickled at the edges of his soul. It was hard to put into words, but the best way would be to compare some things.

Luna is what controls the tides, oceans and so forth, the Ursas provide direction and guidance. To follow the Ursa is to never be lost, and to always know where to put your feet. This is probably what made it so difficult for Grover, he felt called to stay. He felt it in his very soul...But his head was denying what everything else felt.

As I said, hard to put into words. But Dan sure as heck felt it. He could feel the quiet brute strength of his new packmate, and feel the touch of completion that was felt by all three as a new family had been born.

Epilogue:

Under a beautiful crescent moon and the north star a small woman and a large man joined hands and a thick cord was wrapped around their wrists. For the first time Grover had on a collared shirt since he had been a boy, and clean jeans and shoes. They had tried to get him in a suit at which point he growled and said that with hot sauce foxes and wolves taste just like chicken! Julia was dressed in a golden colored dress and her daughter matched as a smaller version of her mother.

After they all kissed and pledged themselves together as a family, Dan walked up to them both and handed Grover a large stockman pocket knife. He had taken it back from Grover for the ceremony and made a few changes. On one side was an etching of the heads of the three of them in their other form. On the other was a recessed silver plate that had their names and date of the Mating on it.

"This all started with you looking for your pocket knife, figured it should end with one too." Dan told him with a smile. "Oh, and remember you won't lose this one either.

Welcome to the Family Grover!

Epilogue #2

Aka No glared at that little stretchy thing that had been around her mate's tails. She had run a number of tests and knew that it was made of concentric bands of a stretchy material. They were covered by a thin fabric and the two ends were sealed together. Aka yipped some curses at the damn thing since it wasn't giving up any secrets.

"Stupid were-thing. What is this stupid thing? I simply don't see any use for it." She picked it up and stretched it again. One side of the band thingy slipped off her finger and zinged away. Behind her she heard a slight grunt.

When she turned around and found Amaratsue glaring at her. One hand was over his nose and he growled at her. "Was there a reason for the random assault? I haven't done anything wrong that I know of." He turned his eyes to the thing on the floor and debated on destroying it. Ever since that damn bear did his tails up it had been distracting his mate and making her grumpy.