Baby It's Cold Out Side

Sally sniffled and reached for the steaming cup sitting on the bar. Two hours into her shift and a snowstorm from hell was blowing outside. Her head felt like someone was practicing bongo lessons in and on it. Two days of sneezing and light malaise had lingered longer than she anticipated. Trying to get the ten blocks to the walk-in clinic was out of the question. Every time the bar door opened, all she could make out was white swirling outside the door and the howling of the wind before the door closed.

“Ahhchooo,” some smart ass called out as she opened her mouth while trying to pull another tissue from the box beneath the bar. Quickly cover her mouth; Sally sneezed as noisily as the loudmouth patron had yelled. Dabbing her eyes, she glanced around the semi-empty bar. Two males sat huddled near the back corner playing checkers. Each nursed a beer and remnants of sandwiches they’d ordered earlier. Their backpacks sat on the floor near them.

As she turned, Sally caught the wise cracker sitting at the end of the bar. A burly man hunched over a large bowl of soup and a plate of buffalo chicken wings. His request for ice water and plenty of it puzzled her until he began eating wings dipped in Anthony’s ultra-hot habanero salsa. He never broke a sweat. Three glasses of water later, he’d taken off his hat and scarf.

Dark hat tousled hair stood out all over his head. His fogged glasses slid part way down his nose revealing medium brown eyes that appeared to glow when the pot lights overhead hit them. His scraggly beard gave him an air of mystery. As he shrugged out of his heavy parka, a patch on his shoulder came into sight. It read City of Anchorage DOT.

Sally smiled and shook her head. Mike Turner was back. The first shape shifter she’d ever met and learned that good folks didn’t just come in human form.

“Hey Mike,” she croaked, moving toward him. “When did you get back?”

Mike looked up, pushing his glasses back up his nose, smiling. “Three days ago as the first blast of cold air roared over the peaks. Couldn’t resist the wise crack. Have you been to the doc in the box yet?”

“Nope, was waiting for break in storm. No such luck.” Sally pulled her sweater tighter about her. Chaffing her arms, she nodded toward the front window. “I’d get lost in that white out. Pity there isn’t a closer clinic.”

Mike nodded. “Actually there’s a new doc in the office building next door. You might not be aware of this.”

Sally picked up her still warm cup and sipped. “Only doc I know of is the new vet. That is what DVM stands for behind his name.”

Mike’s smile grew. He slurped a spoon full of soup before continuing. “That is his front office doings. He’s a shifter from the lower fifty. Bear cousin of my Black Bear clan. Told em to try up here where he’d have good constant source of business human and shifter along with animal. His wives are human docs and vet techs. So best possibilities all around.” He crumpled two hands full of crackers into his half-full bowl of soup. “More water please.”

Sally filled his glass and sat another by it. “Too bad they are snowed in with no place to stay or eat unless they make their way over here.”

“Doc keeps a two way radio going whenever a storm hits. His way of doing business from when he lived in the Ozarks for many years and a few others spent in the Bayous. I can have em here in two wind blasts.” Mike laughed and ate several spoons of soup before downing half of the glass of water closest to him.

Sally opened her mouth to speak. A loud squeak caught her and Mike’s attention. Anthony, Tory, and Josh entered from the kitchen. Anthony’s dour look offset Tory’s weak smile, and Josh’s frown had Sally wondering what the three were tussling over now. They’d been having one of their earnest heated discussions when she’d clocked in.

“Sally, Tory tells me you are set on going home regardless of the state of the storm outside.” Anthony leaned on the bar. His tone of voice and hardened demeanor said more than if he had out rightly challenged her.

“I wish I had stayed home. I feel like road kill roasted twice over and run over again.” Sally tried smiling knowing her weak attempt was futile. Shivers and a rough cough threatened to overtake her. What a time for her throat to go dry.

Mike belched and stood up. “There’s a doc next door with all kinds of meds that can fix Sally up. I can have em here toot sweet. Besides, the doors to the subbasements around here connect through the tunnels to the old root cellars the warehouse had before it was broken up into separate office buildings.”

Anthony stood up looking Mike in the eye. “How do you know this?”

Josh and Tory moved closer. Sally could feel the tension growing in the silence surrounding them. She caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Even the two sitting over in the corner were watching them. Oh shit, how did she keep four shifters from causing a maelstrom of shit worse than the storm outside?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

December is upon us. Chills and snow are mentioned in the weather reports. Last time we had 60 degrees in December we had two major blizzards hit the Mid-Atlantic. Thanks but no thanks! Cold can come as long as it isn't enough to freeze pipes or ice roads. A bit of snow here and there isn't too bad either. Keep safe and warm with your spice and loves.

Happy Weekend!

SOLARA

Rayne Deehere's Game

Rayne limped through the woods, dragging the hefty twelve-gauge behind her as she looked for her stupid, stupid brothers.  John, Mule and Rudy had left early that morning with a promise on their lips— they would head directly into town, look for any available jobs, and then come straight home.

That had been twenty-six, freaking, hours ago.  A full day, plus a few, and they only lived a few miles outside of Talbot’s Peak.  

Rayne would love to think that her brothers had found immediate work.  The kind, of job, which included hours upon hours of hard labor to tire her thankless, harebrained kin out and keep them from getting into trouble, but she knew better.  The best case scenario would be to find them at some local watering hole, using up the pittance they had saved before fleeing from the last town.

Leaves rustled above and jittery neighs taunted her into action.  It was time the Deehere brothers learned their lesson, and she would once again have to be the one to serve it up.  Rain raised the gun and fired the puny pellets into the trees around her.  Surely she’d hit one, or all, of their lazy ass’ if she just kept firing.  

**

The burn of a thousand fiery needles pierced Vix’s ass as he made his final loop around the wooded area surrounding the town of Talbot’s Peak.  Thrown from his animal form, he plummeted to the ground wondering just who he was going to be adding to the naughty list.

To be continued...

 Well, December is upon us at last...  Here's to hoping you're shopping is quick and painless this holiday season and there's cookies each and every day!

Serena

Joy To the Wolves!

Happy Wednesday everyone. Today i am reposting the lyrics for a Christmas werewolf song. I don't know who wrote the words to this parody but you can sing it to the tune of Jpy to the World and make everyone look at you like you've lost your mind. Ah, the joy of Christmas!













“It’s the Holidays

And the Werewolves go Rowr Rowr

Rowr rowr, rowr rowr, rowr rowr




The Vampires look for blood

And the Zombies look for brains

And the Werewolves go Rowr Rowr

And the Werewolves go Rowr Rowr

And the Werewolves, the Werewolves go Rowr Rowr


Dragons come down

And join the mob

As blood is sprayed around

And every vampire and every bat,

lap up the resulting blood,

lap up the resulting blood,

lap up, lap up the resulting blood



Monsters rule the world with blood and guts

And every Ogre knows

That holidays are best for eating their victims

And the Werewolves go rowr rowr

and the Werewolves go rowr rowr

And the Werewolves, the Werewolves go rowr rowr

The Timber Wolf and the Black Cougar, Calendar Cowboys

Tuesday howls and yowls, shapeshifter lovers.

The new crescent moon was particularly gorgeous in the teal night sky after twilight. Here’s wishing you a wonderful upcoming holiday season.

Next week I hope to bring you good news about a short shapeshifter Christmas story I’ve written, titled: SANTA BABY, SEVERAL STARS AWAY.

In the meantime, here’s a flash scene that could be part of another short shapeshifter story I’m penning around a New Year’s theme. No, sorry to disappoint some of you, it’s ‘not’ a manlove erotic romance. However, it is a menage.
~~~~~~

The Timber Wolf and the Black Cougar, Calendar Cowboys

“Dante’s calendar shoot this year was a real howl and hoot.” After a long and guttural laugh, Zance threw back his head and howled. To his satisfaction the sound reverberated throughout their four-seater pickup truck.

Dontoya yowled a drawn out chuckle, but still kept an iron hand on the steering wheel. Zance always envied the sound of his longtime ranch partner’s laugh because the women would crowd around him, their tongues nearly hanging out with lust.

“Yep, pard,” Dontoya drawled, “the shoot was a dang party without pants. Instead of in my pants. You know -- how we both get hard-ons from hell whenever Sherilyn is around.”

“Yeah, just thinking about our little spitfire...” Zance resettled himself so his cock wasn’t challenging his zipper quite as much.

Dontoya slowed the pickup turning onto the back road, the one that went past Sherilyn’s modest ranch, and along one side of her land. Whenever they could, they always took the long way home just to drive by, and maybe catch her scent, or a glimpse of their sexy, very elusive prey if she was checking the fence for breaks.

Despite her over-large man’s clothing, Sherilyn failed at hiding her voluptuous-in-all-the-right-places body. At least to his keen hunter’s eye. Zance kept his gaze fastened now, appreciating the new fallen snow -- about a foot of the heavy wet stuff.

“Spitfire is damn sure right.” Dontoya touched the brakes, then downshifted so they moved at a slower speed over the snow-packed slippery road. “No matter which one of us approaches her, she does a mighty fine job of bitin’ our heads off.”

“Yeah, without fangs,” Zance muttered. “This time I’m sending a calendar anonymously to our prickly human-she, who doesn’t know she belongs to us. Think she’ll like my bare-ass pose?”

“Who are you kidding, wolf boy? She’ll like my taut, bronze bare ass much better than your pale, moon-reflectin’ butt.”

“Ain’t that pale, cat boy.” Zance exaggerated his twang on purpose because it annoyed Dontoya.

Most of the time, they were best buds, and worked their ranch together without so much as a sour word. Now and again, though, they would go at each other like cats and dogs. Or what they were, a timber wolf and a black cougar. Then, their fists would fly and they’d shift, the fur flying until they exhausted themselves.

The last time they’d fang and claw battled, it’d been over which one of them was going to talk to Sherilyn first, since they’d seen her at the same time. She’d been buying feed for her horses at Talbot Peak’s Livestock Center, the store where they regularly purchased products for their cattle and horses.

By the time their discreet shoving match stopped a couple of aisles away, she’d been walking out the door. Like love-struck fools they’d rushed after her, only to be halted by Mary Lou’s all-knowing, singsong words, “Confided in me she’s been celibate for years, and don’t want no man.”

When he and Dontoya pivoted around to look at the store’s owner, Mary Lou gave them her big horsey grin, and neighed in her human voice, saying, “I showed her Dante’s charity calendar figuring she’d want one. Barely gave it a glance and just bought it ‘cause it was for charity.”

“Who’d have believed a pair like us would fall head over paws for a human-she?” Dontoya interrupted Zance’s remembrance of how the two of them had pried every last little bit about Sherilyn out of Mary Lou by buying twice their normal load of grain.

“We both know there’s more to her, even if it ain’t being a shapeshifter.” Zance spared a glance for his partner, who was sniffing for Sherilyn’s scent.

“With a stare that can freeze you in your tracks like gettin’ caught in a sub-zero blizzard, yeah, pard, there is. If we could solve that mystery, we might have an ‘in’ with her. But, since she’s always prickly as a teddy bear cholla cactus--”

Dontoya’s words were lost as another large pickup gunned past them, spraying snow that covered their windshield.

“Fucker,” Dontoya snarled as he eased the truck to a crawl, and flipped on the wipers.

“The Brady brothers. All four of ‘em. Caught their ape stink.” Zance curled his lips, baring his teeth.

“Hell. Dante banned them from his biker bar just last week.”

“Hell, yeah. They were about to get the ape stank beat right off, and the devil beat out of ‘em.”

“Soundin’ like a real good plan right now.” Dontoya growled menacingly as he picked up speed.

In the next instant, the Brady bunch was forgotten because Sherilyn’s ripe-as-summer-strawberries fragrance filled Zance’s nostrils. “Dibs,” he barked, a mere second before his partner’s echoing ‘dibs’.

After a fierce ‘grrrrr’, Dontoya smacked the steering wheel with his fist. “You better sweet talk her, wolf boy, into New Year’s --”

Sherilyn’s horrified scream pierced Zance’s ears, and he knew Dontoya heard also because he stomped on the accelerator. Heedless of the dangerous conditions, Dontoya sped the pickup toward her.

What Zance saw next chilled his blood and also enraged him so that his wolf threatened to break free. But, he had to stay in control. He watched as the Brady brother at the wheel churned their pickup’s tires backing away from Sherilyn’s much smaller truck.

“Grab my tail, pard. Or I’m gonna rip them limb from fucking limb,” Dontoya viciously snarled as he slammed their pickup to a sliding halt.

“Limb from fucking limb,” Zance echoed in a growl, even as he threw open the door, and bolted outside.

He hit the ground at a dead run. Leaping over the ditch, Zance sprinted toward Sherilyn’s truck, knocked off the road, and sitting askew. Some part of him knew what he would find before he caught sight of her lifeless looking body -- so small and still in the white field of deep snow where she’d been flung by the impact.

No! Zance shouted inside, railing against fate, railing against the terrible scene he witnessed. He had never felt so strangely empty, so surreal. And, even through Zance pumped his legs harder, faster, it seemed like an eternity before he reached Sherilyn -- before he was kneeling beside her and sniffing for her life essence.

An instant later, Dontoya dropped to his knees on the other side of Sherilyn. “She’s bleeding internally. Bad. I smell it.”

“We only got one way to save her.”

“Do it fast.” Dontoya moved to hold Sherilyn’s head steady.

Zance unzipped her parka only enough to rip away the part of her flannel shirt that covered her shoulder. Leaning down, he sank the tip of his elongating fangs into her shoulder muscle until his saliva flowed into Sherilyn’s bloodstream. She could hate him later.

“She’s coming home with us.” Dontoya gently cradled her head in his palms. “She’ll need us to take care of her now.”
~~~~~~

Have a Magickal and Shapeshifting Holiday Season...

Savanna

Savanna Kougar ~ Run on the Wild Side of Romance ~
~~~~~~

Calendar Boys

“Dang it, Lamar,” Jamie said, “of all the fool things you ever talked me into, this has gotta be the foolest.”

“Chico, I haven’t even scratched the surface of all the foolish things I want to talk you into. This, however, isn’t one of them. This is for a good cause. Tell him, Bo.”

“You heard the man,” Bo Ewing said. Like Jamie, he wore a simple terrycloth robe, though his was several sizes larger than Jamie’s. Like Jamie, he was naked beneath it. “Dante’s pin-up calendar makes a ton of money for local charities every year. You want to tell the kids at the hospital they won’t be getting a new dialysis machine because you got cold – ” He eyed Jamie’s groinal region and finished with a chuckle, “Feet?”

“I get the charity bit,” Jamie snapped. “I don’t get nudie shots of men. The Talbot’s Peak gay community ain’t that big. Oughtn’t you make one of nekkid women or something?”

“We’ve got one of those, too.” Dante himself entered just in time to catch, and answer, Jamie’s question. A long-legged, barrel-chested stranger in a Stetson followed him in. “The male calendar outsells it three to one, every single year.” He winked at Bo and the other man. “There’s a lot of randy shes in Talbot’s Peak.”

Lamar elbowed Jamie. “Told you.”

“And I told you,” Dante said to Lamar, “you can’t be in the women’s calendar. We’ve still got some uptight folks who’d burn my bar if they realized they were looking at a man.”

“Chillax, jefe. I’m moral support for the shy boy here. Also prop. One way or another, I’m getting into the calendar.”

“Not if you keep holding up production,” Mr. Ed, the photographer, said with an annoyed sniff. He was a slender, horse-faced man with a long blond ponytail. “You ready, son?”

“As he’ll ever be,” Lamar said, and shifted into his boa form.

“Dang foolishness,” Jamie muttered. “I ought’a be behind the camera, not in front of it.”

“You’re the one agreed to it,” Bo said with a grin and no sympathy. “By the way, where’s Porker? Don’t tell me he chickened out.”

“I’m afraid so,” Dante said. “Fortunately Dash here agreed to stand in. Exit biker, enter cowboy. I don’t think the ladies will mind.”

“Are you going to pose or not?” Ed said to Jamie.

“I’m gettin’ there,” Jamie said. Like diving into a pond, he told himself. You jump in all at once, it ain’t so bad. He loosened the robe and let it fall before stepping in front of the camera. Lamar slithered up his leg and wrapped around his torso, with one thick coil strategically draped across Jamie’s sinful bits. His forked tongue licked the curve of Jamie’s ear.
“Quit it,” Jamie mumbled. “How y’all want me?”

“Relax,” Ed instructed. “There’s good stiff and bad stiff. You’re giving me bad stiff.” He handed Jamie an apple. “Have fun with it.”

Sure, have a blast showing himself off like a side of beef with Lamar hanging all over him. It’s for the kids, he kept telling himself, and struck what he hoped was a provocative pose.

“Atta boy, Jamie,” Bo called encouragement. “You’re a natural. Didn’t we do this shot last year?”

“Gypsy as Eve? Yes, I remember. She’s pairing with Sergei this year.”

“I’m guessing he’ll be tiger. I can’t imagine him naked. Oh wait, yes I can. Terrific, now I can’t get that picture out of my head. Somebody describe their last date or something.”

“I was with a zebra last night,” Ed announced. “They bite, and in the most interesting places. Happy? Good. Now be quiet. I’m trying to create magic here.”

He took several shots of “Adam and the Serpent” before he pronounced himself satisfied. Jamie snatched up his robe and yanked it on with Lamar still wrapped around him. The snake’s head poked out of the robe’s V neckline. Jamie idly rubbed it with a finger.

“Who wants to go next?” Ed said. “Come on, boys. Time is money.”

“I’ll go,” Dash offered. “I got some things to pick up in town, then I need to get back to work.” He stripped off his shirt, revealing a tanned chest just made for porn shoots. He stepped in front of the camera.

“Hey!” Jamie said. “How come he gets to keep his pants on?”

“’Cause I got a jealous lady at home,” Dash replied easily. He repositioned his Stetson at a rakish angle. “Wish I had a horse to pose with. Make this a helluva shot.”

“That can be arranged,” Ed said. He was practically drooling. “You. ‘Adam.’ Did you say you’re a photographer?”

Jamie stepped up to the camera and pronounced himself familiar with the type. Ed shed his clothes in a blink and shifted into a shiny-coated palomino, far handsomer than his human form. Jamie tossed Dash the apple and started shooting, with Dante, Bo and a once-again human Lamar looking over his shoulder. Jamie ignored them all, totally focused on his creative vision.

“Oohh, nice,” Ed said upon regaining human shape. “Look at that lighting! Son, you’re a natural. Ever done these types of shots before?”

“Uhhhh … ”

“Just with me,” Lamar spoke up. “I got one on me. Wanna see?”

“I’d rather see your portfolio.” Ed recovered his slacks from the chair where he’d tossed them and fished a business card out of his pocket. “If you’d like a job, or just freelance work, I can use a talented helper. Anyone can snap a photo. You’ve got an artist’s eye.”

Jamie glanced around uneasily at the half-naked and naked men in the studio, which now included Ed. “I dunno. You do a lot of this?”

“As much as I can get,” Ed said with a horsy grin. “Sadly, most of it’s simple formal portraits. Luckily for my tastes, there are those who like to do erotic shots for their mates. Men and women. Best of both worlds.”

“He’ll do it,” Lamar said, clapping Jamie on the shoulder. “You can shoot the covers for my novels.”

“You write gay porn.”

“Exactamento.”

“Give me a call,” Ed said. “We’ll talk. Now, who’s up next?”

“Guess that’s me.” Bo let his robe drop and stood in all his bighorn glory. He tossed a football from hand to hand. “How do you want me to hold it?”

Welcome To Talbot's Peak's Turkey Fall Festival

“I’m a moose!” Trina Wilderson ran toward one of her new friends, the Adams twins, her hand stretched out trying to tag one of them. Her other hand held down the hat threatening to fall off her head.

Bartson Wilderson wanted to grab the stuffed antler hat off his daughter Trina’s head and clap a hand over her mouth. Her rising voice level wasn’t helping his growing headache. The twins screeching with her added decibels that would set a dog pack to howling. The three girls kept running in circles trying to tag the other as they waited with their parents for the carousel to stop. They headed up the next group to enter the ride.

Jason Adams wanted to grab the father of his twin daughters’ newest friend and shake him. Jason had promised his wife, he’d keep his animal leashed and controlled for the evening. Damn, couldn’t she read the human as easily as he could? What had she said after meeting Trina’s mother? Oh, yes. . .the poor woman needed friends and wanted to understand who the new comers were. Offering her a job at the diner would assist with keeping an eye on the humans around town. Hell, keeping Sherre Kahn under observation was not easy. Tomas’s request for backups had pulled in a few long overdue favors. Keeping family and children safe were utmost in importance.

The tall leggy brunette mother of the twins---well she had a set of legs that would quit. Give him a stepladder and a pogo stick and he’d---Keep your mind off my wife.

Bartson spun around and almost collided with the twins’ father. His muscles bulged and flexed with every breath he took. Had the man snarled at him? And the brunette? Bartson bet her eyes glowed golden green like cat eyes each time the carousel’s bright lights hit her eyes. Shit, were the rumors true about his new neighbors? Shape shifters from? Who the hell knew from where?

Bartson smiled and waved before turning back toward his wife. Trying to keep a straight face, he stepped toward the line forming near the carousel. Trina stood whispering in the ear of the twin girl closest to her. Seeing identical hats on the twin’s head, Bartson rubbed his hand up and down his pant leg. The vivid image of a large frothing at the mouth Doberman chasing him flashed through his mind

Look dude your mind isn’t gonna figure it out so give up or keep watching over your shoulder in your dreams.

“Jason,” his wife hissed in a low pitch snarl. “Remember we’re undercover.”

Jason nodded, wishing he could scare the prejudice bastard Bartson into shitting his pants. Drawing attention to his family wouldn’t help. Bartson’s wife and child deserved better treatment than their prejudice head of household offered them.

Bartson knew sticking with his kind made sense. True his disassociated fractured family tried to claim blue blood ties that even his great aunt the family genealogist shook her head over. If he added in his closest blood relatives. . .well he was sure they’d win a blue ribbon for dysfunctional family of the year. But mixing with half-bloods now that really rubbed his purity ethics in another direction.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy Post Turkey Day everyone! Don't eat too many left overs. Christmas goodies are coming next. Remember don't shop till you drop. Keep to your budget and enjoy the time with family and friends.