Gods and Ancients - 1. Coming of Age

The young man crept silently through the woods. Just shy of six feet tall with a muscular build and a head of long blond hair pulled into a tight knot at the back of his head, he chose each step carefully to conceal his location from the predators stalking him for as long as possible. He ducked under a low hanging tree branch and spotted four teenage werewolves in human form moving together as a unit through the dense forest about fifty yards away. The man grinned and absent mindedly reached up to stroke the thick and wavy blond beard that was his pride and reminder of his Viking heritage. He was downwind from the young wolf-lycans, so he had the tactical advantage… for now.

Game on.

He was still in his own human form for now, but as soon as he called upon his powers, his location would be revealed to all the predators hunting him as clearly as a neon sign hovering in mid-air above his head, so he must wait for the right moment. Moving silently as he had been trained for the past four years, he moved in an arc until he was positioned directly behind the wolf unit stalking through the trees.

In an instant, he began to sprint directly toward the backs of the four lycans cluelessly prowling for him and as he ran, he raised his right hand into the air and spoke a single word in a low voice.

“Mjolnir.”

A crack of thunder erupted from the sky and a bolt of lighting struck the man in mid-stride, but he continued to run. He ran on legs that were suddenly longer, thicker, and much more muscular, as was the rest of his giant transformed body. The thin t-shirt and shorts he had been wearing were replaced by hard armor of leather and iron, and his thick blonde hair now flowed freely behind him as he dashed toward his startled opponents, swinging the hammer of legend from an immensely muscular arm.

The lycans had just enough time to shift into their wolf forms, their clothing breaking away cleanly before the massive Viking was upon them. He swung the hammer and knocked the first two wolves to the side as easily as if they were plush stuffed toys sitting on a child’s bed. The other two saw an opportunity to leap at his exposed side, the one without the hammer, but they were not quick enough. The Viking reached behind his back and mysteriously produced an iron shield covered in Norse runes from thin air, blocking the wolves attack and hurling them backwards into a thicket.

Satisfied that the small wolf pack was temporarily subdued and would require precious time before beginning to pursue him, the Viking began to dash toward his intended goal. These juvenile wolves were far from the most challenging of the predators he would face during this game and were scarcely a warm-up.

As he ran through the forest, he spotted a large blonde grizzly bear charging straight for him. He smiled to himself as he approached the bear, remembering his training, and knowing that there was likely more to this attack than met the eye.

As predicted, when he reached within ten yards of the lumbering bear, it was the grizzly’s two black bear companions who made the first strike, coming at him from either side while his attention was focused on the bear in front of him.

He caught the black bears on each side of him by their front paws, and quickly lifted each over his head until they crashed into each other in the air like a pair of fat and furry cymbals. The grizzly in front stopped in his tracks and began to back away slowly, whining lowly from deep in his chest.

“Silly old bear,” the Viking said to the frightened beast, “I’ve seen ‘Jurassic Park’ too. The velociraptor attack isn’t going to work on this demigod!”

The bear turned to run away in retreat, but his lumbering gait was no match for the speed and agility of the Viking, who grabbed the beast by both of his furry back legs and proceeded to spin him around and around in circles before releasing him and sending him flying through the trees, landing a good fifty yards away with a thump and a grumbling groan.

The Viking dashed for the clearing ahead, the spot where he would find his prize and achieve the reward for which he had been training for the past four years. As he cleared the tree line, he skidded to a halt, reaching slowly behind his back, and producing his shield once again. He adjusted his grip on Mjolnir with his right hand and surveyed the scene displayed within the clearing. There were twenty more bears and five more wolves, all shifted and waiting for him. The ferocious beasts growled with anticipation as they stared at him, and the Viking growled back, uttering a single phrase.

“Bring it on!”

Twenty-five wolf and bear lycans charged the Viking at once, bearing down on his position with clawed feet tearing at the ground.

The ensuing minutes of battle can best be described as a choreographed dance. The Viking skillfully wove, dodged, and leapt over the attacking apex predators, striking blows as he went that sent each beast falling to the ground writhing in pain. He skillfully used each of his attackers’ strength against them, shifting his body weight to flip one opponent over his shoulder while hoisting another in front of him to act as a living shield from the claws of the next predator in line.

With a spin of his body, and a final blow from the mighty hammer, the last and largest grizzly, a blonde-furred giant, fell at his feet, and the Viking turned to look at the field of battle, in which all twenty bears and five wolves lay strewn about the grass in states of dazed semi-consciousness.

With a satisfied grin, he turned back to his prize. The object that he had been training to capture for years was within sight. Just a few dozen more yards separated him from his reward.

It was a small red cotton flag with a smiley-face drawn on it with a Sharpie marker, hanging from a six-foot wooden pole. He had but to grab it and his years of training would be at an end.

As he strode toward the prize, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and his arms tuned to gooseflesh. There was one more trial to overcome.

He looked up, just in time to see a man wearing a tunic and trousers in the finest purple linen descending from a cloud of mist.

“You didn’t think it would be that easy, did you?” the man said with a sneer as he levitated several feet off the ground in between the Viking and his goal. The man’s eyes began to glow a bright emerald green and a violent, swirling cloud formed behind him cracking with electricity.

“Yeah,” the Viking replied, “For a second there, I guess I did.”

The man’s glowing eyes erupted with a blinding flash of green and bolts of lightning arced from the clouds around his body in a deadly strike.

The bolts of electricity were fast, but the Viking’s reflexes were faster as he quickly lifted his shield to deflect the blast. The iron hummed as the lightning continued to curve around the body of the levitating man and strike the metal, causing the Norse runes engraved into the shield to glow with a bright light, absorbing the electricity and storing it in preparation for the Viking’s next counterattack.

In an instant, the man’s attack was turned against him, as the full charge of electrical power stored within the shield was sent back in one powerful blast, striking him in the chest and knocking him out of the sky.

The defeated man looked up at the Viking striding confidently toward him with eyes that no longer glowed green and he uttered the words to unleash his last desperate attack.

“Wights,” he mumbled with a weak and shaky voice, “Put him in the void.”

The Viking’s eyes grew wide with fear for the first time since beginning the game, and he raised his shield to block the advance of the swirling cloud, but it was no use. He was enveloped by the shapeless mist and instantly disappeared within its endless depths.

The bears and wolves strewn about the battlefield used the respite to shift back into their human forms, and the giant blond grizzly, now a hugely muscular blond man, stood up on shaky legs and rubbed the side of his head where he had been struck by Mjolnir.

“Damn,” he said as the group all regained their balance and gathered around the cloud of white mist, “I really thought he was going to win this time. Too bad. Maybe next year.”

But even as he spoke those words, the white mist began to glow with a blue light, and a second later all the men were thrown backward off their feet once again by a shockwave of blue energy that blasted the mist apart in all directions at once. The Viking materialized again from the center of the blue blast and dropped to his feet in a crouch, clutching his hammer and shield defensively.

“Does anybody else want a fucking piece of me?” the Viking shouted. “Come and get it if you still dare!”

But the men, strewn about the field in a circle radiating around the Viking all lowered their heads in submission, and the mighty demigod strode over their prone bodies to grasp the red flag bearing the black smiley-face by its wooden pole and he held it aloft over his head in victory.

“Bill!” the Viking shouted, “I did it! I finally did it!”

“Congratulations, Bernie,” the big blond man replied with a grin, picking himself up off the ground for a second time. “You’re ready. There’s nothing left I can teach you. You are a true warrior, and when you become a bear, you will have the mastery of your full powers. I’m so proud!”

The Viking dropped his hammer and, in an instant, became the smaller, but no less impressive specimen of human masculinity he was before calling for Mjolnir and beginning the game. His leather and iron armor were replaced once again by his olive drab t-shirt and shorts and his long flowing hair was once again tied back into a neat knot at the back of his head.

He was Berhnard Odinson, Bernie to his friends, the human descendant of Thor and Odin themselves, and bear kindred.

Bill strode nude over to Bernie and embraced him fiercely, planting a deep kiss upon his lips as he did so. As they broke their hug, they were surrounded by the other men on the field and even the other seven wolves and bears that Bernie had battled in the forest on his way to the clearing, all clapping him on the back and offering congratulations.

Bernie turned to the crowd and saw the one opponent approaching him who had never shifted from his human form and was still dressed in the purple tunic of the Tuath Dé.

“Rodney,” Bernie said, reaching out and grabbing the man by his tunic and pulling him in for another hug, “I really thought you had me again that time. It doesn’t matter how many years it’s been, those wights of yours still scare the shit out of me when I’m on the opposite side in battle!”

“Good thing for the both of us you’ll never have to be on the opposite side again,” Rodney replied hugging him back and giving him a kiss, just as Bill had done. “I’m pretty sure the wights will be okay with that too!”

“That was the first time I’ve ever gotten my rage blast to work inside the void,” Bernie said to Rodney and Bill both. “I’ve been so focused before during the training runs on trying to find a way to deflect the Wights and to keep them from capturing me in the first place, but when I was trapped in the void this time, I allowed myself to go into an almost relaxed meditative state for nearly ten seconds before unleashing the full force of the blast all at once in one massive burst. I think I caught the Wights off guard and they couldn’t absorb the raw emotional energy that fuels it.”

“Well,” Bill said, after hearing the reason for Bernie’s victory, “You can consider today your final exam in warrior school, and you’ve passed with flying colors. You know what that means, right?”

“It means,” a booming voice from the side of the clearing called, “That my Mate is finally ready to become my Cub!”

“Papa!” Bernie cried and rushed over into the arms of the big man with chestnut hair and bulging biceps.

“Usually,” Karhu said as he hoisted the victorious warrior off his feet and gave him a mighty bear-hug, “A Papa changes his Cub first before he decides to take him forever as his Mate. I think we’ve both waited long enough for this day!”

****

The staff of the Mount Savage Boy’s Academy assembled in the Great Room of the school, what had once been a grand ballroom when the mansion was the home of the Daniel Arnold and his misguided Papa but was now the school’s primary auditorium and assembly space.

The bears had thanked the student wolf-lycans for assisting in the final warrior training test of their beloved instructor, Assistant Coach Odinson, and sent them back to their dorm rooms to rest and recover. All members of the teaching and support staff had participated in the exercise too, the entire faculty of the school being composed of werebears. There were a few important guests in attendance as well who had also participated in the excitement of getting their asses thoroughly kicked by the young human who was at that very moment retiring to his apartment in the staff quarters with his Mate to undergo the start of his change from man to werebear.

Thomas and Sam had driven up from their cabin to the south in the mountains, and Gunnar and Mike had flown in from Wisconsin for the event. In addition to adding experienced bear muscle to the test, Gunnar and Thomas were on the North American Lycan Council, and the Council had a vested interest in the boy’s training and progress.

“I’m telling you,” Mike said to Thomas and Sam, “I was sure the Jurassic Park velociraptor attack strategy was going to work.”

“Oh, it worked all right,” Sam replied, punching Mike on the shoulder, “It worked for Bernie just fine. Papa and I are going to have the bruises to show just how well it worked for a week!”

“It was all worth it,” Thomas added with a smirk, “Just to see the kid spinning you around and around in a circle by your back paws and launching you halfway across the forest like a rag doll!”

“Don’t remind me!” Mike replied. “I think I cracked about ten ribs on the landing. It wasn’t my most graceful moment.”

“Bears! If I can have your attention, please!” Gary shouted over the din of the assembled group rehashing the battle in a dozen small conversations.

The chatter died down and all heads turned to the school headmaster standing at the front of the room next to the Dean of Cadets, his Mate, Bill.

“Teachers, Staff, and honored guests,” Gary began once he had the attention of all in the room, “I want to thank you all for assisting Bill with the final test in Bernie’s warrior training. Four years ago, Odin helped to deliver his own heir into our care and protection, prophesying that only a great werebear warrior would be able to train the boy in the use and control of his power before being turned into a werebear himself. If he did not learn the discipline and control that was necessary to harness that power before being changed into the bear, the power would consume and control him instead, bringing only death and destruction.

“Bill here is the werebear warrior tasked with his training for the past four years, and although he is still a Cub himself, both I and the Council have deferred to his wisdom and guidance. After today’s test, Bill has declared Bernhard Odinson ready to be turned into a werebear, and in four months he will undergo his first shift and will finally obtain his full demigod form and powers, whatever they may be.”

“Are we sure that it’s wise to leave a tremendous decision like this entirely to Bill?” Gunnar asked cautiously. “No offence intended, Bill, but the future of the boy and the safety of all is resting on your shoulders here. I speak for Supreme Alpha Taylor when I say that he would prefer that the matter be discussed in Council first before any breeding and turning takes place.”

“HA!” exclaimed Rodney in response, as he rested wearily against his mate Marcus and nursed his wounds. “You’re more than welcome to go knock on the door of the guy who just kicked over thirty bear and wolf asses single-handed and tell him and his Mate that you’re sorry, but there will be no fucking allowed until you’ve had a chance to discuss it in a committee first! Good luck with that, your highness!”

“I never said they couldn’t have sex!” Gunnar exclaimed in his defense, “I’m only saying that with a being as powerful as Bernie is likely to become, starting the change isn’t something that should be taken lightly!”

“And I think,” Daniel Arnold interjected, quieting the room once again, “As the group of bears who have been helping to nurture and raise this powerful being for the last five years, even before we knew who and what he was, we aren’t taking this decision lightly at all. As Gary just said, Odin himself warned that the boy must be properly trained as a warrior before being changed, but in saying so, he also made it clear that it is his will that the boy does become a werebear, to be bred and turned by his Mate.

“The decision for any kindred to be turned is one that ultimately rests upon the Papa and his Cub. Papa must understand the responsibility that befalls upon him in rearing a new werebear, and Cub must go into the decision with eyes wide open, understanding that once the change happens, there is no turning back.

“It is not the place of the Council to decide which kindred humans may be bred and turned, no matter how powerful they may become once fully changed. Even Bill, the Cub’s warrior-teacher, did not send the pair of them to Bernie’s room with orders that he be bred tonight. He merely declared that the Cub has passed the final test and is mentally, physically, and emotionally ready. Whether or not Karhu breeds him tonight is entirely up to the two of them, and it is not the place of anyone in this room, or anyone in Calgary to tell them otherwise.”

Gunnar bowed his head slightly shamefully and nodded, deferring to the logic and wisdom of the elder bear.

“While we may agree that the decision to be turned is left up to Karhu and Bernie now that he has reached maturity and passed the test,” Thomas said, picking up on the discussion where his friend Gunnar left off, “We still should decide what will become of him after his first shift. He most likely cannot remain here at the Academy. The role of Bill’s Assistant Coach was adequate cover while he was in training, but once he starts the change, we can’t allow the human boys here to witness his transformation, and even if he leaves for four months, how would we explain such a radical physical alteration to his students? We don’t even know if a being with full demigod powers is safe to be living amongst the humans at all!”

“The Supreme Alpha is going to want him living in Calgary where he can keep an eye on him, that’s for sure,” Mike added.

“We don’t own the Cub,” Gary said with frustration, “And neither does the Supreme Alpha. Likewise, he isn’t a weapon to be used and deployed by the Council at whim either. After his change and we understand the extent of his full powers better, the Council will be free to call upon him… to request assistance as needed… but he will not become a war machine to be used like some kind of robotic secret weapon.”

“I think we can all agree that the Cub is going to be free to live his own life with his Mate as they both see fit,” Gunnar finally said cautiously, choosing his words carefully this time. “But what we’re trying to say, from the Council’s perspective, is that when we’re dealing with the unknown, and the future of the Lycan world is at stake, we would want to take every possible precaution.

“It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

****

In the staff apartment building, Bernie and Karhu stood together in the large walk-in shower, their nude, soapy bodies pressed together as they kissed under the rain shower head.

“Papa,” Bernie said as they looked into each other’s eyes, “I can’t believe that it’s finally time. I’m finally ready to be bred and changed.”

“Has anyone discussed with you what the change is like?” Karhu asked earnestly, “We haven’t talked about it during our times together, and I didn’t want to disrupt your training, diverting your attention to thoughts of the werebear transformation process instead of becoming the warrior that Odin requires of you.”

“Is it going to happen fast, like when I call for Mjolnir?” Bernie asked, rubbing his hands along Karhu’s lower back.

“No,” Karhu replied with a chuckle, squeezing his Cub’s soapy ass, “The change from human to werebear is slow and deliberate. It requires four months for your human body to change enough to accommodate the bear within. During those months you will eat more than you’ve ever eaten in your life, and grow tall, hairy, and fat.”

“Fat?” Bernie exclaimed, “Why do I have to get fat?”

Karhu chuckled again and continued massaging Bernie’s firm, muscular glutes.

“Don’t worry, Cub,” he said, “You will be building an impressive set of muscles under that layer of fat. It’s necessary because the first shift from man to bear will happen unexpectedly and spontaneously. When this happens, your body will undergo the final set of changes all at once, and this requires a tremendous amount of stored energy. A thick layer of fat will give your body something to burn that will make the changing process much easier. If you are too lean, you body will be forced to burn muscle instead, which is much more painful.”

“So, if I’m fat, the first change will be painless?” Bernie asked hopefully.

“No, I’m afraid that even with the stored energy in your fat layer, the first change will be the most painful thing you will ever experience in your long, immortal life. But at the same time, it will also be immensely pleasurable and invigorating. Sometimes, pain and pleasure go hand-in-hand, but it is only that painful the first time. After you have become one with your bear, we will make love together in our bear forms to consummate the bond between Papa and Cub, and then I will help to show you how to change back to your new human form.”

“New human form?” Bernie asked, looking into Karhu’s eyes.

“Yes,” Karhu said, “Although you will be growing and changing all through the four months, the first change into bear alters your features and physiology drastically. We won’t know exactly what you will look like until you change back from bear to human for the first time, but it will then be your new permanent body forever.”

Bernie nodded his head and rested his bearded face against his Papa’s soapy and hairy chest as the warm water continued to flow down their bodies. He hadn’t considered that when the process was done, he would be seeing a completely different face looking back at him in the mirror.

“Now that you know what lies ahead,” Karhu asked tentatively, “Are you having second thoughts about starting the change?”

“No, Papa!” Bernie exclaimed, “I’m ready. Now. When can we begin?”

Karhu reached over to the shower handle and turned the water off. He grabbed a large, thick fluffy towel and wrapped it around the both of them.

“We’ve already begun, Cub,” he said and leaned down to kiss Bernie again.

Bernie wrapped his muscular arms around his Papa’s shoulders and Karhu cupped his hands under the young man’s ass cheeks and lifted him off the floor, carrying him to the bedroom and placing him on the bed.

Bernie lay back and raised his legs, expecting Karhu to mount him in the missionary position so that they could look into each other’s eyes and kiss, but Karhu gently rolled him over onto his hands and knees.

“As much as I enjoy looking at your handsome face while we make love,” he said, “This time it has an important purpose. I will be shifting into my bear form when I change you, and my bear prefers a more primal position.”

Bernie glanced over his shoulder at the big man he loved as Karhu prepared both his cock and Bernie’s entrance with lube before climbing onto the bed behind him and pushing his thick shaft inside in one smooth thrust.

Bernie gasped and threw his head backward, flipping his damp blond hair. Karhu leaned forward over his Cub’s back and began to whisper into his ear as he pumped his hips, smacking his meaty thighs against the back of Bernie’s ass with each thrust.

“I love you Cub,” Karhu whispered in his deep baritone voice, his lips brushing against Bernie’s ear. “I’m going to make you mine and we will be together, forever. Going to fill you with my seed and bite you to let the world know that I am yours and you are mine. You’ll be the biggest, most powerful bear of them all and I will be the one who loves you and protects you. I am your Papa and will love you until the end of time…”

As Karhu whispered his love and devotion into his Cub’s ear, his pace quickened, and his thrusts reached a forceful urgency.

“I’m going to come, Cub,” He whispered, almost a growl. “I’m going to change into my bear and breed and bite you. You’ll be forever changed and forever mine…”

Karhu’s fur began to sprout, and his body shifted into the shape of the bear as he continued to pump his hips vigorously into Bernie’s ass. His face pushed out into a muzzle and his large bear fangs dropped into place, ready for the bite. His cock swelled to his massive werebear length and thickness, and Bernie, having never had something so large inside him before spontaneously cried out and ejaculated onto the bed as the huge head and thick shaft pressed against his prostate with each thrust.

Karhu let out a mighty roar and began to unload his own seed into his Cub, lowering his head and biting into the soft flesh of the shoulder, drawing blood, and tearing muscle.

Bernie let out a brief cry of pain that quickly changed to a moan of euphoria as the effects of the bite and the semen coursed through his system.

Karhu shifted back into his human form, and laid Bernie back onto the bed, hovering over him on his elbows as he watched the ecstasy spread across his Cub’s face and the wound on his shoulder close itself and heal.

“Papa,” Bernie mumbled. “I feel complete. Like I’ve been waiting for this moment my entire life.”

“I feel the same, Cub,” Karhu replied. “The moment my Mate and I finally became one will live in my memory forever.”

“Now the fun part starts,” Bernie said with a grin. “I get to eat whatever I want for the next four months with no consequences, right?”

“The more the better,” Karhu said, grinning back at him with love. “We’ll make a chubby Viking warrior out of you now so you can be a mighty werebear warrior later!”

“Let’s go wake up Rodney and Marcus and have them fire up the grill,” Bernie said with a laugh, “I already feel like I could eat half a cow!”

“There will be time for a big breakfast tomorrow, Cub,” Karhu said, settling down into the bed and spooning himself against Bernie’s back. “Time to sleep now, and let the changes work their way through your body.”

“Love you, Papa,” Bernie said, turning his head for one last goodnight kiss.

“Love you more, Cub,” Karhu replied, kissing him, and turning out the light. “Tomorrow begins a new chapter in both of our lives.”