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There's a real honesty and integrity in what Andy and Matt reveal about themselves and how they view eachother. Their constant polar attraction and repulsion analogy is a powerful one. Having Emily and Gina in the mix is certainly going to test the boundaries of their sexual interests. Emily certainly seems like she means business with Andy, and I think he's up for it. Matt is more passive with Gina. Perhaps a little curious, but almost acting out of a sense of duty. I guess he's wondering if something will awaken within him as a result of this exposure. Fascinating characters and plot development so far. I confess to liking stories where chapters are told from one person's perspective. Switching POV during the chapter can get a little confusing though. But it's not enough to stop me from enjoying it. Covering part of the same time span definitely adds interest for me. Becoming aware of alternative, sometimes conflicting perspectives, to the same events is fascinating. Especially when each reveal covers events and dialogues, not known to the other person, who's story is running in parallel. The confusing part for me is assimilating whats going on between the two time frames of then and now. It enough for me to know that this is being told by two twenty-somethings about when they were younger. Other than that, I'm definitely hooked.

Oh no Gary, I did wonder when it all went quiet there. You're clearly having a rough time of it at the moment. Let's hope the doctors can get on top of whatever it is and get you back home soon. Sending you the best healing cuddles that I can from N.Z.

I just knew you'd say that. Hence my follow-on comment: What? You think Mr. White is the only one with a sense of humour around here? I missed or forgot the earlier reference to L.S. Lowry. Not as smart as I thought. 🤪

Thank you Gary, for sharing so much of what was going through your mind, as you completed this tale. It's great for us all to be able to hear this. It's certainly added to the enjoyment of my reading experience. Our thanks too to @Timothy M. for his comprehensive analysis and summaries throughout. Always a good reference when you wanted check back on anything that you may have missed. So don't worry so much about how book 2 will be received. We are beginning to see where the character of Tobyn, the perfectionist, had his origins. Just put your copper chain around your neck and know that you have legions of wannabe Shifters ready to defend you from any hate Hunters who would dare to tread this path. :snarl: Trust me none of us will be letting them anywhere near our Alpha.

A barman with a sense of humour. You struck lucky there Marty, you rebel. 😎

Early days then. Keep patience. Yeah, That sounds enticing 🐅🐆 😉

Thank you for giving me a clearer picture of where you are in relation to everything. I hope that you can make a steady recovery and wish you well with all the ventures you have planned. Excuse me while I wander up some lonesome mountain and howl at the moon.

Gary, I haven't wanted to speak too soon before seeing how this story ends but... It seems you have the ideal opportunity to write single chapters for a follow up on almost any of the characters you have created in Book 1. That would be equally as interesting to all your readers and would hopefully prevent it being the ordeal that you clearly dread. Like I said before, my Wolf demands it but I'm asking nicely

See G? I told you that you couldn't fail. This whole community reveals itself to be just one large caring family. Great news for Elinor, Denver and Tobyn. Love how both Kellar and Tobyn respect the information that is entrusted to them by virtue of their special abilities. Kellar holding back knowledge of Tobyn becoming a brother from Tobyn, until Elinor chose to reveal it, was a big confidence to keep. And very proper too. All the camp members will learn in time, that Kellar can be trusted to honour the doctors code of none disclosure even when they know he knows. Major maturity points for his age. So good to see Connor and Hughs dance as they come together. Connor really is a match for Tobyn's stubbornness. Poor Hugh. Glad that Hugh is going back with Connor. I dont think we've seen the last of Brian and his cruelty yet. Great welcome for Connor and Hugh must be delighted that his mate has agreed to move in with him. Only negative is Ingram's partner's sea sickness. Surely Kellar can fix that for another happy ending there. So sad to see the chapters running out. At least there doesn't appear to be any shortage of happy endings to come. Like I say G. You can't possibly fail from here buddy.

In case you were wondering Marty. I'm first and foremost a Liverpool FC fan and most of those ended up playing for the English National team. Hence my interest in the English team. But between Ireland and England. Let's just say I went wild at Ray Houghtons winning goal vs England. Oh hang on, didn't he do that twice?

I don't exactly have a glut of friends on this site, so I can't afford to go dismissing you two right now. @Marty and @Talo Segura So let's just consider this a yellow card warning!

I think just about everyone involved in that incident, grew a little that day. Well done Marty for entertaining us with what is normally a none too interesting event in everyone's lives. It didn't seem like Lowry was an overly popular kid and certainly we weren't shown that in the story. So it was more about standing up for the revolutionary hippy culture and freedom of expression. An end to the 'children should be seen but not heard' mentality of repressed former generations. Incidentally, The Dog and Partridge was our school local too. What? You think Mr. White is the only one with a sense of humour around here? And who knows, if Lowry isn't the love child of L.S. Lowry, who painted matchstick men, cats and dogs around Peele Park? Just throwing it out there. It could be relevant to the plot, later on.

That was such a great chapter. Everything strange that Connor was witnessing was dealt with really sensitively by the three Shifters. There was a lot of charm in Hugh's and Connor's initial attraction. Hugh's letting slip with the over zealous "I really like you" and walking outside forlornly, at the start of the healing, only to bounce back on the bed, like a love sick puppy, when Connor asked for him to stay. So cute. The sheer hypocrisy of hearing Kellar and Tobyn ask themselves, if they were ever as bad as that. We're they ever!!! 😍😍 🤣 It could have been such a disaster for Hugh, having Connor waking up so early from the anaesthetic and hearing everything about the Joining and Shifter transformations. “Holy hell”—Connor sat further upright—“what the fuck does that mean?” “Oh, God,” Hugh finally uttered. “We should stop now. He’s not going to be able to handle this. We… we should go.” The anguish was not just in his voice; it was all over his face as he leapt off the bed. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to put you through this. We’re too different.” So typical: always putting their earth mates needs first. Kellar and Tobyn redeemed the situation perfectly. Using Tobyn's adorable pet wolf instead of Kellar's humongous Alpha Wolf, to demo a first wolf change for Connor, was totally the right move. Connor then got to hear of just how unique and special he was to Hugh, as his one and only chance of an becoming an earth mate. Hugh was so upset that they had freaked out Connor who was his only mate. Thankfully, Connor felt that same compulsion and draw for his mate too and did everything he could to prepare himself to welcome his mate, without freaking out any more than he had. Hugh couldn't believe the transformation in Connors acceptance of him when he came over. That whole crafting of the need for them to spend the night together. Well that was only a little white lie by the doc and his assistant. Lol. Of course we all knew that Kellar would ask, at the very first opportunity, about Tobyn's and Hughs escapades when they were kids? Kellar will want to blow that memory out of the water this evening. The joy of role playing 😂😂😂 That was definitely some of their best work to date. Was G was including himself in that remark? 😉. If not, then he should have.

Wow. That's awful. I'm so glad that i was born a decade or two later. I wouldn't have had the patience to put up with all their crap. Surely students were able to supplement their income from a part time job back then?

You can go off some people, quite easily. 😉

What a happy camp we have here. The Vega shifters are loving having the kids around. And the quote about Bertram having springs for legs was funny. Warren's piss take on Kellar made me laugh : "They call you the savior. Good job on the healings, man. Do I need to start bowing when I see you?” “Don’t take this too personally, Warren, but fuck off.” “Oh, touchy, are we?” Loved Warrens wedding invitations to Kellar and Tobyn. The night time scene with Wolves in attendance sounds so interesting Tobyn saying he'd be honored too and to count his four paws in. Kellar's admission of wanting to share Warren's moment of his first Shift will mean so much to them both, as Warren had shared in Kellar's first shift.” I want you there to kick my ass if you have to. Stomp on my head if I get out of line.” Its good to see that people are beginning to find their mates naturally without Kellar's initial involvement. The whole Hugh and Connor tale was a blast. Tobyn's analysis of Hugh was pretty direct and, like so many things in this chapter, amusing too. “You’re asking because you’re saying I’m gay?” “I’m saying if Connor is your mate, it means you stand the best chance of being happy with a man. I’m saying the earth mother knows this, just like she knew it for me and for Kellar. And if this guy isn’t your mate, then chances are you’re gay as hell.” Kellar snorted To see Kellar's ears prick up at this, it won't be the last Tobyn hears of this: “That’s why I believe he has to be my mate. I’ve never been attracted to a guy before. That stuff we (Tobyn and Hugh) did as kids doesn’t count.” "Studying the man’s numerous healed injuries, he soon reached the conclusion these fractures had occurred over time. They were not from one catastrophic event. No, these had to be signs of drastic abuse. Who had done this, and why? Something else caught his attention. Something tiny that put Hugh’s mate in peril. Crap. Why did the earth mother keep doing this to him?" Maybe Connor has brittle bone syndrome and fractures are an everyday occurrence for him. I can't see the old man Davidson doing it with much force. But he might be angry enough to lash out with just enough force to cause these injuries and not even realise it. Get in there Kellar and heal Connors Syndrome. That should open the path for Hugh to befriend his mate. Another great chapter G. Can't wait for the next.

Simply brilliant G. I had become almost one track minded from the moment I discovered that Arthur was Sybil's mate. I had imagined what I thought was the perfect scene for their meeting up but you took that and a great deal more and stuck a rocket underneath before launching them skywards. Yes, you definitely got me there. It's the first time I've ever admitted to needing to rub copious amounts of moisture out of my eyes for the whole of that scene. It felt like it would never end. 😥😥😥😥😥😥😥😥😥😭😥😥😥😥😥😥 And, as if that scene wasn't enough, we get another one, with the rambunctious, fiery Tilly. Always love the humour in how fearful K and T are around her. Keep her outside so she can't break anything. 😂 Toughen up boys, I'm right behind you! I love her unpredictability. Then just when we think Logan is a no show we are treated to him walking up the street and witness yet another great romance about to blossom. Get out of my head, I need to see this. There's so many characters that we'd love to be around right now. It must be a writer's dream to have got to this stage where it almost seems impossible to fail. Well done G.

Something tells me that Kellar's powerhouse Public Speaking skills are going to become a major goal for him. His biggest problem now, will no longer be reticence but the ability to stay focused on what he's talking about 😍 Wonderful to see all the earth mate stories unfolding. It's like six new love stories in one. Everyone appears to be especially happy for Delia. She seems to have been one of life's net givers. So it's always good to see that type of person on the receiving end of something truly special, for once. It must be such an amazing experience for the long isolated Vega pack to make first contact with regular Morningstar pack members. All they've seen so far, are a unique pair of Missionaries in Kellar and Tobyn. Now they are beginning to greet a whole new set of potential great friends and neighbours. Hutch and his the Moningstar crew will no doubt become surrounded and have to fend off hundreds of questions, before they make the return leg home. I really hope they don't tell Miss Sybil about Arthur. I've already imagined the perfect scene where the first she gets to know he is alive is when she see's him appear in front of her, for the first time in 78 years and they both break down in tears of joy. I'm relying on you to make that happen, earth mother. I've just got over fighting off the measles virus (second time so just aches and rashes and no spots). I am feeling a bit more energised today with all this talk of romance in the air. So High Fives to you Mr. H. for making that happen.

Yeah me too! (My internal censorship board made me remove this earlier. Hence the message with the dot. 🙄 But the truth will out!)

Sweet romantic ending G after all that turmoil. I'm amazed at how you managed to cram a years worth of happenings into one short scene. I particularly loved how Caleb utterly drew the wrong conclusion when he overheard Dalton tell Sheila that he couldn't get someone else out of his mind. Naturally, Caleb was convinced that Dalton wasn't able to get over Lauren. You can only imagine the enormity of Celeb's shock, at learning it was him. There was almost nothing Dalton could do to convince Caleb of the truth. But a year's worth of hurt and misunderstanding would definitely do that to you. I've been pretty sick for a couple of days but this short story is just what the doctor ordered. Thanks for energizing my batteries buddy.

I'm really glad that I was wrong about that. It makes me trust Clarence even more, knowing that he's a "what you see, is what you get" type of person.

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Kellar's starts with adrenalin aftershock, but then realises mother earth, has also thrust commanding leadership skills, his way too. Its becoming harder for him to deny that he may be the chosen saviour after all. His speech had the awesome affect of bringing the packs together, unanimously. All the logistical issues and loose ends have now been decided. It's great to see, that people are not only willing but wanting to change jobs, to something that interests them. Logan was smart enough to engineer that. And the issue of existing lifelong love relationships competing with earth mates, gets to be considered and resolved, to everyone's satisfaction. I'm completely in tune with Arthur's excitement now. Let's get the hell out of here and do the business, already. ☻ It's your fault Gary, that we've become so needy!

Wow. It is like every line is falling precisely into place, each the perfect missing piece that we needed to find, in order to complete this large and elaborate jigsaw puzzle. I confess my delight at having predicted that Clarence would eventually need to give Kellar his blessing to play the saviour card. That would certainly be the best way to win over the stragglers, in the Vega camp. It almost made all those worth it G. Almost! 😉 All credit to Clarence. I think he knew how to work Kellar just fine. By presenting Kellar with the division in the camp, one that could be resolved by a saviour, if only one could be found and then leaving with a forlorn expression that would play on Kellar's guilt. It was a long shot by the wise and wily Alpha. However, I doubt that Clarence or anyone, expected the drama of Kellar's closing speech. The power and the eloquence of it was beyond anything that Kellar must have thought himself capable. In empathy, he covered all of the packs natural concerns, and even gave account of how he had brought himself to deal, with many of those issues. Kellar explained that there was no hiding the cost involved. But it was one that he had considered necessary, for their survival: an unmistakable chance that mother earth was offering them. The choice was their's alone to make but there was no doubt about it: as they all looked on, transfixed to the back of the hall, that was Cahlar: the Shifter's saviour, a mountain of a man, walking through that door. You're putting too much in these chapters G 😀. I didn't even get to talk about the impact of Arthur's striking Black and Silver wolf, or Delia's and Logan's hunger to discover their mates and a heap of other stuff. All pieces of an elaborate jigsaw puzzle, that when complete, will surely rival the picture of Cahlar's first painting, as he lead his Shifters home.

Oh boy! You have surpassed yourself here Gary. I loved everything about this chapter and everything it promises to deliver for everyone involved. As great a waste as it was, of eight decades of Arthur's and Sybil's life, all that I can sense, is the immeasurable amount of joy that they are about to experience. I'd never have believed it but it is going to make everything they've endured, so utterly insignificant. I have a beaming smile on my face where there was none before and its not going away anytime soon. Thanks Gary; you rock!