Damian's Wolf - 31. The Full Moon

The car pulled up to the house, Jordan looking up at the sky in concern. They had thirty minutes at best before the moon would rise.

Damian stopped the two before they got out of the car.

"I'm sorry for putting you both through this," he said quietly.

"You put us through nothing Damian. It's not your fault mei esul's mate is a bigoted akerasel," Lysander replied. "You're taking Dylan on our walk tonight, right?"

"You want me to go with you?"

"I'm not leaving either of you alone," Jordan said. "I don't care how far we are from Astara, I'm not taking the chance of anything happening to either of you."

Damian lifted Dylan's bassinet, the tiny neko bubbling at him happily. Jordan envied him, the carefree life he had right now. No one murdering his friends, nothing to worry about except for a dirty nappy and when food was coming.

The front door opened as they approached, Lysander's mother standing just inside.

"Leim san fer mei areula," she said.

"Esul, eighel fer tel," Lysander replied, stepping past her with Damian's hand in his.

Jordan followed them silently through the house and into a small room. He wasn't sure what to say, and so he said nothing.

"Okay, clothes off Jordan."

Lysander closed the door, plunging them into darkness before flicking on a light.

"We're shifting all together?" Jordan asked in surprise.

"Damian needs to see a shift. Now's as good a time as any," the elf replied, pulling his shirt over his head.

Jordan sighed before removing his clothes.

"When is the moon supposed to rise?" he asked.

"Five minutes."

Lysander seemed calmer, sitting naked on the ground. The elf patted his leg, looking up at Damian.

"Sit," he said.

Jordan sat beside his mate, the carpeted floor surprisingly warm under him. Damian sank onto Lysander's leg, leaning back against the elf as his tail brushed over Lysander's stomach.

"That tickles Kalael…" the elf breathed, nestling his nose in the neko's hair.

"If it makes you smile, it's good, right?" Damian asked. "Please smile. I don't… it feels too tense right now."

"Leim me san," Lysander smiled slightly, gently rubbing the neko's back. "I love you, kitten."

Jordan added his hand to Lysander's attentions, scratching Damian's ear. A tremor gripped his body, and he and Lysander both let out a grunt.

Lysander tapped Damian, the neko crawling off of him.

"It's time?"

"Yeah…" Jordan winced, trying to hold back the wolf tearing to get out of him.

Lysander didn't have the same concern. He melted into his wolf effortlessly, shaking the change off as he stood up. Letting out a whine, he nudged Jordan's shoulder.

"Why aren't you changing?" Damian asked uncertainly.

"Give… give me a moment…" Jordan grimaced, his body rippling.

Lysander suddenly knocked the man over, Jordan toppling heavily as he lost control over his wolf. With a meaty crunch, the man shifted, climbing back to his feet unsteadily.

He let out a small howl, before clamping his mouth shut.

"That… that looked painful. Are you okay?" Damian asked, picking up Dylan's bassinet.

Jordan bounced around, his wolf bursting to escape the room. At Damian's question, he paused, nodding.

Lysander scratched at the door, looking at Damian.

"Oh, right, I suppose I can't just stay here with two wolves and a baby…" the neko muttered.

He opened the door, frowning at the sight of a stroller sitting in the hall. Jordan pushed past the neko, sniffing the stroller. It smelled like mothballs and dust. And Lysander. But a younger Lysander…

"Uh… Sander? Did your mum leave this out here?"

The white wolf sniffed the stroller, nudging it toward Damian.

"Oh, is it for Dylan?"

Lysander nodded.

Damian lifted the neko out of his seat, Dylan grabbing at his face. His dad smiled as the baby's hand touched his cheek, then yowled as sharp baby nails dug into said cheek.

"Okay, let go… you can let go… please let go…"

Damian pried Dylan's hand away, setting him gingerly in the stroller before rubbing his cheek.

"Ow…"

Jordan laughed, nuzzling Damian's leg. The neko ran his hand through the wolf's fur, smiling down at him.

"You wanna go for a walk?" he asked in a high pitched voice.

Lysander let out a bark of laughter as Jordan huffed. The brown wolf turned away, slapping the neko with his tail.

"Hey, it was a joke!"

Jordan just shook his head, sitting down with his back turned.

A white wolf stepped into the hall, tail tucked between her legs. Her green eyes flashed in the light, taking in the wolves and the neko.

Jordan and Lysander stepped between the wolf and Damian, watching her warily. She turned away, walking through the wolf door set into the front door.

"So… should we follow her?" Damian asked uncertainly.

Lysander let out a loud huff, tail held straight out. Still, the wolf began walking toward the door, Jordan gently nudging Damian after him. It would do no good to stay inside.

Jordan shivered as the mountain wind cut straight through his fur. He always thought the north was supposed to be warmer than the south. Apparently that rule didn't hold true for the mountains.

The wolf watched Damian and Lysander closely as the group entered a park. It claimed to be a wolf park, one of the first Jordan had ever seen. Supposedly built to give wolves a place to run every month, the parks had always been an issue of much contention. Some believed it would merely set up the wolves to be attacked, while others believed the wolves shouldn't have separate parks.

Jordan honestly had no idea where he stood in the debate. But being in a wolf park did make him feel like he had a target on his back. Especially with what was happening in Astara.

"So…" Damian said slowly as they stopped next to a large grassy field.

Wolves roamed over the field, some in packs, others in pairs. It seemed no one was left without a partner.

"Do I get to throw a ball for you to chase now?" the neko asked.

He pulled a ball out of his pants, waving it at Lysander. Jordan rolled his eyes as Lysander snorted. The white wolf shoved his nose against Damian's hand, trying to get the cat to drop the ball.

"Uh uh, no way," Damian teased. "If you want the ball, you'll have to go get it."

He threw the ball across the field, Lysander racing away after it. The wolf leapt into the air, his jaws snapping shut around the ball before he fell back to the ground with a loud oof.

Standing up again, Lysander shook off his fall, trotting back to the others triumphantly.

"You want a go Jordan?"

Jordan shook his head with a huff, but Damian threw the ball anyway. Lysander nudged the other wolf, a grin plastered in his face, and Jordan relented.

He trotted after the ball, picking it up in his jaws. Running back to his mates, the wolf was bowled over by another wolf.

Jordan rolled to his feet, growling at the wolf. The wolf whined, dropping low. She nearly rolled over, and Jordan huffed, pleased he had made his point.

Trotting back to the others, Jordan dropped the ball. He laid next to Dylan with a sigh, and Damian leaned down to pet his head.

"Are you okay Jordan?"

Jordan huffed at the neko as Lysander dropped next to him. The white wolf licked Jordan gently, making sure he was okay.

Dylan let out a sudden whine, Damian frowning down at the infant.

"What? I changed you an hour ago," he said. "Are you hungry?"

The neko looked at Lysander.

"We just got here. I don't want to leave you two here," he said.

Jordan rose to his feet with a small grunt, nudging the stroller gently. Damian sighed, pushing toward Lysander's home.

"I'm sorry. I guess I should have fed him before you shifted."

He frowned, looking over at Lysander as they walked.

"What are we going to do when all three of us are shifting every month?"

The wolf rubbed against Damian's leg soothingly. He and Jordan stepped on either side of the nekos, an honour guard solely devoted to keeping them protected. They approached Lysander's mother's house, Damian fitting a key into the lock.

Dylan was crying loudly now, his wails echoing in the entrance of the house. Damian picked up his son, frowning.

"Okay, that's a squishy diaper," he grimaced. "Uh… dang."

He looked down at the wolves, Jordan rolling his eyes. It had a more subtle effect in wolf form, and he gave up on the attempt, moving toward the changing room.

Sniffling through their clothes, Jordan dragged his pants out, throwing them at Damian. The cat caught them, his face showing his confusion.

"Wait… keys?"

He pulled the car keys out, his eyes lighting up.

"Oh, got it! Here, watch Dylan for a moment," the neko said, hurrying out to grab Dylan's diaper bag from the car.

Jordan sighed, laying next to the stroller. Lysander wandered away, leaving the werewolf alone for a moment.

A pair of underwear suddenly dropped on Jordan's nose, the wolf woofing in alarm. He inhaled the musk of his mate, Lysander grinning wolfishly at him.

Scoffing, the werewolf settled down again, his nose buried in Lysander's pants.

"Oh come on, he isn't stinking that bad!" Damian protested as he saw Jordan laying under the underwear.

Lysander's tail wagged as he chuffed, his nose nuzzling into Damian's crotch. The neko blushed deeply, his knees crossing as he tried to avoid Lysander's nose.

"Okay! Okay! Just let me get Dylan changed! Pervert…"

Lysander grinned at the neko as Damian changed their son.

"There, all better. Maybe some dinner too? In one end and out the other, right?"

Lysander led Damian to the kitchen, the beep of a microwave sounding a minute later. They returned with a surprisingly foul smelling bottle, and this time, Jordan buried his nose to escape the smell. Who knew formula smelled that awful? No wonder Dylan tried to avoid drinking most of the time.

Damian lifted Dylan out of the stroller, cradling him in his arms as he sat. Jordan stood up, padding silently over to the nekos so the wolf could sniff them.

"Our child."

He hadn't heard the wolf's voice in weeks. But hearing that the wolf was claiming Dylan as their offspring reassured Jordan slightly. Maybe the wolf would get along with the neko and not try to eat him.

Lysander whined slightly, nuzzling Jordan with his nose. The dark wolf returned the nuzzle, a content smile on his face. Things might not be so bad after all.