You Gotta let Them Grow Up Sooner Or Later.

“IPod loaded with the sound track play list?”

“Check.”

“Walkies?”

“Check.”

“Code book and all-weather graphite pencil for new words?”

“All pencils are graphite.”

“Do you have it or not?”

“Check.”

“County topographical map?”

“Check.”

“Flash lights?”

“Loki, we don’t need no flash lights; it’s daylight out.”

“Aaaaaand if we are still mammoth hunting when it gets dark?”

“Mom’s gonna kill us.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Marissa said, rubbing that spot on her forehead right between her eyes, the one that always managed to magically start throbbing every time her delightful sons got into one of their mischief moods.

“Dude! I thought you were going to cast a hear-me-not!” Loki hissed in a dramatic stage whisper that was every bit as loud as his regular speaking voice.

“Yer my twin, not my boss,” Thor responded in his normal speaking voice, knowing full well that overly dramatic whispering was not effective. “Besides, it’s not like it was going to take until sundown before she noticed we were gone.” Yep, that was Thor, my big, blond, very practical son.  Loki may be the more cunning of the two, but Thor tended to think in practicalities where as his smaller dark haired brother preferred not to let reality interfere with possibilities.

“So? Ever hear that phrase, it’s easier to ask forgiveness than to ask permission?”

“Whoever said that didn’t have our mom keeping an eye on them.”

“Nice flattery, buddy, but I notice you are still planning to try sneaking out,” Marissa said.

“Nope,” he said.

“Nope?” Marissa asked, her voice dripping with disbelief.

“Dad and Moon-Moon are getting ready to leave to take up sentry duty on the outskirts of town for Uncle Nick. We were planning to beg to go along,” Loki said, glaring balefully at his brother.

“It’s going to be our first real hunt with the pack,” Thor said, a dopy grin splitting his eager young face.

“Hunt? You guys are eight years old. You are too young to go out hunting for rogue mutants.”

Hunt?” Mooney said as he walked into the kitchen. He looked at his scowling older son, grinning younger son, and then at his stony faced mate.

“Your sons have decided to get everything together so when you told them they couldn’t join this hunt because you had to go ‘right now,’ they would be able to tell you that they were ready to go.”

Mooney looked into Marissa’s stormy eyes and shrugged uncomfortably. “It’s not abad idea, really.”

“They are only eight years old! They are practically babies!”

“They are also wolf pups, babe. They have to learn to hunt with the pack sometime. And this is a good hunt for them to join. It’s not just going to be McMahon Pack out there. The Wilks are going to be out there, all of Dante’s motley pack is already out there. The Fliddermouses are watching the sky. Heck, even the Turkles have gotten in on it. There will be lots of eyes to keep them out of trouble.”

Marissa turned her back, not wanting to look at him until she got her emotions under control. This wasn’t the witch’s way. Apprentice witches were strictly kept out of any fight until after their thirteenth birthday. But like he said, Loki and Thor weren’t witches. They weren’t even her kids, biologically speaking, but that didn’t matter to her. Their birth mother had given them to her and now they were hers, dammit!

“I’m sorry, Rissie. I know you don’t like it but it is what it is. You married into a Pack. Wolves hunt and when our home is threatened, we rally to defend it. Besides, it’s not like we’re on the front line. Me and Moon-Moon are on sentry duty, not front line duty. Dante’s guys are taking care of that on account of the fact he’s got more combat trained fighters. Look, just listen in on the CB band, ok? I see that the boys have their walkies. I’ll take Loki with me. Moon-Moon will take Thor with him. We’ll have the boys do a running commentary on what’s going on. You’ll be able to monitor everything.”

Marissa swallowed hard a couple times before realizing she wasn’t going to be able to speak past the frog in her throat. She nodded once instead and listened as her guys quickly shuffled out the door, loaded for mammoth. Crap, this letting your kids grow up stuff sucked.

Atcheson snaked his monstrous trunk...

August howls and yowls, shapeshifter lovers.

So, what about our monster mammoth villain? What does a Hellephant think about as he destroys and dines his way to Talbot's Peak?

~~~~~~

Atcheson snaked his monstrous trunk around another hapless tree, snapped it off at the base, and thrust it inside his admittedly cavernous mouth -- where it didn't last long. His hunger knew no end.

Fueling the franken-mammoth he'd been genetically transformed into was nightmarish. Morloxian had gleefully treated him like a prized child, feeding him high-nutrient formulas that kept his hunger at bay. Now he was on his own, and constantly starving. 

Piss on it! The werewolf part of him howled for a side of beef. Hell, a whole herd of succulent, in their prime, beef on the hoof that he'd crash and tear through -- devouring until he'd finally had his fill. Once he finished trampling Talbot's Peak, and all of its shit-unholy shapeshifting creatures into the dust as if they never existed... searching out the nearest cattle herd was his first priority. Unless...

Atcheson well realized he'd be the target of every monster hunter in the business. That thought had him wondering where Cochrane was lurking these days. The bastard would aim everything, even the kitchen sink, at him. But so what, if the Elmer Fudd-idjit lobbed his store of grenades. Hell yeah, bring it on! 

With his quick-as-a-whip trunk, Atcheson figured he could catch the explosive devices, and hurl them back. Besides, he doubted the puny force of their explosions would do much to his super-powered snout. That is, except for breathing the smoke out like a dragon.

Driven by hunger, Atcheson wrapped his beastly trunk around the tall summer grass ripping it up. Dirt and all, he shoved it in his mouth, and kept on semi-trucking down the highway. Through beady eyes, he observed the mere humans scatter like ants.

Shit -- and his mammoth crap plopped in gigundis piles -- humans weren't high on his list of likeability either. Terrorizing the little scurrying apes gave him quite the thrill. Squealing tires announced their departure in silly little vehicles he could crush with one humongous foot.

Maybe, just maybe he'd been chosen by destiny -- Atcheson had known he was destined to far surpass Cochrane as a monster hunter -- if he had to become a mutant mammoth werewolf to destroy the supernatural monsters that now littered the entire planet, then so be it. With the catastrophic damage he could inflict in this form, he could force order out of paranormal chaos.

He trumpeted in glee, his trunk shooting skyward. Even that eagle shifter had failed to cause him a lick of harm. And that ridiculous winged horse... at least, she'd had the smarts to stay out of reach.

And now, with destiny operating through the pathetic wolf-coyote shifter who rescued ugly, glasses-hiding Maureen... Atcheson had been delivered him from his more-than-annoying rider -- the too-silent, shifty-eyed Pete, who... no shit-surprise... had been a Tiger Yakuza shifter. 

Atcheson stopped to give himself a violent shake. Without the mutated-into-a-werewolf-tiger's claws digging into him, he'd been given free rein to reign over the world. But first, Talbot's Peak!

He bellowed in sheer rage, tromping madly down the highway. Atcheson hardly felt the giant potholes that his weight and strength sunk through the asphalt. Oh yeah baby Dumbo, he could earth-quake his way across the North American continent.

Right now, tidal waves of fury compelled Atcheson's thundering march toward the shapeshifter enclave. Yet, he also burned with one helluva high. A whole new life lay ahead of him -- mercilessly savaging whoever and whatever he wanted.

Just for shit and grins, Atcheson imagined consuming entire golf courses, crashing through football teams lined up for the last crucial play of a game... and compacting rows of cars at shopping malls.

With a swipe of his trunk Atcheson uprooted a line of saplings, tossing them down his throat. Given his insatiable hunger, he was damn effing glad there were no peanut fields to scarf up.

Although, he owned not one clue if his death-by-peanut's allergy had translated into what Morloxian had said was his greatest mutant achievement to date. Him. The pride in the misshapen wolf-man's eyes had given Atcheson something he'd never emotionally gotten from his father. That was for shit fucking sure.

His father had been a monster in his own right. Well now, Atcheson had the power to fold, spindle, or mutilate any monster, any shifter at will. To prove it, he drove his death-dealing tusk through a jack-knifed, abandoned mack truck.

He raised it high over his head, blasted a trumpet of triumph, then gave his head a toss. The truck flew through the air landing atop the huge branches of the forest's older trees. If he wasn't hellbent on Godzilla-taking out Talbot's Peak, Atcheson would have stopped to appease his appetite.

On second thought, before mangling everyone and everything in the shifter town, before stomping and stamping the entire town into a bloody combo of goo and dust... maybe he should suck up every last bit of food.

Then, it struck Atcheson. An ah-ha moment that squirmed through his rampaging haze, and into his mutated, possibly still mutating mammoth brain. How tasty were shapeshifters?

His werewolf side howled to find out. Howled for the taste of blood.

~~~~~~


Wishing you love and passion on the wild side ...

Savanna 

Savanna Kougar ~ Run on the Wild Side of Romance

The Solution in a Jif

Ewan and Maureen helped each other out of the mammoth poo and wiped each other off as well as they could. This meant shedding what remained of their clothes. Ewan didn’t mind public nudity, especially in front of a woman. Especially since he could now happily stare at Maureen’s sweet little tits. They made his mouth water, in spite of the stains and the pungent aroma permeating the air. Yep, true love for sure.

Maureen clearly wasn’t as comfortable with nakedness as a shifter, and tried to distract herself by focusing on the matter at hand. “Atcheson’s still headed for Talbot’s Peak. He’ll stomp it to bits just for the heck of it. He’s not just an a-hole, he’s a psycho a-hole. Getting changed into a giant mutant mammoth didn’t do him any favors.”

Much as Ewan would have enjoyed a romp in the woods with his favorite naked lady, even he had to concede now was not the best time. “We should join up with Dante. He’s set up a defense line at the creek. If Dumbo makes it past them there’ll be no stopping him. Hope Dante’s rustled up some weapons. Like a dragon, maybe.”

“You have dragons?”

“Just the one that I know of. We’re a pretty open town.”

Maureen hugged her arms over her breasts, and Ewan muttered swears. “Pity they don’t have some peanuts. That’d stop him for sure.”

“Peanuts for the elephant? Well, if he stops to eat ‘em—”

“No, not that. He has an allergy. A really bad one. Just the smell of peanuts gives him a rash. If he swallowed some, jeepers, anything could happen.”

“Hold up there. You’re serious. Are you sure about this?”

Maureen made a sour face. “I was the group girl, duh. Guess who had to do all the cooking and grocery shopping? Atcheson was really specific about what he wouldn’t eat. Every time Ted had a candy bar Atcheson would pitch a fit. Especially Reese’s. It wasn’t hard to figure out.”

“So if we got him to swallow a Snickers he’d keel over?”

“Probably. He’s still mostly Atcheson genetically. If the allergy carried over—”

“We can stop him in his tracks.” It was a wild, off-the-wall idea, just the kind that appealed to coyotes. “I need to shift for a minute,” he told her. “Try not to scream.”

Maureen massaged her throat and offered up a wry grin. “I’m pretty much screamed out.”

Ewan couldn’t answer. His mouth was now a muzzle. Dante needed this new information, and a howl would travel faster than their feet. He lifted his head and filled his throat and sent his song out into the air, in the hopes wolf ears would pick it up.

# # #

Cochrane pointed. “There he is!”

The point wasn’t really necessary. A four-story-high mutant werewolf/mammoth hybrid was pretty easy to spot. He’d reached the open stretch of road that angled down toward the creek. If he made it past the bridge, it was only two miles to Talbot’s Peak. Even if the town was prepared, there would still be damage and injuries, maybe even casualties.

The monster wouldn’t cross the bridge. Even if Dante had to drive his motorcycle down its throat and choke it.

He turned to Rafe. “Is she still on his back?”

The golden eagle shifter shaded his eyes. “I don’t see anybody up there. Let me check.” He spread his arms, which shifted to wings, and sprang into the air. Cochrane and Turkle, more pragmatic, continued loading their elephant guns.

The long grass at the side of the road shivered and a wolf emerged. He loped up to Dante, where he shifted. Deuce hunched over with his hands on his knees and gulped in breaths. “Ewan,” he gasped when he had enough air. “Back there. Had a plan.”

It must not have worked, because the beast was still coming. Dante peered grimly at the rapidly-approaching Hellephant. “He’s not slowing,” he said, “and we can’t wait any longer. Will those things bring it down?”

“If we hit the right spots,” Turkle said. He and Cochrane nodded to each other. “We’ll hit the right spots.”

Off to the side, Syprelli stared in horrified fascination at the lumbering mammoth. She was not a fighter. Dante had expected her to shift and bolt well before now, but she’d held her ground, determined to do whatever she could to help. His admiration for the Pegasus shifter increased.

Rafe swept back and circled overhead. He shifted while still in the air, and landed hard. “Nobody’s up there,” he reported. “It’s just Jumbo by his lonesome. I didn’t see Ewan, or the werewolf or the girl.”

“Then we’re clear,” Dante said. “Fire at—”

Then he heard the song, the long coyote howl of trills and yips. The mammoth paused in mid-step, snorted through his trunk, and kept coming. “What—” Cochrane started.

Dante chopped his hand through the air for silence. He and Deuce listened intently to the coded message inside the howl, translatable only to canine ears.

When it ended, Deuce blinked at Dante. “Peanuts? He wants us to fight it with peanuts?”

“Food allergy,” Dante deduced. “Cochrane. Did your man have a food allergy?

“Is that what it was?” Cochrane said. “I thought he was just a prissy boy. Damn finicky about his food. Worse’n a goddamn cat.”

Dante had already tuned him out. “Your place is closest,” he said to Turkle. “Do you have any peanut products?”

“Hell yeah,” Turkle said. “Peanut butter. Buckets of it. The missus makes her own. She baked a batch of cookies this morning. There might be some left.”

“If we can get him to ingest some, it might slow him down, maybe even stop him completely. Rafe—”

“I’ll go,” Syprelli said. “I’m no good in a fight.”

“You’ll need someone to carry it. Will you take a rider? Deuce.”

Deuce saluted and darted toward Syprelli. Where the girl had been now stood a red horse with crimson-feathered wings. Deuce asked permission before he got on. He clung tight to her mane.

“Password’s ‘giblets,’” Turkle said. “Better yell it as you come in. The missus don’t know you two, and she’s got dead aim.”

“Got it,” Deuce said. His words were whipped away as the horse leaped skyward. She and her rider shot over the trees.

Far closer than he’d been only moments before, the mammoth lifted his trunk and trumpeted. He’d spotted the enemy. Tiny eyes narrowed in hate, he charged the bridge.

# # #

No, I didn’t pull the allergy bit out of my butt. I set up that plot point weeks ago, in this entry here. Even pantsers can plot now and then. (smug grin)

SNEAK PEEK SUNDAY: Her Midnight Stardust Cowboys ~ Chapter Twenty-six

Her Midnight Stardust Cowboys

Note: Sherilyn and Zance are choosing her gown for the New Year's celebration at the Midnight Stardust Supperclub.

~~~~~~

First SIX paragraphs from ~

Chapter Twenty-six:
"This is the one."

"This is the one." Sherilyn hardly recognized her giddy voice. "It looks like I'm covered in flakes of diamond...the parts of me that are covered."

"Just like stardust on that beautiful body of yours, sweetheart."

Zance's tone felt like a wicked caress on her skin. Sherilyn glanced over her shoulder, seeing both lust and admiration in his eyes.

What woman could ever resist that look from a man?

Feeling like a forties era movie star, Sherilyn stared at her reflection in the tall panel of mirrors that surrounded her like a horseshoe.

The gown's decolletage displayed her bosom enticingly. Her naked back was framed to perfection by the drape of silvery platinum fabric.

~~~~~~

For more Sunday Sneak Peaks ~sneak-peek-sunday.blogspot.com~

~~~~~~

Blurb & Excerpts for HER MIDNIGHT STARDUST COWBOYS are on my page above.
~~~~~~


Wishing you shapeshifting cowboy love on the wild side...

Savanna

Savanna Kougar ~ Run on the Wild Side of Romance ~

YOU'RE WHAT?! TIME TO TAKE COVER!

Gill opened his mouth to answer Chloe.  He closed it.  Her family members were two states over visiting other relatives.  Their safety he no lingered worried about.  However his bride and now potential off spring took priority over standing his ground with the rest of the Peakites. Getting Chloe out of town and stashed safely away from the battle edging closer mattered now.

“Love, it’s okay if you are.  Right now I’m going to ask you how fast can you pack only the bare necessities while I get you out of town.”  Gill pushed back from his desk.  He rose closing the distance between the desk and file cabinet closest to the office door.  Rachel said she saved his vacation signs in the top drawer.  He opened the cabinet and rummaged through the metal signs until he found the two he needed.  Turning around, he found Chloe standing behind him hands on her hips.

“Do you think I’m going to leave you alone when the fight for our lives is happening?  Get---”Her words muffled and failed by his hand.  God he loved her spunk and loyalty.  He loved her alive.  Not dead or maimed.  Even hurt to the point both she and their offspring paid the price.  No, getting them out of harm’s way mattered.

“Got to admire your spunk.  I adore your passion and drive darling.  This time, and yes there will probably be others, isn’t the one where you get to choose.  Our child matters more.”  Gill pressed a quick kiss on Chloe’s pouting lips.  “We’ve got packing to do lickity split.  I’ve got two calls to make.”

Ten minutes speeding across town found them at the mayoral mansion hastily tossing clothes and a few treasured possessions into two large suitcases.  Another forty-five passed while Gill made his calls and secured safe passage for Chloe and him out of town.  Fifteen minutes later, they stood at the far east end of the town closes to the old highway.  Kitty, Dante’s love and mate along with Gypsy sat with the motor running in the all-terrain vehicle as they approached.

“Kitty, thanks.  Gypsy, thank you too.  I owe both of you.”  Gill tossed the suitcases in the open door turning to Chloe.   He pulled her into his arms, kissed her deeply, and let go. 

Helping her into the vehicle, he sniffled.  He didn’t want this to be their swansong.  He wouldn’t know until the dust cleared. For now, his Chloe needed to know his deepest feelings.  “I love you.  Know that no matter what, we’re married.  And I want you and as many kids as we can have.”  He kissed Chloe again before slamming the door shut.

Chloe knuckled two tears off her cheek as she watched Gill race back to his car.  Gypsy’s words drew her attention.  “We’ll be back.  No one or anything is going to destroy Talbot’s Peak.  We’ve got a battle to wage from the outside.”

Kitty nodded as Chloe looked to her.  Both women held up their thumbs.  Chloe swallowed and spoke.  “Full speed ahead sisters.  Our enemy ain’t seen nothing yet.”

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

HAPPY WEEKEND GANG!

Gill is stepping up big time.  He's grown a lot since getting hitched.  The fight for the Peak is growing and intensifying.  Looks like the rumble is going down.  I'm betting on our Peakites to win.

As we start the slide into fall and a new school year, remember to take time to relax with a few good books.  Share them with your loves and spice as well as your favorite children's book with your small family members.  Reading and feeding our brain and creative imagination matters too. 

Until next week, I'll be sharing a good book or two with my loves and spice.

Smiles, 
Solara

Do A Little Dance...

Typically, I don't search out gif's that move, but this one fits Greely to a tee.  Darling Diva loved this movie, Monsters Inc., with the repetitive nature known mostly by the under six crowed and giggled her head off when the little girl did her dance.  Heck, so did Alpha Hubby and I.

Enjoy!
~~~

“Ohmygod, civilization…lights, heat and indoor freaking plumbing!  Put me down, Erol.  Please.”

Erol bent over and set his treasure on her feet and grimaced.  Not because her insubstantial weight caused him any pain, but rather her obvious glee at being surrounded by the loud garishness of this sin city.

“Oh oh, shoot, pick me up Erol, pick me up.”

The urgency in his Fair One’s voice put him on instant alert as he swept her up in his protective embrace and spun around looking for the source of her fear.

“Gree,” the camel gasped as she grabbed his arm to hold him still. “Honey, what’s wrong?”

“I-I can’t walk.”

Her whisper made him want to shift and fly her away from everything she feared or could cause her harm.  It was only the knowledge that shifting in such a public place would cause them all more trouble than necessary that made him wait for an explanation from his lady love.  “What do you fear, Fair One?”

“I have to pe…” 

The mumbled words were spoken into his throat and sounded more like mar har ooo prea.  He still had no idea what was causing her panic and to add another layer to this frustrating game, her humpback friend was laughing her fool head off, seconds from rolling around on the ground.  “What is so funny, camel?!”

“Oh, oh Gree, we did make that cactus stop you know.  You could have taken care of things then…”

“That was outside, Karma, I don’t do that outside!”

“Even in your froggy form?” The camel covered her mouth with her hand and giggled again.  Her mirth obvious in the tears tracking her cheeks.

“That is different!”

“How?  I mean, it all comes out about the same way, Gree.”

“Animals just do that outside and I’m closer to the ground.  Plus, I don’t need TP,” she whispered, behind her hand, “in that form.”

Erol grinned.  He was starting to get a picture of his loves problem.  It was the same issue she’d faced when they traveled to his grotto in Talbot’s Peaks hidden ocean.  She had yet to become comfortable easing her bladder in the water or anywhere without a water closet, or bathroom, he remembered them saying in this century. “Lead the way to the abode you wish us to stay in, Humpback.  Quickly.”

“Okay then.  Cross those legs, Princess can’t pee outside, ‘cause here we go.”

Erol followed the camel even as he whispered into Greely’s ear.  “Never fear, my love, your shy bladder is something we can overcome.  It just takes practice.”

“Ohgawd.”

Once again she tucked her face into his neck and spoke, but he got the gist of it this time and couldn’t resist teasing her just a bit more.  “Lots and lots of practice.”
~~~

Huh, so today's blog is brought to you by the letter P and jumped from my brain to the page just this morning in the span of about an hour.  I'd been trying to decide what to write all week and nothing quite fit into this trio's trip until Greely was jumping up and down inside my head, happy to have finally reached the city proper.  I guess that jumping up and down is better know as doing the peepee dance.  LOL  What my characters don't give me to work with some days...

Have a great weekend!
Serena