Serpent Mound - 20. Epilogue – Training Day Surprises

Bill and Joe stood facing Bernie on a bright, clear Friday afternoon on the baseball field just beyond the parade grounds. It was early fall, and nobody would be playing ball here for the next six months or so, making this field with its own fence the ideal location for Bernie’s special training during the fall and winter.

“Okay, Bernie,” Bill said. He was shirtless and shoeless, wearing just his Marine silkies shorts. Joe paced back and forth with anticipation a few feet away, also wearing only a pair of the same skimpy shorts as he sized up his ‘prey’. “We’re going to work on your skill at subduing two opponents at the same time in your enhanced form. Please remember that this is a lesson on subduing opponents, not killing them, so restrain yourself so that neither Joe or I end up in the infirmary.”

“Okay, Staff Sergeant,” Bernie replied, “I’ll do my best.”

Bill nodded at Joe, and they both dropped their shorts, immediately transforming into bear and wolf forms.

Bernie raised his right hand and called for Mjölnir, seeing the mighty hammer fall from the sky with a crack of thunder, and settle into his palm. In an instant his eyes glowed with a blue fire and his body tripled in size, his military crew-cut becoming long flowing golden braids and a thick beard sprouting from his face. He reached behind his back and a shield magically appeared in his hand.

“Bring it on,” Bernhard Odinson said to the bear and wolf poised to strike.

Joe’s wolf let out a bark and the two predators charged at Bernhard in curving paths, so that they would converge and strike from opposite sides.

Bernhard adjusted his grip on the hammer in his right hand and the shield in his left as he prepared for the impact.

He focused most of his attention on the grizzly bear attacking from his left, and he deflected the 1700-pound ball of fur and muscle with his shield just as the teeth of the enormous black wolf closed onto his right arm.

The demigod tossed his shield aside and flung Mjölnir a few feet into the air, catching it with his free left hand. The wolf saw the blow coming, and closed his eyes, digging his fangs deeper into the demigod’s arm before being struck bluntly by the flat side of the hammer and knocked twenty feet across the infield.

Bernhard didn’t have long to catch his breath and look at his bleeding right arm before the grizzly was upon his back, slamming him face-down into the dirt of the pitcher’s mound.

The bear uttered a growl in the bear-language that Bernhard had been told meant “Submit”.

“Not yet!” he yelled back as he used his powerfully muscled arms to push himself up from the ground into an all-fours position and then thrust his upper body into an upright kneel with the bear still pressing down upon his shoulders. He was just about to swing the hammer in his left hand behind him to knock the bear loose, when the wolf was upon him again as well, attacking from the front, and latching his jaws around Bernhard’s throat.

“Submit!” Joe growled in the wolf-language, feeling the warm flesh of the demigod’s neck between his jaws.

“Not yet!” Bernhard yelled again, and with a mighty roar, he flung his arms to either side, emitting a blue wave of energy from his body which stunned the wolf and bear and flung their limp bodies several feet away in either direction.

Bernhard stood on shaky legs and hung Mjölnir on his belt while he stumbled a few feet in one direction picking up the bear by his muscular shoulder hump, and then in the opposite direction to pick up the wolf by the scruff of his neck. He piled them on the pitcher’s mound, wolf on top of bear and then leaned in close.

“Are you two ready to submit?” he asked them, and they shifted back to their human forms in response, panting heavily.

“That was fucking awesome,” Joe said, rubbing his sore jaw that took the brunt of Bernhard’s energy pulse. “Sorry for the swear, Staff Sergeant.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Bill said. “That really was fucking awesome. You’ve never displayed that kind of energy pulse attack before. Where did that come from?”

“I suddenly remembered back to the days when Rieka was tormenting my dreams every night,” Bernhard said, taking Mjölnir from his belt and swinging it absent-mindedly as he spoke. “When she would press me too hard in the dream, I would scream, and my emotions became that blue energy wave which would knock her backwards. It always made her angry. If I did it a second time it would wipe out the dream completely and cause me to wake up. As I was pinned from both sides by the two of you just now, I felt the same emotion well up from inside me as in those dreams, and the same energy wave came out of me again, but… in the real world this time.”

“Well that certainly gives us something new to work with as we continue the plan for your training, Cub!” Bill said, stretching his sore muscles and retrieving his discarded shorts. “That’s enough practice for today. Joe, I’m giving you the rest of the afternoon off from classes and PT.”

“Thanks, Staff Sergeant,” Joe said straightening up and pulling his own shorts back on. “If I’m lucky, my back vertebrae may be realigned just in time for dinner!”

“Bernie,” Bill continued after Joe had trotted off the field, “You can have the whole weekend off, but only after you’ve taken down one final opponent…”

He turned to look toward the gate in the fence next to the Fieldhouse. Standing there, filling up the entire space was a dark-brown grizzly, enormous in size. If Bernie didn’t know better, he could have sworn that the beast was part cave bear!

The bear began to run at Bernie, and he adjusted his grip on Mjölnir, running to meet the massive bear head-on.

Halfway there, recognition dawned on the demigod, and he dropped the hammer, instantly turning back into an eighteen-year-old young man again, but not slowing down his pace as he ran toward the beast.

“Papa!” he whispered, and when they met, Bernie wrapped his arms around the big bear’s neck, burying his face in the fur as they both tumbled and rolled upon the ground.

Man and bear laughed and swatted at each other playfully until Bill finally walked over carrying a set of clothing.

Karhu changed back into his human form and took his clothes back from Bill. As he dressed, Bernie and Bill both were able to note the drastic transformation in just four months under the care of Thomas and Sam.

Karhu no longer looked like an emaciated man of advanced age, as he did following his twelve-year incarceration within the cave. He now had the appearance of a hearty bear of thirty-five again, muscles bulging on his chest, shoulders and arms, and a thick pelt of fur covering his chest and slightly padded belly. His legs were broad as tree trunks, just as hairy as the rest of him, and his thick hooded cock flopped against his heavy scrotum as he stepped into his loose drawstring pants.

“Papa,” Bernie said, in awe of the figure standing before him now, “You’re the man I remember when I close my eyes and dream. You’re the Papa I fell in love with once again!”

“And judging from that battle performance,” Karhu replied, “The amazing young man who stole my heart is well on his way to becoming a warrior of legend!”

“He still has a couple years to go, I think,” Bill replied, clapping Bernie on the shoulder, “But he’s already becoming a strong, brave man. One who has earned some time alone with his Mate.”

“You mean…?” Bernie said, looking back and forth between Karhu and Bill.

“Only if you’re ready, Cub,” Karhu replied. “I’m not rushing or pushing you into anything.”

“Hot fucking damn!” Bernie yelled, and grabbed Karhu in his arms, kissing him passionately.

“I’d say that’s probably a good sign that he’s ready, old bear,” Bill replied. “Bernie, I can’t have you bringing your Mate in and out of the dormitory in front of the other Cadets, so I’ve arranged for you and Karhu to have use of the Fieldhouse for the whole weekend.”

“The Fieldhouse?” Bernie asked doubtfully as they waked toward the building. “Oh, sure. I guess the smell of old jockstraps and IcyHot is kind of romantic in its own way.”

“Well,” Bill replied, laughing. “If I’d known you felt that way, I wouldn’t have gone to all this trouble…”

He opened the door to the Fieldhouse and revealed the transformation. The smelly locker room had been converted into a honeymoon suite, complete with a king-sized bed, comfy sheets, and burning candles.

“Staff Sergeant!” Bernie exclaimed, hugging his teacher around the neck. “Thank you! It isn’t every teacher who goes to this much trouble to get their students laid.”

“A warrior knows the needs and desires of another warrior,” Bill said solemnly, “And this is your first time, so I wanted to make sure it was memorable for both of you. Rodney and Marcus will bring you your meals. Make sure that you report for PT on the parade grounds bright and early on Monday morning!”

“I will sir, thank you again!” Bernie replied, and Karhu gave the warrior-teacher a nod of thanks before they entered the Fieldhouse and closed the door behind them to begin their weekend of bonding.

Bill turned away with a grin and walked over to the bleachers to retrieve his boots and get ready for an early-evening run.

Rodney and Marcus, Bill thought to himself. Just because those two had finally taken on the mating bond a few months earlier, it didn’t seem to slow down their horny desire to chase after Bill on his daily runs.

Bill didn’t mind; it was fun to continue their little game of cat and mouse. Maybe someday they’ll finally man-up and catch him, and he would finally be able to give the pair the playtime he’d been teasing them with like a carrot on a stick.

****

“Are you ready, my bear-god?” Marcus asked Rodney as they stood behind the cafeteria.

“All is ready, my concubine,” Rodney replied. He was wearing his purple linen trousers and tunic from the village once again, and he peered down the paved path behind the cafeteria with determination. “Once I have that cocky little cub in my sights again, he will not escape so easily this time.”

“It will be as you command, oh Great One,” Marcus said in reverence and gave his mate a bow.

At that moment, the pair spied the nearly nude figure of the Staff Sergeant jogging down the path, headed in their direction.

Rodney assumed a position of authority along the side of the path, and Marcus stood a few steps behind, as befitted his position as the consort of the bear-god.

When Bill neared their location behind the cafeteria, he gave them a grin and a nod.

“Marcus… Rodney,” he said, acknowledging the pair, “Nice pajamas, Rodney. Reliving your glory days?”

“Silence, fool!” Rodney’s voice boomed out, catching Bill off-guard. “It is time for you to pay the toll for your brash insolence. This afternoon, you will service us as befitting my position as your bear-god!”

“Oh, sure,” Bill replied, playing along with what he assumed was an elaborate joke being performed by the bear pair, “But remember the rules; you have to catch me to fuck me!”

Bill chuckled and took off at a sprint, looking back over his shoulder to see if he was going to be pursued this time.

“Wights!” Rodney shouted, “To me!”

To Bill’s surprise, a swirling vortex of mist formed behind Rodney, and the bear’s eyes began to glow a bright emerald green, just as when he was possessed by the Tuath Dé bear-god.

“Oh, fuck me…” Bill mumbled, stopping in his tracks to stare at the horror unfolding in front of him.

“That’s the idea, little Cub,” Rodney replied with a grin. “Wights! Catch that bear and bring him to me!”

Tendrils of mist streaked out from the cloud behind Rodney and caught Bill by his wrists and ankles. Bill found himself being lifted from the ground and carried over to hover a few feet in front of the bear with the glowing eyes.

Bill winced as the wights lowered him to eye-level with Rodney, and the bear-god brought his face within inches of his captive.

“Do you know what the Tuath Dé does with half-naked cocky cubs like you?” Rodney asked menacingly.

Bill remained silent and stared back with defiance into the green glowing eyes.

“We…” Rodney began, “Tickle them to death!”

Rodney and Marcus both burst into laughter and began tickling Bill along his ribs and under his arms as the wights continued to hold his wrists and ankles.

Bill laughed hysterically with unrestrained relief and glee as the bears poked his sensitive ribs and continued to tickle him unmercifully.

After the pair felt that Bill had sufficiently played his part as the butt of their joke, they stopped tickling and with a final chuckle, Rodney gave his command.

“Wights, you can let him go now.”

The misty ropes holding Bill in place vanished into the air, and Bill dropped down to the pavement once more.

“What the fuck was that?” he asked still recovering from the tickle attack. “Rodney? Is that you in there?”

“It’s me! It’s me!” Rodney replied, laughing again. “I just seem to have acquired some new pets is all.”

“It’s true,” Marcus said. “They showed up yesterday, just swirling around outside our apartment door. I think they’re lost and lonely, and they remember that Rodney was the last one who was their master before the Tuath Dé were destroyed.”

“We’re teaching them how to cook,” Rodney said. “Hey wights! Go in and stir the chili for tonight’s dinner before the bottom of the pot starts to burn.”

Bill witnessed the cafeteria’s back door flinging open as if by itself and a misty cloud hovering over a massive stockpot, stirring away with a wooden spoon.

“Yeah,” Rodney said, “They can’t do the really nuanced stuff like making a hollandaise sauce, or rolling sushi, but they’ll save us a ton of time on the prep and cleanup.”

“All they want is a little love and attention,” Marcus replied. “We can give them that.”

“That’s pretty fucking amazing,” Bill replied, still in awe. “And your eyes…”

“Oh yeah,” Rodney said, making his eyes flash green again. “They started doing that as soon as the wights showed up. I think the real power was never in the Tuath Dé gods at all, it was always in the wights. If they’re controlled by someone evil, they’re going to do evil things, but if they’re controlled by someone good…”

“Apparently, they make a mean chili,” Bill replied.

“Right!” Marcus added, “And… they’ve finally helped us to catch you! You know the rules of the game, Bill. We caught you fair and square!”

“Fair’s fair,” Bill agreed. “You got me. Be gentle!”

“Come into my parlor, said the spider to the fly!” Rodney mused as the white mist gathered behind Bill tugging down his silkies and pushing him into the backroom of the cafeteria where a padded bench waited.

All three laughed with amusement as the wights closed the cafeteria doors behind the trio of bears beginning their afternoon of playtime.