Philippe

Tears, tears, and more tears!

Nope, not southern kissed for my accent. For me as a boy, it was a full on smackeroo of pure southern drawl to the likes of say...hmmm.... Lucas Black in Flash is probably a close proximity (with a crew cut hair cut too); and then even as an adult he probably still nails it in several aspects! 😂

@astone2292, @Patch1; You guys talking about being southern has me flashing back big time. Being originally from LA, that’s Lower Alabama for you more northern boys, with roots in south central Alabama, the country living and life style is still very dear to me. Weekends at my grandparents often resulted in pulling out the rolled up, homemade and hand stitched cotton mattress to watch Disney, Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, and Bonanza in the living room floor. If we were lucky, grandad may also break out the 5-string banjo that had history for my granddad in barn dances of the Hank Williams days and neighborhood. Visiting the farm meant toting water from the well and bathing in a wash tub next to the potbelly stove; watch out when bending over with the ass and elbows, that stove was a scorcher! Dumping the honey pot on those cold winter mornings was definitely more desirable than stepping to the outhouse in the dark freezing nights! lol I have a unique blend of accent and drawl as I spent years away in college, traveling the military world, and working in the travel industry; so even I have to take pause with listening to the kin folks! lol 😂 I wouldn’t change it as it would then change me. Thanks for refreshing my memories.

You may have felt less guided by your muse, but I believe you had a guardian muse nonetheless; as the foundation of relationships, training, and history, you have now given us so very strongly supports this very momentous event you have now brought us to. The irony is that this is not near the epic climax your story promises. You have proven the depth of development in story, character and relationships now to supports such an epic engagement without the confusion and assumptions of artistic license necessary in so many other stories. Let the logic of your muses continue to guide you, and know that the story is so well developed that you’re in no danger of dragging out an unsupported storyline. Any plans or assumptions of story length or number of chapters should only be used as a living and changing outline of a story that has been brought to life. It deserves to follow a logical path at the same level of detail and support regardless the length of story, so as to sustain the quality of your work thus witnessed here! Please, please let this story continue at this very enjoyable and natural pace of life we have fallen in love with!

@astone2292: What a delightful angle for attacking the aspect of a developing Wolf, of a human turning. The approach of talking, teaching and learning is a key growth aspect for both Vincents; perhaps even more so for Mace(s) as they are now introduced to the idea, the reality, that Vincent is a quick developing and powerful Alpha Wolf. Apparently, Vincent is quickly becoming a powerful Alpha Wolf that needs to learn and understand the non-aggressive approach to being an Alpha; Vincent is strong, but so too his his inner Alpha, much negotiation seems to be in line for teaching a terrifyingly powerful Wolf puppy, with some innate instincts for aggression!

Carleton: For me, that would be worth going to prison to be sure that man is no longer walking this earth. I hope you have a pleasant journey back home.” It would seem the brotherhood could and would understand the stress pressures the protector is under. As the guards of the children and the protector, it would not seem likely the Sultan is long to find his way back to the promised and permanent home he deserves; I guess you could consider it fast tracking!

Would that be Murder She Wrote meets Hallmark? 😆 Great job of serving up murder, mystery, thriller, but best of all, the blossoming of love in the most challenging of circumstances; @Laura S. Foxdoes spin a wicked web before the prey is lured into the trap!

Yup, broccoli does it for mine, especially when she has salmon with it! Hahahaha

Unfortunate? Hmmm 🤔, momma bear or Mo? At least with momma bear they had a fighting chance! Hahaha 🤣 Momma bear also saved our Mo from having blood on his hands; it’s no doubt he may yet need to be directly involved but this way seems more kid friendly. 🤭

How resilient and unassuming youth can be. Jon is finding himself amidst these events, while the new and/or younger boys are just adjusting to being cherished and safe; summation found in Charlie and Vasily finding strength, love, and comfort from story time lessons.

Though this chapter focuses a lot on the boys’ “feelings,” it also has lots of nuggets hinting to the larger picture. Taran is distracted internally but yet still seems to be homing in on other possibilities for the adversary’s plans. Ronnie has gained much confidence and helping cement team trust as evidenced last chapter and here in this one. A lot of good build up leading to future actions of the younger generation of heros!

For a detective that claims great “gut instincts “ Detective Shaw is an obsessive IDIOT! Stefan is a known murdered; Shaw sounded no alerts and made no attempts to subdue, instead he allows himself to become a puppet to his obsession over Vincent. Likewise, in Vincent’s relaxed pace of recovery as he relishes the new pack, family, and mate bonds, he has let his guard down and not focused on rebuilding his or his bracelet’s energy stores. With Stefan’s given presence in their community, and with his invasive issue of the teasing notice to Vincent, the stance was guarded to protect Vincent by staying with Mace; now the status is urgent as Stefan has slapped Vincent with his toying games of cat and mouse, with the IDIOT Shaw as a distraction. Vincent needs a panic button alert system; to his mate and his assigned enforcer. Being drawn into a trap is too high a risk with Stefan and the pack support and response has to be a cordon of containment that leaves Stefan little options. Vincent needs to fully trust his mate and family now more than ever full disclosure and coordination; and Shaw need the stark and deadly warning to understand what his last warning truly means. A great but truly frustrating chapter @astone2292has dealt us. As we are given ever reason to love and embrace Vincent, and his new life with Mace and family, it it all the more frustrating to see him now toyed with and betrayed in such deep emotional ways...arrrrgh!

A boy’s dog is also his partner and protector, if they bond as I believe these boys and dogs will. Our family dog probably became closer to me as the older brothers were not around as much as the puppy and I were. We explored and spent lots of superhero hours together. Then we changed our routine, I got a large paper route on my tenth birthday; which had lots of wee early dark morning deliveries. At the speed I could ride my heavily loaded bicycle at ten years old, my family’s dog would always be trotting along my side. This continued for the following years too, as we grew together, as he would not allow anyone and anything near unless I called his stay. With the many long shadows and strange noises of those early hours, my dog was my comfort and my courage; as together we were a team! He was with me on most all my morning deliveries for the best of six years, as he was slowing with age my route got bigger and I started driving with my new license and an old Opel Kadett; Bandit still stayed with me while I folded those papers in the shed, and then while loading the car, but then he would return to his porch outlook awaiting my return. He passed approximately one year later; the summer of my junior year. The smartest, most loyal, and best friend I’ve ever had.

Yes, human smuggling is accomplished without true regard for life; in such conditions death should be charged as murder vs manslaughter, as the probabilities make it impossible to believe death is not likely. Just as the smugglers here have no regard for putting honest businesses and/or workers at risks of confiscated property and/or significant legal charges for crimes not of their doing; or even death in the confusion of a raid, where only a few know the risks and the enlightened become possible casualties in the confusion of policing actions.

Considering this exit, they may want to consider one with a cargo hold and ramp for quick escapes! Haha

With the Joey’s rescue in progress the references of the body parts the young thugs were volunteering for lessons in anatomy, pressure points, and pain, had me thinking of some old classics for learning! Humming : He grabbed one’s arm, he punched another’s nose, he clanked the first one’s nads, and then he wrenched third one’s arm until the shoulder made him speak a profane prose; Hahahah, too bad the second verse didn’t complete before the learning made more progress.

Also we have the problem with the high volume of foot traffic, as the boys self serve, for multiple courses, and this will require that U to be a little more spread/spaced for that freedom of movement.

Likewise, just a tidbit of knowledge doesn’t automatically mean, oh hell, you know this so I might as well tell you everything. I haven’t told you yet about another part, mages, magic, of our supernatural...WHAT? That defies secrecy logic; do we go ahead and invite him to the pack meeting? lol ok, I’m done now! Hahaha Your storyline is still fantastic, so please don’t take my comments to be a slam, it’s just sharing a classification and protection type environment. Beyond what you already know, Sgt Shwartz says: I KNOW NOTHING!.”

If the boys did go to public school that would be the easiest bus route for the driver; drive to Carleton’s house load ‘em up, then return to do the drop off, ✅ It would not be nearly as traumatic for the boys to attend school now as originally thought, as now there is little chance any brother would ever be far from another brother; at any time! 😂 Even at home, where do you go to have privacy, where someone else is not already doing the same thing; shower...no, the sink and toilet are still available; you’ll have to pretend to be doing a stinky, lol, to pull that off it’s a good thing boys can fart on command! Just thinking and reflecting to gain perspective... 🤔

Don’t get too wrapped about in the details @astone2292, of “waaay too many errors in italicization and punctuation.” Like the Lycans hearing what is barely spoken. “We can read, undarstan, and Njoy wat is wRitt3n w3n them English gieks jut dont git it#” 😊 Oh Dave, did you ever wonder exactly why and how the manager “happened” to be there, at the right time, in the right place, to overhear the conversations of Lycans, when your superior hearing should have detected the presence of any normally approaching humans. 🤔 Keep the updates coming, as we have to “scratch” out a mating and quickly morph Vinnie some bonding growth; he can even do it before the stitches are wasted at the tailor! Little Vinnie needs to adapt before the smug manager and his evil master coordinates intelligence and returns to strike Vinnie in a weakened state; the presence of the NY delegation helps make up for a Vinnie transitioning weakness and Mace’s distraction to care for him. Likewise, make they are objective enough to still be wary of Quin! 😡

You didn’t forget, you were allowing the true recommended cure time on the cement pool tub; so now the concrete apron/patio can be poured and the surfacing can be applied to the below the tile water line. So you actually planned it well and didn’t let the kids get too curious, hahaha 😝

Hmmm, eye for eye vengeance due to interstate child napping, enslavement, and prostitution of minors; so...the children went missing, never to be seen again, yet living a life of slavery and sexual abuse. They deserve no better, only a trial of determination, if guilty, stripped of identity, they go missing, they suffer, repeat as necessary!

Hmmm, Mari was the fiancé of Colin and near sister-in-law to Taran. The views she has of the children being taken too quickly and without choice seems more jaundiced than I’d expect; especially from someone that had been so close within the “royalty” her relationship had placed her. But she did quit the syndicate, so how much of Colin’s views or influence did she have, or vice versa? Taran sees the major foe in broad daylight, and closely monitoring the anti-syndicate protest... hmmm 🤔.

Yeah, I think the older kids under Maria and Peter’s approval need to work as an order manager; then as the results prove themselves, let the venders know you business credentials and establish the accounts for the orders to be placed weekly or biweekly, for next day delivery. Baking bread and growing vegetables help ensure the true fresh Maria needs and the greenhouse should be starting to produce soon! Likewise, the previous order lists of clothes for the boys should be compiled as depreciating inventory, but the laundry inspection should be used to check off on any clothes needing replacement or repairs. The store room should have a back stock of shoes, socks, slacks, underclothes, and shirts. The ages, with height, weight and shoes sizes, should be a tracked for growth and health anyway. Then the growth and associated rotation of hand me downs would be easy to assign as those recorded height/weights change; thank goodness, boys or easier to dress and the focus is more towards color coordination, conditions and functionality! 😂 When is Peter picking up the motor coach? Oh, and definitely splurge for the toilet/bathroom option, it is a motor coach! Can you imagine, “dad, I need to pee”...times 30 over, and then the ole “ARE WE THERE YET!”

Charlie doesn’t mind giving up his room; now we have to hope he shares with Carleton or a brother why he is so dependently attached to Carleton.