Cernunnos - 8. Chapter 8

Cyn stared at the lycan. It was all he could do at that moment. I...he...he thinks I’m...handsome? Sheamus thinks…

Shea kept his eyes on the beady brown irises in hopes of getting a response, however small. He watched as the deer remained silent but composed. Did I scare him? No...his heartbeat is still the same. I think he’s just trying to process it all. “Cyn? You good, man?”

Snapping out of his personal thoughts, the buck blinked and did his best to hide his blush. As he tried, he looked over the man sitting next to him once again in a new light. He...he’s nice to look at. His hair is a mess, but it looks like an organized mess. And he’s scruffy! Taking note of his friend’s facial details, Cyn heard a small cough come from Shea. The wolf had a raised eyebrow and a curling smirk on the corner of his lips. “I...umm...sorry.” He turned his head back to his blanketed lap, almost spilling his plastic salad bowl onto the floor.

“What are you sorry for? I made the comment. If anything, I’m the one who should be sorry.” Shea noticed the deer turning his head back towards him and offered a look of confusion. “I know you’re not used to the whole concept of wolves being around you, but that’s a thing with our race. We’re not afraid to tell it like we see it, and I find you very attractive, Cyn. I...think you’re pretty cute.” The wolf felt his heart fluttering as he reaffirmed his statement. Yeah. It...feels good to tell him that! I’m not one to brag on my affection for men, but he makes me want...to protect him. Protect him at all costs. “You don’t have to say anything that you don’t want to. I just wanted to let you know how I feel.”

“Sh...Sheamus.” The commander looked back up to the deer’s eyes and smiled as the cernunnos tried to find his words. “I...I like you, too. I just...don’t know how to…”

“Take your time.” Shea couldn’t help but grin stupidly. He likes me! Hell, yes! I think I get what he’s trying to say, though. “...don’t know how to like a wolf?” With a new wave of blood rushing to the buck’s cheeks, Cyn nodded meagerly. “I understand. I’m in the same boat, little man, but I think we can work on that once we get you out of the hospital. That sound good to you?”

Cyn smiled and nodded. As the two sat in momentary silence, the deer began thinking about how it would work between them. We’re...both males. How would we travel in a herd...or a pack? How would we raise fawn...or...well...pups? This is confusing. “Y...yeah. I...I’m sorry. How can we...make this work?”

The question threw off the lycan and Shea tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

“Well...you’re a wolf, and I’m a deer. When deer mate, our goal is to raise fawn and just...travel. How can we do that together?”

Umm...I think I might need reinforcements on this one. Shea did his best to not appear taken aback, but he was stunned. He’s already talking...about having children? What...what kind of life did he have before I found him in the forest? The wolf kicked up his leg onto his knee and contemplated on how to handle this new train of thought. “Okay. I think we might want to hold off on that thought, Cyn. You and I were raised differently, and I’m starting to understand that. Have...you ever had a boyfriend before?”

Boy...friend? Does he mean mate? “Um, no?”

“That sounded like a question. Tell me what you're thinking.”

“I...don’t know what you mean by...boyfriend. I think I’m confused.”

A brick wall of realization slammed onto Shea’s mind! My God! He...his kind. They don’t date? That’s just primal! So Cyn is actually concerned about our future because all he knows is to find a mate and bring forth life to sustain the species. I think...I need to make another phone call. “That’s okay. I think I get where you’re coming from. You’re looking for a mate, right? Someone to be with?” The buck’s face lit up. “Gotcha. I’m learning more about your way of life as a cernunnos, too. So, a boyfriend is like a step before solidifying that person as a mate. Does that make sense?”

Cyn understood what the lycan was saying. “It’s like a show of strength? Male cern will show our strength by locking antlers and proving who is tougher to the females.”

“Sort of.” Shea watched the deer become gloomy as he wasn’t correct with the conversation. “Hey, cheer up. We’re trying to understand each other’s culture. We aren’t going to get it on the first try, Cyn.” The lycan smiled and rested his hand on the buck’s that was on the bed. “This is how being a boyfriend works. Communication, and lots of it! It’s not a show of strength to impress anybody. It’s just two guys coming together and learning more about one another. If the two like several things about the other, then you can take another step forward. It’s called dating, and I’m unsure if cernunnos take part in that.”

“Dating? No...I’ve never heard of that.” The buck’s frown started to turn into a thin smile. “It sounds interesting. So...there’s no contact between the two? It’s just...talking?”

It was Shea’s turn to blush. Oh...well, this might get awkward. “Well, no. Some boyfriends, or couples, will begin to be intimate, but that is also communicated between the two. How far they want to go and what the other wants in their relationship. Like...this!” He pointed with his eyes and dipped his head towards their hands touching. “Holding hands is a good first step for a couple having intimacy. Eventually, there can be hugging...kissing…” With every further word, Shea’s cheeks began growing warmer, “...holding. You...you get the picture, right?”

Cyn looked at his hand being held and smiled. I like the warmth of his hand. It feels nice, and makes me feel...safe. But I think I get what he’s saying. It’s like choosing a mate, but it is a much longer process. I think I like it! The buck would see several mated couples, whether they be cernunnos or regular deer, and after a while, they would grow distant from each other. It’s like they lost interest, or if they just mated to sustain our life cycle. Looking back at Shea’s blushing cheeks, the cernunnos finally grasped the concept. It’s...much more personal for the lycan! They want the person that interests them the most, and then they worry about mating. That’s...so smart! They get happiness and their life cycle continues. “Yes! I do! I get it now!”

The surge of positivity shocked Shea, but he couldn’t help but smile. It feels like he actually understands the concept. He’s a little sharper than I thought! “Good. So you know I want to get to know you better?” Cyn nodded and the shifters shared a smile.

***

Arric slammed his phone onto his desk. Damn it all! I can’t find a single hair on the son-of-a-bitch! It’s like he disappeared into thin air! The wolf had been growling non stop since he left the hospital. Betrayal...within my own personal council! Unspeakable! I really need Farren on this one. He’s the only one that could actually track down Eike, but I need him on the cern.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he recognized the stressful situation and racked his brain for a solution. There really is no one else who can track better than Shea. He grabbed his phone with a slide off the desktop. After pressing a few buttons, the Alpha brought it up to his ear. “Farren. Any updates on the cern?”

“Yes, sir. Hang on a moment.” He heard the commander lower his voice for a moment, “I’ll be right back, Cyn.” Hearing footsteps, the Alpha realized he was interrupting his subordinate’s mission to learn more from the deer. Whoops! “Sorry, Alpha Claude. Yeah...um, there’s been an update.”

Finally! Some good news around here! “I could use some of that right now. What’s up?”

“Well...I’m getting closer to having Cyn open up.”

That’s...not news. “I need a little more than that, Farren. Is his leg healing enough for him to shift? Or has he identified Eike?”

“No, not yet. Cyn wants to shift to heal the injury, but he believes his deer will freak out with the scent of all of the lycan in the hospital.”

That makes a lot of sense! The cern is a smart cookie, I’ll give him that. “Alright, that’s acceptable. How about Eike? Has he recognized them?”

“No. He gets shaken anytime I mention the forest or any other wolves other than me. I’m trying to get him a...warmed up to talk about it.”

The slight hesitation in the sentence pulled a string in Arric’s head. Warmed up? “Sheamus? What’s going on between you and the cern?”

“I, well...we’re getting to know each other, and how his race lives. I gotta say, Alpha...it’s sad. He didn’t know what a friend was.”

Closing his eyes, Arric knew of the harsh life cernunnos lived. Friends are hard to come by when you’re running for your life at all times. I should have prepped Shea for more, but I think this will be a good learning experience for him. “There’s a lot that you don’t know about the cernunnos, young wolf. Be gentle. They tend to be more animalistic than our wolves could even achieve. Our kind has been touched by humanity and its ways.

“Show this cern those ways, Farren. What it means to be a free shifter and to have people who care for one another.”

***

Well. That was something else! Shea put his phone back in his pocket while Jaime gazed upon his friend. I’ve never heard the Alpha spoke so...prophetic? Prosperous? What is even the word for that? Shea took the words spoken to him and made his way back into the hospital room. He saw that the deer had finished his salad while the wolf was out. “Finished your food already? Must have been hungry. Need some more?” Grabbing his seat, he noticed that Cyn didn’t even flinch when he approached, and that put a smile on Shea’s face.

Cyn shook his head. “No, I’m good. That was a big...whatever that was. What did you call this again?”

“Salad? Glad you like ‘em. I can’t stand veggies like that.”

“Salad? Is it a common dish? Because I really liked it.”

Shea smiled at the innocent shifter. “Yeah? It’s real popular with people who like to eat healthy. Sometimes, they drizzle it with stuff like ranch or other dressings to add more flavor.”

Cyn didn’t know what ranch was, but it sounded like an interesting word and concluded it might be worth a try sometime. “So...umm...Sheamus?” Grabbing the wolf’s attention, the buck took a sip from his water and let out a breath. “I...think I can...I think I can tell you about the forest.”

The lycan’s eyes bugged out but nodded. “Are you sure, Cyn? It’s not anything to be rushed.”

“I know, but I know you’re here, and...they aren’t. They can’t hurt me from here.”

Gripping the buck’s hand once again, Shea felt the need to comfort the little guy. “They can’t. Not while I’m around.” The lycan fished his phone out once again and opened his notebook app. “Tell me what you can. If you feel like stopping, then we can.”

Cyn nodded and slowly told his side to the wolf, how his herd were traveling in the forest and the two cernunnos caught sight of the three wolves before the other deer did. Stopping a few times during the telling of the chase, the buck mustered through, giving Shea an accurate description of the attacking wolf’s fur and a partial on the other two. When Cyn was about to describe himself laying on the ground, his voice broke and Shea cut him off, “That’s...that’s good enough, Cyn. You’ve helped out tremendously!”

“Really?” Hearing that he was useful made Cyn nearly jump from the bed in excitement. “Is there anything else I can do?”

“There is, but I don’t want to push it on you. The only thing else you can do to help is to look at photos of some of our pack wolves to verify the ones you saw.”

The buck felt pretty confident and nodded to the lycan. “No...I want to help you, Sheamus. You’ve been nice to me and helped me.”

“Alright, but again, if you need to stop, just let me know.” He pawed at his phone’s touchscreen, and saw that the buck had leaned over in fascination. Right...he probably hasn’t seen a smartphone. Man, I have a lot to show the little man! Opening up his pack’s secure database, he selected a few of wolves that he knew were not involved and set up a small slideshow for the cernunnos. “Okay. I have a few lined up. Just let me know if you recognize any of them.”

The phone was held in front of Cyn and he wondrously looked at the bright screen and saw an auburn wolf. “I don’t recognize that one. Are these...real wolves?”

“They’re real lycans in our pack.” The buck knew of photography and the power of capturing a still image, but to him, having the pictures on such a mobile device was almost mind blowing! Shea flicked his finger and moved to another picture. This one is gray with blue eyes. No...it wasn’t any of the three. He shook his head and the lycan flicked his finger again.

“That...that one! He was one of the three.” Shea took the phone and saw the charcoal gray fur. Hauser. “He went after the doe when the other two went after me...and...and Colman.” Cyn felt slight remorse as he remembered his fellow cernunnos, but knew he had to continue through the photos. “Are there more?” Shea nodded and after he took a few notes, he displayed a new photo. After a couple more swipes, the buck pointed out another wolf. Marric, Eike’s close friend. Figures he would be in on this. Putting in more notes, Shea put the screen back in Cyn’s sight and flicked. The buck even swiped with his finger on the touchscreen and was delighted in the phone’s reaction. He swiped again when he didn’t recognize a speckled wolf.

Seeing the new photo forced Cyn to halt all movement. His breath caught and his eyes wanted to tear away. Shea noticed the reaction and grabbed Cyn’s hand. “Cyn. Hey, what’s goin...on?” He saw the screen and noticed a silver wolf standing on a boulder. “Cyn...is that him?” The deer’s face was blank but trembled in pure fear. So much emotion was pouring off of the cernunnos and Shea almost couldn’t breathe from the pheromones. “Thank you, Cyn. We’re going to get him, you understand?” As much as Shea wanted to comfort the shifter, he knew time was of the essence and dialed for Alpha Claude.

“Alpha. Cyn has confirmed them. It’s the three. Marric, Hauser...and Eike.”