It's Always Something - 4. Chapter 4

The boys recovered from the morning playtime and shared a quick shower before going downstairs. Following their usual routine, Fabien dried Rhylan's body, and Rhylan dried his. They felt it added to the strength of their bond as friends and lovers, and it gave them yet another chance to make each other giggle and squirm when a ticklish spot was accidentally hit on purpose. Fabien stopped at the dresser between the bathroom and water closet, opened the top drawer, pulled out two pairs of white athletic crew socks with grey toe and heel patches, then grabbed a pair of red and green boxer briefs and handed the green underwear along with socks to his lover as he walked past. Rhylan donned the clothing, then walked to the other dresser, where he pulled out two pairs of long johns, two thermal shirts, and two pairs of blue jeans. He handed his red-haired mate one of each.

"I forgot to tell you, there's no school today," Rhylan said after pulling the thermal shirt over his head and shaking his hair back into place.

"I know, lover wolf. The school sent out texts a few minutes before you came in," Fabien responded as he ran his fingers through his red locks and fluffed his hair a little.

Rhylan stood at the windows, in front of the love seat, watching the swirling snowflakes, and sighed. The falling snow reminded him of a snow globe, and then he softly chuckled at the thought of being part of Mother Nature's real-life snow globe. Fabien stood behind him with his arms around the Cherokee teen's waist and his head resting on the backside of his mate's shoulder. Words weren't needed as the couple's minds, feelings, and bodies conveyed the love they shared from the deepest cores of their souls.

The teens giggled when their stomachs growled, reminding them of the need for material sustenance. Fabien jumped onto Rhylan's back and was given a piggyback ride from his bedroom, down the stairs, and into the kitchen, where the trio of parents giggled as he was deposited onto the floor.

"Good morning, Sunshine," George said as he pulled Fabien onto his lap and cuddled him for a few minutes.

Fabien's eyes were alive and shined with the brightest shade of green possible from the love flowing around the room. "Good morning, Papa," he replied. When he was released, he walked over and showed his love for his other two parents.

"So, I hear my youngest boy's active powers kicked in yesterday."

Fabien blushed and lowered his head. "Y-yeah, Papa, the frosty one showed itself. I almost made a pupsicle out of poor Rhy."

The redheaded teen stepped over to the coffee pot, filled his cup, and sat in Rhylan's lap while the plates were distributed. Once everything was on the dining room table, the family stood, held hands, and thanked the animals that gave their life for their nourishment.

"So, pups," George asked after taking a bite of the homemade buttermilk biscuit, "what trouble are you two planning on getting into?"

Rhylan and Fabien adopted a look of offense. Unfortunately, this didn't even last one minute before the frowns morphed into smiles, which gave way to giggles.

"We're thinking of getting the snowmobiles out and roaming the trails," Fabien offered.

"That's a great idea, son," Alvora stated before sipping her orange juice. She placed her thumb and forefinger on her chin for a second. "I think I'll go along with you boys, and Ian, you can practice your active power."

Declan nodded, "Out in the woods, there's nothing to disturb, and most likely, no one to see you."

George smirked, "I guess I'll go too," he chuckled. "Don't want to be shown up by the white men and squaw." He jumped and yelped when a gust of icy cold wind blew under his shirt, chilling his bones. His eyes narrowed as he glared at Alvora.

"What, it wasn't my doin'," the red-haired witch chuckled.

Fabian blushed and hid his head in Rhylan's chest. "Sorry, Papa," he mumbled.

Laughter erupted at the inexperienced teen's magical goof-up.

"I'll forgive ya this time, Sunshine." George smiled and embraced his future son-in-law.

While the teens were upstairs getting ready to be out in the cold weather, Declan and George decided to head back to George's place to continue preparing the Golden Eagle for their red-haired boy. George kissed Alvora's cheek and thanked her for the breakfast. Declan gave his wife a passion-filled lip lock that left them both seeing stars and breathing heavily. George gave them a thumbs up and laughed as he ducked Declan's attempted head slap. Alvora shook her head and giggled at the men's playful antics.

"Good job, Ian," Alvora excitedly and proudly exclaimed.

For the past hour, Alvora and Rhylan guided and helped their teenage witch start to control and realize the potential of his newfound power. Fabien's mind worked hard to maintain its focus on creating an ice layer over the powdery snow on the ground.

"Okay, you boys have worked hard enough. I know you two are dyin' to play in the snow. I want you back at the house in about two hours. If you happen to be longer or need any help, contact me on the walkie-talkie.

The teens whooped and hollered before they kissed their Mom's cheeks and thanked her as they took off running for the snowmobiles. Fabien and Rhylan rode to their favorite secluded clearing and dismounted the machines. All around them were trees, and the mountain's rocky, snow-covered majesty was the backdrop. The pair giggled as they did cartwheels, executed various flips, and made snow angels. Fabien yelped when a snowball hit him in the back. He turned around and saw Rhylan, who looked left to right, as he turned around with his hands in the air like he was looking for the person who threw the snow. The taller teen giggled and ducked the snowball that was thrown at him. The red-haired boy playfully growled as he ran up and tackled his wolf. They rolled around, getting snow on their coats and jeans, one trying to pin the other, until finally, Rhylan won. He straddled his witch's waist, raised his arms in victory, and waved at the imaginary spectators watching them. The brunette stood up, pulled his mate to his feet, and pressed their bodies together as he claimed the mega prize, a long, loving kiss from the opponent.

"I love you, my beautiful leprechaun."

"You, my strong wolf, are the only one who owns my heart. Rhylan Greywolf O'Leary-Stormcloud, I can't wait until we're fully mated."

A big grin formed on the dark-haired teen's face. "I love that I will be able to call you Fabien Michael O'Leary-Stormcloud."

Glove-clad fingers lovingly caressed rosy cheeks as they stared into each other's eyes. Rhylan wrapped his arms around the shorter teen's thirty-inch waist, lifted him off the ground, and twirled their bodies in a circle. Their giggles and squeals blended in a melodic symphony of pure happiness that echoed through the forest. A minute or two after Fabien was on his feet, his eyes closed as his body shivered, cringed, and he slightly stumbled.

"Ian, what are you feeling, babe," Rhylan asked as he supported his mate so he wouldn't fall.

"Someone or something's in pain and is terribly frightened," Fabien responded.

Rhylan focused his heightened senses and scanned the forest to see if he could smell or hear anything distressing. His head sharply turned to the right of them, and then slowly, he crept closer to the line of trees.

Fabien ran back to the snowmobile, picked up his crossbow from the side bag, shouldered the satchel with the arrows so that they hung on his back, and then used the walkie-talkie to let the parental unit know what was happening. He returned to his mate after receiving the go-ahead from the family elders to check things out and getting confirmation that the trio would be there shortly to provide any needed assistance. "We're good to go. Mom and Dads will be along shortly."

Rhylan nodded, then shared a kiss with his future husband before he shifted to his wolf form. Once the pair entered the cluster of trees, the grey wolf howled to let anyone or anything within earshot know they were there to help. A couple minutes later, a mournful growl responded. Fabien kept up with his mate as they neared where the distress call came from. When they got to the area, Rhylan shifted into his human form and quickly redressed while Fabien assessed the situation. There was a big hole in the ground, and inside was a metallic net coating the walls, with fifteen-year-old Brandon Blackstone, a black bear shifter, on the cold ground crying out.

"Hang in there, Bran, we'll get yeh out, somehow," Fabien said, trying to calm their friend. He started to climb down into the hole, but Rhylan stopped him.

"Babe, the netting is heated and electrically charged. If you touch it, you'll be burned and electrocuted," Rhylan's eyes narrowed and darkened. "Damn, fuckin' poachers."

Fabien leaned against a tree and thought for a moment, then it came to him. "What if I used my active power to freeze the net's element?"

"That could work, but babe, are you sure you can do that? You've just started working on your control."

"Babe, I gotta try. We need to save our friend," Fabien stated as he wiped the tears from his cheeks.

Before anything else happened, the sound of crunching snow, followed by motors, caught the couple's attention. They saw Brandon's parents, Mitch and Starla Blackstone, cautiously approaching them, with their parents behind the shifters.

"Brandon doesn't seem to be physically hurt, Mama and Papa Blackstone," Rhylan said as he and Fabien hugged the new arrivals.

"How are we gonna get him out of there," Starla asked as Alvora wrapped her arms around the distraught mama bear.

"I'm gonna try to freeze the net's current," Fabien offered.

Alvora closed her eyes in thought for a moment. "Go ahead, Son. I know you can do this."

Fabien smiled as he hugged his Mom. He nervously chuckled as he gazed into everyone's eyes. "No pressure, right?"

Everyone stood back to give him some breathing room and held each other's hands and even a few breaths. Fabien's eyes began to glow till they were a bright shimmering emerald green. He focused his energy on the hole's walls and used the imaginary valve to control his magic. After a few seconds, the metal netting sparked and sizzled until there was nothing but a puff of smoke and cold wiring. He then shut off the magic's flow and smiled as he turned around to the sound of applause.

"I'm so proud of you, my amazing leprechaun," Rhylan exclaimed as he bear-hugged his mate.

Declan, Mitch, and George worked together to get the trapped cub out of his predicament.

"Thank you, all for rescuing my boy," Starla said as she hugged everyone gathered. "If no one's too busy, c'mon back to our place for some lunch. I've got enough to feed a small army..., which, with three teen boys, should be just enough for the rest of us to have a slice of bread."

Their laughter echoed through the trees as everyone followed the Blackstone family to their house.