t.n.

Hugs and more hugs and more hugs to you, Tim... I hope expressing those words has made it easier and lighter in your heart 🫂

Fry is right @Salander...We do miss you! Hope you are OK!

"Your voice a whisper only one can hear." I love this verse... I have struggled with depression in the past and for about 5 years the black dog was all over me, eating me out. I was drowning, struggling to keep my head above the water to be able to breathe and thankfully I somehow managed to do so but it was beyond exhausting. I was lucky to have my friends and family around me and I could feel their love amd support however it felt that I was inside a glass cage shouting for help and they were all right outside but could not hear my pleas. I am in a much better place for a while now, and I dare say happy, but the black dog catches up with me at times and I have felt its breath right behind me... thankfully I have managed to stay ahead, always searching for new things to do for me whenever I feel its presence close. Thank you, @Mikiesboy for sharing these two poems, they both spoke to my heart! And I wish you bright days, filled with love for yourself because you are worth it; and then maybe the leash will be so long and far away that you forget it's there for a very long time.

Brilliant chapter! The outcome may be sad for Andy but I couldn't see a different relationship between the two at this point. It would have been too soon and very likely for the wrong reasons for both of them. Matt needs time to process everything and heal and Andy needs time to distance himself from Matt - the fact that he saved Matt, especially given the way this happened, could not, in my view, form a basis for a healthy relationship, unless it is properly processed by both of them. And Andy may be a decent guy but his previous actions do not show maturity in the way he dealt with everything - definitely not until after Matt arrived at his home. I also had a feeling that, at least at the beginning, that Andy had some kind of romantic vision that Matt would fall in love with his savior and they would live their hea together, and this is the wrong reason to want to be with someone. So it is good for Andy as well that Matt has not reciprocated. Having said that, I think they are both brave to communicate how they feel and I am definitely looking forward to tomorrow's chapter to see how the story will end. Great writing @Mikiesboy! Thank you!

So sweet, I am left with a smile on my face. 😊 Thank you @Andr0gene . And extra thanks for not making us wait for this first meeting

Oh no...I was afraid of that 😳... I hate to have to be patient but I guess I will just have to

I am so glad I don't have to wait for a new chapter as long as Kai and Adam do for a new letter... I wanted to scream at Adam in the previous chapter to open the letter now , how could he leave it in his drawer for so many hours?? I love the development of the characters and the building of their friendship (and more) as they both open up to the other. And I sure I am looking forward to when they actually meet- shouldn't be so far along the way now, right @Andr0gene?

So sweet ❤️ Oh..and Maggie, she's the best!

Brilliant story @Arch Hunter! And the end of this chapter was hot, hot, hot! My guess is that Liam is still coming to terms with being gay but I am not sure he is (fully) closeted. Olivia knows (and probably Abi does as well) although maybe Olivia is just very perceptive. I also have a feeling that Liam knows Mike's story and that he is gay. Liam is 15 so i can see why his actions and reactions are a bit over the top or not always consistent with how he feels (eg ignoring Mike at the beginning or the way he reacted with the kid). As for sleeping on the couch, my first thought was that he wanted to give some space to Mike, who before their jerk-off session had told him he wanted to be alone, or because it was a bit too much to be in the same room with Mike right after that - maybe he was a bit ashamed as well?

I am not opposed to that either😆

I totally agree! I haven't read I Hate this Town and I may be missing out on the characters' past but the building of the characters here and the developmemt of the story is solid and I am hooked. But @Demiurge I don't really appreciate the cliffhanger. Well...I guess I do (it was actually a great way to end the chapter) but isn't it time already for the new one?

❤️ I needed to repost this @84Mags. One ❤️ was just not enough

Just perfect! Everything as it should be, Jubal and Lucas so in love and happy, Reid and Billy, the wildings finding their way home and Ke! Thank you Gary for an awesome chapter to a truly beautiful story❤️

So much love in this chapter and so beatifully written, thank you Gary.❤️ Jubal is so happy and so filled with love he can't stop himself from telling Lucas how much he loves him and how happy he is now. And you can feel him being so much lighter, as if he a huge burden has been lifted off his shoulders. I guess that's what being in love can do to you, even more so if you have opened your heart and shared difficult stuff, you just float in a cloud of happiness and there is nothing that can stop you or bring you down! That's how Jubal feels now and hopefully nothing will bring either of them down, at least not for a while, until they had enough time to enjoy their love for each other.

Yes please!🙏 Most of what I was thinking after reading this chapter has alredy been said so I will only share just a couple of random thoughts. The wildings have been rather symbolic in this story and i think when Jubal sees the stallion (because I am certain he will) it will also have a strong symbolism, maybe it will be a sign for him that this is home and he is where he should be and with whom he should be. Reid will play an important role in making Jubal feel more at ease in Bearpaw and helping him understand how Lucas feels. He and Lucas are close and it is likely that after Jubal left them the other day they had a discussion about him. Also he feels bad about how him mentioning the money kind of caused Jubal to flee, so I expect that Reid would want to talk to Jubal about that and that talk will help Jubal realize a few things and see Reid as a true friend, a friend who knows and is ok with who Jubal is. Thank you for another great chapter Gary! Merry Christmas to you and happy holidays to all! .

Well, I don't know about magical, but Greece is a beautiful country and all you need to do is book a trip and see for yourself if it's close to what you imagined :) I would be happy to give you tips. And I will happily come to Bearpaw with you and be your assistant. What better way to learn a few things myself. You create beautiful images Gary. It's 10pm here and all I can hear outside is the traffic, so the creek and the orchard and the wildings, you just took me to such a beautiful and peaceful place. So thank you🤗

Well, I am in Greece, so if not all around the globe, close enough 😀 I was sure when you made the comment about no kissing between Jubal and Lucas that you would make us beg for it😛 so yeah, I expect Jubal will put those walls up again but now Lucas has seen him with his walls down so it can't be the same for either of them. I guess Lucas' healing will take time and not much can progress before Lucas gets strong enough. But we'll be here, patiently waiting... It definitely would, although I sincerely doubt I could be of any help there...I am a hopeless case when it comes to building/fixing things with my hands Thank you Gary, Thalia

Thank you for this happy chapter Gary! Jubal's joy and relief is making people happy all around the globe! 😊 Lucas is awake and he knows Jubal was there, holding his hand and looking after him and he definitely likes that. This makes Jubal even happier and probably works the same for Lucas - although too tired to focus on that, it must warm his heart to know that his feelings for Jubal are reciprocated - its the first time Jubal put his guard down, even in front of Lucas. Reid and the Doc, both suspect/know there is more to J and L than friendship and I think they both support and want to protect Jubal from the prying eyes of the small town. I believe that's why Doc told him to come back the next day and it was partly why Reid always went before dawn to wake up Jubal and see Lucas . Although Reid probably has conflicting feelings towards Jubal, so this may also be because he hoped he could spend a few moments alone with Lucas before the town woke up, or because he wanted to see with his own eyes the connection between the two. But, to his credit, Reid supports Jubal and steps back everytime he realizes how much Jubal cares for Lucas and he "handed" Jubal the right to be the one who would stay close to and look after Lucas. So, in time, he will probably be a good friend to both of them, and, maybe, he will start noticing that poor boy following him around😉 . But his heart is still with Lucas. Sorry for the long post but you make Bearpaw quite an inviting place to be, with genuinely nice and accepting people. I would even love to go there and help Jubal finish the cabin before Lucas gets back home 🙃 And take care Gary, hope you feel much better today!

We all understand Gary and we are so thankful you have not stopped posting whilst going through such hard time. I am so sorry for your sister in law and for Sky, it must have been incredibly difficult for you and I hope you feel better now, at least physically. Coming to terms with your losses and healing of course takes time and I hope you have people around you with whom you can share your memories with Sky and your sister in law. I certainly love to read the bits you share with us here. Thank you for posting this chapter. It did seem like there was a gap in the story which was not consistent with the way the story unfolds. You can definitely feel Jubal's anxiety first to get Lucas to the doctor and make sure he will be OK and also to hear that what he did to cauterize the wounds was good for Lucas. I think that Jubal only now lets himself acknowledge his feelings for Lucas, because the fear that he might lose him is so much more powerful than all the defenses that held him reserved until now and he can't help but let his feelings show. And Reid is a good man, he is definitely close to Lucas and seems to care for him deeply. Also he can see how much Jubal cares -loves- Lucas and is there to support him. Although we don’t know exactly what is the story between him and Lucas, it seems that he will be a good friend to both. Thalia

"Once again, I appreciate your patience with this story. It is truly a labor of love. I have no intention to abandon these characters, and look forward to sharing with all of you how their stories shape up. As always, I appreciate the feedback. I love interacting with each and every one of you, and I hope you'll continue to give me the opportunity to do so." Your writing @Jwolf and this story is too good to abandon and it's great to see you back, treating us with this new chapter! I am looking forward to what is to come next! I think it is safe to say that your student life was not exactly boring but you keep us all intrigued and emotinally involved with your brilliant writing. So thank you!

Yay! Great news! Of course we are interested and are definitely looking forward to it! Just so you know, there was no notification that you posted a comment on Friday, so I am guessing the lack of response is probably because most people don't actually know that you plan to post a new chapter. I read your comment because i check the page of the story from time to time in case i have missed a change of status or something else and i realized the number of comments had increased! So please don't be discouraged and pleaaase post the next chapter!! I've missed my friends Nik and Jake...