Shifting Fortunes Ch. 09

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Forging bonds and friendships.
7.1k words
4.73
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Part 9 of the 9 part series

Updated 09/22/2022
Created 03/07/2011
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Sorry for the wait, I have been thinking hard about where I wanted to take the characters and what the next steps of the story would be. So, to help me along, my question is to all my readers - what do you want to see happen over the next few chapters to these characters? Do you have any ideas or what you'd? Thanks as always to Andi Downs who is a talented writer and put eyes over this copy before I posted. I also want to take a moment to say thank you to the emails I get which send encouragement and also asking when the next chapter is going to be up! The next chapter won't be so long :) – Kristin

**

The following few days after Katie and Connor's arrival were filled with cautious hope, thoughtfulness and a forging of friendships. The two girls grew close almost immediately, talking quietly by the fire, or going for short walks around the cabin where it was safe. It bridled Connor, although he didn't let his sister feel it, that his usefulness had come to such an abrupt end. Though young, he was used to looking out for them, for caring for Katie and making the decisions. It was irrational, but it was there. But he could not begrudge Samantha for bringing out a long-lost side of his gentle sister.

In fact, he was reluctant to admit that he was more than half in love with Sam by now, as useless as it may be. And, he thought, kind of unavoidable. If he was logical about it, not only was he a red-blooded nineteen year old, but of course he would fall for the first girl who was like him and so sweet to both him and his sister. He knew that Sam and Jake considered themselves a mated Were couple and he respected that. The curiosity of the pretty blonde Were girl would dissipate with time, he was sure, and no-one would be the wiser. Even without all that, he would never endanger his sister that way. Jake was ferocious in protecting his mate.

Connor was musing over these thoughts one afternoon while out splitting wood with Jake, amidst a comfortable silence. He liked that about the older male; he was never forced to talk. He was quite lost in his own world, rhythmically swinging the axe up and down, when he was startled out of his reverie by a most unfamiliar sound.

Laughter, bubbling and pure from the two girls poured out of the windows of the cabin. He stopped mid-swing with the axe and snapped his head upwards in shock. He could sense confusion from Jake who was waiting for him to split the next piece of wood he'd placed on the block, but Connor pushed Jake's feelings out, only to be replaced by his own bewilderment. His sister was laughing! Laughing, dammit! When had he last heard that sound? Shock ricocheted through him.

Connor quickly sent his senses further out to his sister and found their sibling bond. The laughter was genuine and her bond was filled with amusement, warmth and happiness. She felt his presence and without saying a word, she pressed love down their bond and a strong feeling of contentment and gratitude. That was all he needed; he withdrew and let his axe swing down. A slow smile started to drift across his face, lost once again in his thoughts.

**

Jake was curious about Connor's reaction to his mate and the other female's laughter. He had been monitoring the feelings in the house nonstop since the twins had arrived, unprepared to leave his mate in danger by doing something so foolish as putting complete trust in the strangers. His mate could do that, but he would not. Her safety was his first priority. However Jake admitted freely to himself that the one thing that was missing from their lives was friends and family. Jake found himself enjoying Connor and Katie's company more and more as the days went by. Nearly a week had passed now since their arrival, and his guard was slowly coming down.

Connor was a good companion. He weighed his words before he spoke, he didn't rush to judgement and had shown he could think logically under pressure. He also didn't mind the silence that Jake enjoyed; there was no need to fill it with empty words and conversations. Jake valued this quality in Connor.

As he placed another piece for Connor to split, he glanced into the cabin window and saw his mate's shining face, surrounded by her halo of golden hair lit up by the hearth. His heart swelled with pride at how his mate welcomed the twins in without caution or care for herself, no matter what she had been through. She was obviously enjoying having another female around, and he was happy for her. He hoped that she wouldn't be too sad if the twins decided to leave. They still hadn't made a permanent decision either way. But as the days ticked on, and the twins showed no signs of leaving, Jake also grew more accustomed to their company. The cabin wasn't especially roomy with its two medium-sized bedrooms, but the twins preferred to share their room anyway.

The wood now split, the two men finished stacking it against the cabin wall and stretched in the cool air, their muscles well warmed. "Still an hour or so of daylight left. Want to do some training?" Jake turned to Connor and quirked a brow, lacing his words with a playful challenge.

"You bet," Connor grinned. That was another thing Jake had discovered about the younger male; he was always ready to train. They had started sparring on the second day when Connor had watched Jake training outside the cabin. Being fit and strong was a priority for Sam and Jake's preparation. They exercised daily.

Connor started to crouch, then with a glint in his eye, he grinned wider. "Animal form this time?"

Jake thought on this. They'd sparred over the last few days as humans, with Jake teaching Connor some new moves so he didn't rely on his animal form so much. Maybe they could do with a shake up, and he was curious about Connor's animal forms. Jake and Sam had travelled far to build up an impressive base of animals, however their human base was equally impressive. A casual touch here and a brush against someone there meant their carefully selected human arsenal included nondescript females and males no one would think twice about, as well as incredibly toned, bulked up and athletic humans. Body builders, lithe gymnasts, triathletes and sprinters were just a few of the stronger humans they had 'borrowed DNA' from, as Sam liked to call it. Another interesting note about human shifting, was that it was just the same as animal shifting - the entire body shifted, including bone structure, muscle tone, organs and tissue. This meant they inherited any athletic gift the human they morphed into had. This was especially helpful if they needed extra strength or extra speed whilst in human form.

"Let's go animals today," Jake finally replied. They had tried out a few of Jake's human male forms so that Connor would gain practice on certain types - bulky but slower, or lithe and quick. As soon as he gave his answer, he sensed Connor's excitement ratchet up a notch. It gave away his confidence in his animal form.

"Pick an animal and I'll choose a form that I think will work to my advantage against you and I'll explain why." The young man nodded his assent, already stripping his clothing unabashedly. He frowned momentarily before the shimmer appeared and a rather beautiful brown hawk appeared on the ground. It hopped up onto the wood pile so it could sit eye height with Jake. It cocked its head before projecting,"I'm ready, tell me what you would choose."

Jake still couldn't wrap his head around the ability to use thoughts to converse in this way. He also hid a twinge of jealousy. But it was useful for teaching Connor things whilst in animal form. This would be a first however, they hadn't been in animal form together since the first night when Jake and Sam brought the twins back in their tiger's jaws, and no one had felt like talking then. Being in animal form and having Connor and Katie communicate them would be interesting.

"You've chosen a hawk. It's small, quick and agile. You can use all those qualities to your advantage. It is not, however, a particularly strong bird. I have quite a few prey birds in my avian arsenal, but my choice against a hawk will be the golden eagle." Jake watched the small hawk tilt his head a little as he listened. "He is much bigger than your hawk, his wing span alone will dwarf you and his strength will weigh yours down if it comes to an out and out fight. Your best strategy when coming up against a bigger bird like this is to try and get above it, and stay above. Pester and dart, strike blows where you can, and fly as fast as you can." Jake pulled his jersey off and goosebumps immediately formed in the cold air.

"Of course, with practice you can use any bird to your advantage in a fight. Sam and I have trained long hours in the sky. As you know, the main disadvantage of being in bird form during a fight is the height at which you would fall if you were injured. If you didn't have to stay and fight, I'd just fly as fast as you could for the ground and change forms." Jake had finished disrobing and was itching to change forms. "Okay. Ready?"

"Ready."And just like that, Connor took off with a golden eagle following behind. As soon as they reached a high altitude, Connor halted his ascent."It never gets old,"he called giddily over to Jake. Jake, who couldn't respond, just hovered over a thermal, enjoying the view. They could see the cabin far below them and forest for miles. The stream that passed through it glittered when the sun poked out from the heavy cloud cover. It was cold up there, closer to the snow clouds, and the boys were thankful for the birds' insulating feathers. The day was getting old and they shouldn't stay up here for long.

Jake looked over at the hawk who had his back to the eagle, still looking at the view. Jake flexed his strong claws and let his eagle rise up in him a little more, then swooped over to the hawk and gave him a firm bump to his side. The hawk fluttered wildly having been knocked from his balance, falling a few meters before regaining composure. If a hawk could give a dirty look, this one did."Hey! I wasn't ready!"

Jake's look was easy to read, too;always be ready.

The Weres spent the next 40 minutes pitting their strengths against each other high in the sky until they started to tire. Connor's hawk wasn't made for a long battle, and Connor was starting to make some more desperate, strong moves from above on the eagle. Jake felt amusement rise up as he started a headlong dive to the ground. He had one skill that Connor didn't.

Connor, seeing Jake dive, threw himself headlong into a dive after him and was quickly approaching. Connor could see the ground spiralling towards them at an incredible pace and he felt his confidence dimming. Was Jake going to pull up? He wouldn't have time to stop his heavy eagle soon."Jake! You're going to hit you idiot!"But the golden eagle kept plummeting. Maybe he couldn't hear him!Shit!Connor started to panic. He pulled out of his dive as close as he dared to the ground, keeping his sharp eyes glued on the eagle, but all of a sudden it disappeared! He just vanished into thin air. Connor's hawk blinked. Another second later Jake was standing on the ground, calm as anything in his buck naked human form.What the hell?!Connor was astonished. He landed on the forest floor and returned to human form.

"How the hell did you pull that off?" Connor cried in disbelief, adrenalin still pumping through his system.

The look on his face was priceless and Jake chuckled. He knew he had just been a complete show off, but he still enjoyed the newcomer's reaction. He hadn't had someone new to show off to in an age. At Jake's laugh, Connor shoved him playfully, and Jake backed off, grinning.

"Okay, okay. A few meters before the ground I changed into a simple white cabbage moth, then straight back into my human form." Jake grinned nonchalantly as Connor's jaw dropped. "Never underestimate the most unassuming of creatures." Jake shifted into his old faithful wolf form and started on a circuitous route back to the cabin. They were only about a mile away, but he wanted to scent the area around the cabin on the way back to make sure all was well.

He was aware of Connor changing into a tawny wolf and following him, his thoughts clamouring into Jake's own head with a thousand questions Jake couldn't answer in his animal form. It didn't seem to bother Connor though, he just kept talking to Jake, finding answers to his own questions and reiterating 'how freaking cool' that had been. Mostly he was dead set on learning how to change animal forms instantaneously himself, while all Jake could think about at how odd it was to have someone else's thoughts in his own head without being able to communicate back. His wolf shook his head and sneezed, then sent up a howl for Sam to hear. Definitely weird.

****

Back at the cabin, the two girls watched the young men change into birds of prey and launch themselves up into the sky. Katie and Sam dove to the doorway and craned their heads up to see the tiny specks for a moment before they ranged out of view.

"Jake's eagle is pretty impressive," Katie murmured in awe. Sam nodded, lost in thought as she gazed up into the overcast sky. Katie turned to her and stepped away so Sam could close the door again. "How did you find a bird that size?"

The girls went and settled back on the deep cushions of the ragged, but comfy couch in front of the fire. Sam took a moment to recall the time they were able to touch the golden eagle. "About 6 months ago. We were at San Diego zoo. A couple times a week they have an eagle demonstration where they fly the eagle between handlers across seated watchers. They always asked for volunteers. We didn't get picked the first three days we went, but eventually they saw us constantly showing up and both Jake and I got to stroke the bird's feathers and feed it some meat. It is always an honour to take on such a majestic bird's form."

Katie was quiet for a moment, taking it in. Sam got up to put the kettle on to boil, leaving the young girl to think. Katie's persona had completely emerged over the last few days. She was, interestingly, incredibly talkative, which made up for Connor's usual tight-lipped attitude. The waif of a girl had obviously decided that Samantha was a kindred spirit and had imparted almost their entire life story onto her, as well as a few other tales. It was quite overwhelming. Sam was used to peace and quiet; Jake and her worked in sync, in harmony, they didn't always need to talk, but this was nice too in a different way. A confidante she could share womanly things with too and giggle over.

"Do you have any birds, Katie?" Sam asked curiously, pulling mugs out of the cupboard and distributing tea bags between them. She looked over to see Katie leaning over the back of the couch, her nose scrunched up. It was pretty adorable really. Katie was quite childlike and sweet.

"We have the hawk you saw Connor in. When we were younger we also had a similar experience to yourselves, although we were able to hold the hawk on our arms using a special glove and it was so tame we could touch its beak. Connor actually remembered we would have absorbed its DNA after we realised what we were. He has a good memory," she said appreciatively. "Also a couple types of canaries and a cockatiel," she added thoughtfully. "Pets," she added in with a telling look towards Sam. "But for all of that, I absolutely cannot stand heights and I hate flying. I only used the hawk once and I nearly fell out of the sky. I crash landed in the ground, feathers everywhere. I'm pretty sure I put a wing out, because my arm hurt for days afterward." Katie shuddered, but Sam grinned.

"I have a few crazy stories like that!" They spent the next hour laughing and comparing shifter stories, until the boys arrived back at the cabin, clothes hastily donned in the chilly evening air.

"I heard your call," Sam smiled over at Jake, her eyes greedily running over him, making sure he wasn't harmed in any way. Jake's gaze locked onto his lover's with intensity and Sam shivered. Seemingly oblivious to the couple, Connor passed by his sister and ruffled her hair on the way, which Katie hotly disagreed with. Connor just chuckled and continued to the bathroom where they heard the shower turn on.

Katie might grumble out loud at the way her brother treated her like a kid sister rather than a twin, but she was thrilled to see her brother looking more relaxed than she had seen him in forever. She had been deliberately giving him plenty of space, showing him that she didn't need him 24/7. She could feel a bit of his resentment to her not needing him as much, but it was good for him. He needed to be his own person and think of himself too. He had looked after her too long because she had always been too weak. After meeting Sam now, seeing what a strong, confident Were woman she was, it made her realise she wasn't as helpless as she had thought. She had power too, and the new thought was thrilling.

Seeing this Were couple also gave her more hope than that. She watched Jake and Sam give each other a look that gave even herself goosebumps. Wow! To love each other that much, to want each other that badly. Just the thought made her gut clench and heart twist. Would she ever have that? She had never thought so, being the way she was, being Were. Now, she was also rethinking that. Maybe her match was out there somewhere. And maybe he wouldn't even be Were - maybe he would be a normal human who would just love her the way she was. She lapsed happily into a small daydream that involved a house, a family and a loving environment.

Later, as the two men cooked dinner and the girls set the table, the thought flashed back to her again. What enjoyment she could take just out of setting the table. Something so simple and urbane had seemed out of reach until now. Spontaneously, she grabbed Sam into a hug, grinning madly, making the other girl laugh and grip her back. She caught her brother's eye over Sam's shoulder and sent him a shaft of love down their sibling bond.Thank you brother, for getting us here. You saved us.

Connor flushed with a mixture pride and embarrassment and shushed her over their bond and went back to stirring the venison stew over the oven, but the small smile that graced his features would not lessen.

After dinner, Katie retired quite soon to bed. She was still regaining her strength and tired easily. Sam soon followed, dropping a kiss on Jake's head and using one finger to drift across his shoulders on her way out. Jake's gaze shot up to hers and caught the cheeky look in her eyes that briefly transformed into those of a cat's, before she bid Connor goodnight and left. They hadn't had sex in the 6 days the new Weres had been in their company. This wasn't Jake's fault - Sam had been quite prim about not scaring the new Weres in case they heard them, but this had now resulted with them both being incredibly horny.

Jake could barely keep himself seated. The cat's eyes had been a signal. The alluring scent of her arousal wafted back toward him, and he shot a look at Connor. Did the other man scent it too? But the younger male was still talking about the deer they had hunted yesterday for the stew they had just eaten. Jake was satisfied. There was no way Connor couldn't ignore that scent, not even without a glance towards the bedroom, if he could smell it.

Jake waited another hour, talking to Connor, watching the other male get more and more sleepy until finally he yawned and headed off to his room. Jake watched the door softly close behind Connor, before removing his clothes in the bathroom and transforming his feet and legs into his white tiger's limbs, stopping the shift at his upper thighs where skin melded seamlessly into white and black striped fur. It was a balancing skill Connor had perfected in case the need of stealth in human form was needed. Now he wanted to surprise his sleeping beauty.

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