Becoming the Bear

Walt nodded. "Yep, sounds good to me. Run it by Vic, but I think it's good."

While they had been talking, Walt had made up a little extra batter, whisked a few more eggs in a bowl, covered them both with plastic wrap and put both bowls in the reefer. He set up the coffee maker with fresh grounds and water and set out a package each of frozen bacon and sausage to thaw. He took the plates, stacked them on the kitchen counter and wiped the table down.

"There!" He said. "Now when Coach wakes up he won't have much to do to fix his own breakfast."

Mitch smiled and thought about how consideration was an expression of one's love for another as he sipped his coffee.

Walt had noticed that Mitch had been rubbing his knees and elbows while he was working. He downed his warmed coffee and said, "Come on, Mitch. We can leave the dishes for a bit. Let's get outside and put some of that food to use."

The two men pulled on pants and sweaters in the mud room, then walked out on the porch and inhaled crisp, pine-scented air.

"This is nice." Walt said.

"It sure is." Mitch agreed. Walt draped an arm across Mitch's shoulders and they walked down the steps and out onto the back meadow.

Suddenly, Walt tripped Mitch and spun him as he fell; he pounced, pinning him to the ground.

"What the fuck?" Mitch growled angrily.

"Heh... first lesson, cub, be on guard when we go out into a field or get on a wrestling mat together. Second lesson, get out of this pin." Walt smirked.

Mitch struggled a bit. "I haven't wrestled since high school!" He struggled some more, to no avail.

"Like this." Walt showed Mitch what to do, then pinned him again. "Try again." This time Mitch was more successful.

"Now, if I do this, you can counter this way..." For the next two hours, the men wrestled, alternating play with mock fighting. Mitch felt joy and excitement in their activity, the wild in him rejoiced. Eventually, they sat on a log, Mitch panting, Walt breathing more slowly. He'd been training with Coach since high school and was as fine a wrestler as the Coach.

"I thought I was in pretty good shape," Mitch wheezed, "but I feel winded."

"It's OK, man. You actually did pretty damned good , all things considered. Your lung is healed up, but it takes time to build lung capacity AND you haven't completely replaced all that blood yet... which gives me a sweet advantage!" Walt grinned.

Mitch fixed his love with a mock glare. "Bully." Mitch said and smiled. Walt play punched him in the shoulder and continued with his thought.

"It'll come. Remember also, we're above 6,200 feet here; the air is thinner. Took me a bit to get used to it, too." They walked back to the lodge.

Inside, Coach sat naked at the kitchen table, finishing his breakfast. Walt walked over to him and Vic pulled him down into a lingering kiss while fondling his balls through the wet pants fabric.

"Saw you out there workin' your cub in the snow. Good bear, reminds me of when you and I used to tussle." he growled.

"Like to get out in the meadow and wrestle with me some, Papa?" Walt said, putting Vic in a very loose choke hold.

Coach reached up from where he sat with his thickly corded right arm and squeezed Walt's muscular upper arm and said, "I'd love to, but I haven't got time for that now." Walt kissed the top of Vic's sleep mussed flattop and removed his arm from the choke hold.

Coach turned to Mitch and motioned for him. Mitch stepped over and Coach smooched him as well, rubbing his crotch while doing it. "Morning, pup. How you feeling?"

"Horny... but then I usually am. Though this seems to be much more intense. Haven't felt this way since I was fifteen." Mitch smiled and Coach gave him another good fondle. "Other that wanting to fuck all the time, I'm good." Mitch said, enjoying the attention of the older werebear.

"Heh, there's nothing wrong with wanting to fuck all the time. Physical activity increases testosterone levels. Your change is also pumping a lot into you." Vic said. "You two will probably be fuckin' like bunnies for the next few months. I know me and my boy here did... its natural. It's a lot like second puberty, but without the zits." Vic grinned evilly, "And you don't have to worry about gettin' a piece of ass... we're all willin' when you are; 'Gift of The Bear,' you might say."

"You mean I'm gonna be horny like this forever?" Mitch asked.

"Well, it will decrease a little once you get used to it. You think about fucking only once every five minutes instead of every minute, but yeah, pretty much. I'm 163 years old and feel like a twenty-year-old. It's the cross we bear, deal with it, pup!" Vic gave him a wicked grin.

Walt patted Mitch's groin and with a straight face said, "There, there, it won't be so bad. Daddy will take care of you." Mitch gave him a withering look, then smiled to take the sting out of it...

They both sat then and Coach poured the last of the coffee into mugs.

"OK, boys. Here's what I've got planned. I'll leave tomorrow, head into town and then off on some errands. I'll be gone for a few weeks." He looked at Mitch. "I need to start layin' the ground work for your new identity. You got any ideas on how you'll handle things back at work?"

"Yes. Walt and I talked about that earlier. I know how I can work a slow disappearance at work, and 'looking for a place to build' after I retire gives me cover to be away for a few months with no problem. I can sell the condo with no problem, too, once enough time has elapsed. My other real estate I can sell bit by bit." Mitch paused. "I still think its better if I get pension checks, at least for a while, rather than cashing it out right away. That looks too... final. They can be direct deposited to my bank, and then, after ten or fifteen years, I could cash out, maybe to cover 'medical expenses'. That way, before it's obvious that I'm not aging and you think I should 'fade away' completely, I'll have all my assets converted and nothing left behind."

Vic grinned and looked at Walt. "Got yourself a smart one here, son!" He turned back to Mitch. "It sounds good." He put his paw over Mitch's smaller hand. "You should probably start making those calls this week; maybe even make a visit back there before you start looking too different. I'll be back before you make your first change."

He looked at both men. "You two need to clean out the exercise room and the other room downstairs. Pup here will need some place to work the kinks out in the next few weeks and you might be better inside if the weather turns bad. Oh, and we need more wood split and stacked in the wood shed out back, I've ordered some log pieces just for that and if you think there's more wood ordered than we could use in three winters, you're right. Chopping wood will pack the muscle on and it will work out those growing pains. It'll also get my boy in fightin' shape again, you've gone soft there Walt." Vic patted Walt's belly. "I like padded, but you're not working out like you should; you chop with Mitch too."

Coach sipped the last of his coffee. "There's also the root cellar, you both need to get down there, rotate the stock, use what you can of the older stuff and throw out some of the canned goods that might be past prime. Lay in whatever supplies you think we'll need, son. We should be in good shape for now, but check the larder, freezers and root cellar for what we'll need. Remember, we've got a growin' cub here, he'll eat like a teenager so figure one portion for me, one for you and three for him in everything you buy."

The big bear rose. "Well, I'm off! Pup, I'm leaving you in good paws here. You'll do fine." Coach hugged and kissed both of them and ambled off towards the bedroom. "Oh, and guys;" Coach said over his shoulder but not stopping as he spoke, "don't wait for spring to do some cleaning, OK?"

Walt whispered to Mitch in a conspiratorial way, "I told you he'd get free work out of us. No sittin' on our butts, drinkin' beer and watching football for us while he's gone." Walt grinned.

"He really is like a dad, isn't he?" Mitch asked

"Yeah, like a dad, a good -natured grump of a bear, best buddy, hot lover and mate all in one." Walt said.

"Well, like father like son," Mitch said. "but not so grumpy, I think."

"I think it's because he's pushin' a hundred and sixty-five and he feels that 'gruff and occasionally grumpy' come with the territory. We probably will too in a hundred or so years," Walt said and the two shared a chuckle.

"God! It's going to take a lot of getting used to; thinking in terms of living centuries instead of decades." Mitch said and Walt pulled him into a kiss.

When it broke Walt said, "Yeah, but I'll be there for you as long as you live, you know that don't you? Just like I'm there for Vic and him for me. His other cubs are the same way too, I'm sure."

Mitch and Walt heard Vic yell over the hiss of the shower. "You boys gonna sit and talk all day or get busy?"

"Well, you heard the boss man... we got work to do." Walt chuckled as he handed plates to Mitch.

"Looks like!" Mitch replied. He stopped and looked around at the warm kitchen and the view out the front windows. "Talk about retirement being a new life! I really think I am going to like this."

Chapter 9

Over the next several weeks Mitch progressed rapidly, becoming stronger and more competent physically. His was becoming more toned and it was starting to pay off. He looked better than he had in years and not just his musculature, his energy levels were higher and his past aches and joint pains seemed to have almost completely vanished and he had a healthier glow about him. The wild dreams of the first few nights receded somewhat and Mitch usually slept the night through though in the last week he's awoken from extremely erotic dreams and woke Walt by prodding him with a hard-on in dire need. His muscles and bones ached often, but it wasn't the arthritis anymore; and the vigorous workouts with Walt helped greatly to relieve the growing pains.

Besides it being fun wrestling with your lover in the snow, the activity was making Mitch a rather good wrestler. It was a good physical work out and a turn on, as was chopping the wood; he and Walt did it shirtless on clear days and afterwards he and Walt would make love, covered in their musky scents. The blisters on Mitch's hands gained from the work healed overnight and soon, he had work calluses. In a little over a month of work, the shed had filled, the covered overflow area by the porch was full, and there was plenty of wood in the storage spot by the fire. Weightlifting in the mornings got Mitch warmed up for the day. Walt added tree climbing and hiking on the sunny days and mindful of Mitch's accident, he never let him go alone. Walt's goal was to work off some of the excess energy Mitch seemed to have, but not so much that he burned all of the reserves Mitch was building for his change. Mitch looked in the mirror often and noted subtle changes and a few not so subtle ones.

"Walt, what size shoe do you wear?" Mitch called out from where he sat, trying to put his shoes on.

"Thirteen quad E" the voice came from the larder.

"I can't fit in my shoes any more," Mitch hollered back from the bedroom. He looked again in the mirror. "I need to make that trip soon, Walt; I'm getting broader and thicker. My clothes are all tight and I'll need new shoes. If I wait too long, people really will notice a difference in me."

Walt climbed the steps and walked down the hall to the bedroom. "Yep, cub. You ARE getting bigger. What say we go tomorrow?"

Mitch nodded and reached for pad and pencil. "I really should stop at the Institute and personally speak to the director... it will seem funny otherwise. I'll need to return the rental truck and get mail delivery changed. I need my laptop. I've got to get to the safe deposit at the bank and probably let them know about retirement checks and such." Mitch was writing rapidly. "I should get new clothes, too."

"Wait on the clothes, Mitch. We can do that here or maybe Reno. You won't wear much in the lodge, anyway... we never do," Walt gave his cub an evil grin. "and if you need larger clothes for public, Vic and I have spares, they'll be a bit loose, which is good, it hides your growth, but you won't exactly swim in them either with the progress you're making."

"You just want me all naked and horny all the time." Mitch grinned.

"You got a problem with that?" Walt growled and took Mitch in his arms. The pair spent the next few minutes kissing and fondling each other. As their heat rose, Mitch pushed Walt back on the bed. They struggled and wrestled with each other, the advantage passing from one to the other. Both were hard, both were slick with pre come Match had noticed that he was leaking much more now than he used to. At one point, he had actually mounted Walt and pressed his slick meat in between the bigger bear's ass cheeks before being thrown. The struggle continued, both getting hotter and sweaty as they fought for dominance. In the end, Walt won, holding Mitch belly down with his own body, his hefty cock seeking and finding his buddy's hole and pressing in past the muscle ring. Mitch stopped struggling and sighed, relaxing his clenched cheeks and allowing his love to enter him. They had agreed that once one or the other had penetrated, the contest was over and what followed would be lovemaking, not struggle. "House rules" as Walt called them. Mitch was still not fully were and Walt had no desire to injure his lover.

He stroked slowly, pulling nearly out and then sinking all the way back in until his bush was fully meshed with Mitch's butt fur. "Mmmmmmm, damn you feel good in me, bear!" Mitch moaned and grunted with Walt's increasingly vigorous thrusts. "Want me on all fours?"

"No, buddy... let me finish like this." Walt hooked his arms under Mitch's shoulders and rode the wind on his back. He nibbled on Mitch's ears and bit his neck gently, then licked the place and blew on the wet fur and skin. His desire rose and he felt every inch of his cock rub against the velvety warm inside of Mitch's ass. He could feel his tip swell as it rubbed along his cub's prostate, could feel the contractions of Mitch's gut as he slid in again and again.

Mitch had grown comfortable with Walt's impressive girth and length. The first time, in spite of Walt's extreme care and gentleness, there had been some pain. Now Mitch felt a sexual tingle spread throughout is groin when Walt mounted and entered him. It wasn't the same as coming, but it was equally enjoyable. When Walt pulled completely out, Mitch felt a kind of empty ache and when he came back into his ass, a contented fullness.

Walt looked down and saw the man lying under him; thickly furred back and shoulders already broader than they had been not long ago, head turned to one side, moaning with pleasure. Instead of the usually tidal swell of cum boiling up in his balls and churning out of his cock, he felt instead a kind of peaceful flow. This man who had almost died, this cub he had made, truly seemed to be coming to terms with what he was to be, even welcoming the change. Walt felt his bear seed flow into this man, felt his love flow into his lover. Spent, Walt lay on top of his cub, both of them softly breathing. Walt rolled slowly off to one side to lessen the pressure on Mitch and cuddled him close.

"You want to shoot, cubby?" Walt rose on one elbow and looked t Mitch.

"No, I'm good." Mitch eyed his bear and grinned wickedly. "Besides, its just one more for me to pay you back. I nearly got in you this time, didn't I? It's getting harder and harder for you to beat me, old man!" Mitch chuckled and licked one of Walt's nipples.

"Old man? You and I are the same age!" Walt grinned at the same words Mitch had used when objecting to being called 'Son'.

"Well, funny as it seems, I'm beginning to think of you as 'my ol' man'. You're the one who changed me and now you're the one that's caring for me as I grow into this new life. That's a pretty good definition of 'Daddy' to me."

"Yeah," Walt objected, "But did you have to make it sound like I was ready for 'Shady Acres Rest Home'?"

"Of course I did, old fart! Cub's gotta get his fun you know." Mitch smiled.

They continued trading mock insults for a while as the light dimmed at the windows. Finally, Walt smacked Mitch on the rump. "Get your list made. You know, I should come with you tomorrow."

"Oh, I can handle this. I'll drive down in the morning, stay overnight and..."

Walt interrupted. "Coach will skin me and put my furry hide over the fireplace if I leave you alone. You drive down in the rental; I'll follow in my truck. You do your business at the Institute and bank and such, drop off the rental, and I drive us back. OK?" Mitch nodded.

The trip next morning was uneventful. The first stop had been Mitch's condo. Walt parked the truck and did a quick tour of the place with Mitch. "You fixed up your cave real nice. You going to miss this?"

"Some things, yes," Mitch said. "My music, my movies; a few others."

"Cubby, listen. You go take care of your stuff. Is all the music here? I can pack it up in those boxes from the truck, along with the DVD's... that's some collection you got. Coach has a nice stereo setup so you won't have to take equipment if you don't want. I can have it all ready for you when you get back." Walt looked expectantly at Mitch. "I can't do any of the financial stuff, and you have to deal with the Institute personally, I know. But I can lend a paw here. Daddy'll pack... you take care of business."

"Oh, man, I hate to stick you with that, but if you could, that would be great!" Mitch gave Walt a warm hug. "I'd like to take the headphone amp and the Stax phones; there and there." Mitch pointed out their locations to Walt. "Oh, and wait... there are some things from my mom and dad upstairs." In short order, Walt was packing and Mitch was back on the road.

The stop at the Institute took longer than he had hoped, but went smoothly. The director professed to be sorry Mitch had decided to retire, but was, Mitch was sure, secretly glad that his nephew would now have his chance at the Research Department before he himself retired.

"You sure about this, Mitch?" he'd said twice.

"Absolutely, Sir; Tahoe kind of convinced me."

"Well, you'll be missed." He said and took Mitch's hand to shake it. "You worked some calluses on your hands I see." Director Hutchinson said and gave Mitch an odd look.

"Heh, chopping wood for the roaring fires will do that." Mitch said cheerily. "Of course, doing some of my own repairs on my rental properties no doubt helped too."

As if a piece of a puzzle fell into place, Hutchinson's face returned to its normal, pleasant, unconcerned expression. "Indeed it will! My father used to get big calluses on his hands when we'd go on hunting trips. He always liked to chop the wood for the fires, never understood the attraction myself, getting shirtless and sweaty." A vision of Walt chopping wood without his shirt popped into Mitch's mind: the fur, the bear tattoos, the muscle and sweat, he felt a surge in his groin but maintained a placid look on his face.

"Good luck Mitch, I'll have the team send you reports from time to time, just to let you know how your projects are turning out."

"Thank you. It's been wonderful working here all these years. Good bye, Take care, and my respects to your family," Mitch said and inwardly sighed in relief. Obviously, Hutchinson had never worked at any physical job hard enough to get calluses; his hands were very soft and he hadn't realized that Mitch's calluses had been earned a little too quickly.