Arctic Roots - 8. The Journey of 3000 Miles

Adam got back to the apartment he shared with Axel at six in the morning, sliding into bed behind his big Papa and kissing him on the back of his neck.

“Wha? Cub?” Axel mumbled, waking up. “What time is it?”

“It’s six o’clock, Papa. Sorry I stayed out all night.”

“I assume you spent the night with lover-boy.” Axel said turning around and sniffing his cub. “Whoo! You smell like wolf and sex! Go get in the shower before you stink up the mattress so badly I have to burn it!”

Adam got back out of bed and trotted into the bathroom, letting the water in the shower warm up before stepping in. Axel stepped in right behind him and gave him a wet, slippery hug.

“I was only joking, Cub,” he said, “Did you have a good time?”

“Yeah, Papa. He tried to put the moves on me right away, but I slowed him down and made him talk to me first. He’s truly attracted to me as a person and not just as a sex object. Well, he’s attracted to us really, but he’s way too intimidated by you to ever try hitting on you. He’s used to other wolves throwing themselves at him, so he wasn’t quite sure why I put up a fight at first. Once I got him to understand that bears aren’t whores, he treated me with dignity and respect… Even when he fucked me so hard I shot a huge load in my jockstrap!”

“So, you two are going to be able to be good friends with benefits and it won’t affect your work with the Council… and I don’t have to rip out his spine, right?”

“We’ll be fine, Papa. We may even be able to wrangle us up a three-way next time. Oh! I have a staff position now as well, and I didn’t even have to sleep with Beta Chad to get it. I’m officially the Council’s Digital Asset Manager. Basically, that means I’m the librarian and archivist.”

“Librarian, huh?” Axel said, soaping his cub’s back and ass. “Sounds pretty nerdy to me.”

“Papa!” Adam exclaimed.

“Or maybe it’s kind of hot,” Axel continued. “Yeah, I can be the bad-boy biker and you can be the hot librarian trying to get me to be quiet until I bend you over the racks of periodicals and fuck you on top of the National Geographics!”

“And you think I’m the horny one!” Adam exclaimed, “Let’s hurry up and go get breakfast. I’m starved! Chad lured me into his trap with the promise of dinner, and then all we did was fuck and sleep!”

****

The last three days of meetings fell into a routine, even with the bears there to shake things up. Supreme Alpha Taylor officially announced Adam’s promotion to Council Digital Asset Manager when they reached the point of new business on Friday afternoon, and the cub briefly went on stage to accept congratulations from the assembled crowd.

The Supreme Alpha asked if there was any additional new business, which was the invitation to the Gallery and the Council to bring up any additional points that were not included in the week’s agenda.

“Yes, Supreme Alpha,” Ezekiel stated, “I have an important item of new business to bring up at this time.”

“Councilmember Ezekiel of the Canadian werebear clan is recognized,” The Supreme Alpha replied. “You have the floor.”

“Members of the council, we are all aware that werebears are long-lived, even more so than our brothers the wolf-lycans. I, myself am well over two thousand years old, but there is one bear who was already incredibly old when I was a mere cub.

“I speak of the ancient bear Matthias, the one who defeated the dababbi over a thousand years ago, and who himself is now over four thousand years old.

“It was believed that this ancient bear disappeared and was lost to time for the last millennia, but it has recently been brought to my attention that he may have survived, and has been living in Alaska, north of the Arctic Circle. I propose a two-lycan expedition to the Arctic to find his location and try to convince him to return to lycan society. There is much history that can be learned from his many years on earth.”

“Councilmember Ezekiel,” the Supreme Alpha replied, “This is intriguing and worthy of investigation, but how did you come by this information and how do you know that it is true?”

“I came by this information because I recently learned that in the 17^th Century, Matthias appears to have taken a Cub. That Cub is none other than Councilmember Axel.”

Gasps of shock and surprise erupted in the Gallery, followed by the low murmur of whispered conversations.

“Councilmember Axel,” the Supreme Alpha said, “Is this true?”

“Yes, Supreme Alpha,” Axel replied, “My Old Man was Matthias, but I haven’t seen him in over two centuries.”

“I agree with Councilmember Ezekiel that Matthias is too valuable a resource to were-kind to remain in hiding,” Supreme Alpha Taylor said. “I entertain a motion from the floor to assemble a two-lycan expedition to locate his whereabouts as proposed by Councilmember Ezekiel.”

“So moved,” one of the wolf councilmembers replied.

“Second,” said Gunnar.

“All those in favor of the expedition to the Arctic?”

“Aye!” twelve councilmembers said.

“Opposed?”

There was silence, but the Supreme Alpha had noticed that Axel had not voted in favor along with the rest.

“Abstentions?”

“Aye,” Axel replied.

“The motion passes,” the Supreme Alpha said. “Councilmember Axel, why did you choose to abstain? You have the most to gain by tracking down Matthias’s whereabouts.”

“I abstained because I know that I’m the bear who is going to be chosen for the expedition,” Axel replied. “To be honest, I have mixed feelings about seeing my Old Man again.”

“Papa,” Adam typed onto Axel’s screen, “You promised to take me to Alaska this spring to find Grand-Papa. This is our opportunity.”

“However,” Axel continued, “My cub and I would be honored to accept the position should we be chosen.”

“I move to select Axel and Adam as the two lycans for the Arctic expedition to find Matthias,” said Joel.

“Seconded” said another wolf councilmember.

“All in favor of selecting Councilmember Axel and Council Digital Asset Manager Adam as the two lycans for the Arctic expedition?”

“Aye!” all thirteen councilmembers said in unison, Axel giving in to the peer pressure from his colleagues and cub.

“Opposed?”

There was silence in the chambers indicating that all were in agreement to send Axel on this assignment.

“Motion passes,” the Supreme Alpha replied.

“Is there any additional new business?” Supreme Alpha Taylor said next, followed by more silence.

“If there is no additional business, I hereby declare the Spring General Session of the North American Lycan Council adjourned! I remind the recording secretary to please send all meeting notes to the Digital Asset Manager. Axel and Adam, please see me in my office in twenty minutes.”

****

“What are you going to need, and when do you need it?” Supreme Alpha Taylor asked Axel once the bears and Taylor’s Beta, Chad had convened in his office.

“We’ll need a sturdy and reliable 4x4 vehicle with enough cargo room to pack three months’ worth of supplies along with camping gear, and warm clothing. The farther we travel, the closer we’ll be getting to the summer solstice and I’m not expecting to see any major blizzards while we’re there, so we won’t need to bring snowmobiles to get around. As long as the vehicle can handle off-road travel on the tundra, we should be able to manage just fine.”

“Do you want to fly from Calgary to Fairbanks first, and then start your journey from there?” the Supreme Alpha asked.

“No!” Axel and Adam both exclaimed at the same time.

“No sir,” Axel continued, “We’d prefer to get everything in order here and start the drive from Calgary if you don’t mind.”

“That’s fine with me,” the Supreme Alpha replied. “Adam, what will you need to be able to continue your duties while on this expedition?”

“I’ll need a way to connect to the Internet when we’re out in the tundra,” Adam replied. “So either a really long cord, or…”

“Or, I get your vehicle equipped with solar panels and a Starlink satellite broadband system. I’ll make a quick call to Elon and have him overnight us the latest equipment.”

“Elon?” Axel asked in surprise, “Do you mean Elon Musk? The Elon Musk? Founder of Tesla Motors and SpaceX?”

“Of course,” Supreme Alpha Taylor replied. “You don’t think all of those accomplishments could be done by an average human, do you? Elon is a wereboar, and he owes me a lifetime of personal favors for helping to keep his secret under wraps. Just between us, my nickname for him is ‘Elon Tusk’. Because he’s a boar… get it?”

“Yeah, I got it,” Axel replied with a smirk. You never knew who was secretly were-kind these days.

“Axel, I’m also giving you an American Express card on the Council’s corporate account for expenses and incidentals. I really do want to make sure that this expedition is a success. Establishing contact with were-kind as ancient as your Papa is going to be a next major step for this Council. With the exception of your Ezekiel, were-creatures have tended to disappear off of society’s radar once they pass the two-thousand-year mark in their lives. We want to know why. If they’re still out there somewhere, I would like to bring them back into the fold. This expedition will be the first attempt at that goal.”

As the Supreme Alpha and Axel hammered out the details, Beta Chad casually walked over to stand next to the big bear cub and took his hand.

“You better be safe and come back in one piece, understand?” Chad said quietly to Adam. “We’ve only just started to get to know each other. I don’t want anything bad happening to you out there in the wild.”

“I’ll be with my Papa,” Adam replied, looking down at the wolf. “He’s lived over half his life in places just as wild. If he can’t keep me safe, nobody can.”

“I still have your jockstrap,” Chad said. “Do you think…”

“Keep it,” Adam replied. “If you get lonely, give it a big sniff and have a good wank thinking about me.”

Chad’s face turned red, but he nodded and gave Adam a quick kiss before leaving the room.

“You seem to have made an impression on my new Beta, young Cub,” Supreme Alpha Taylor commented to Adam. “It has been nice to see you keeping him grounded this week. I was afraid that the power of his position would go to his head like it did my last Beta, Justin.”

“From what I can tell so far,” Axel said, “Chad is nothing like Justin, and Adam here has reported that he’s quite good in bed, so they should become a very efficient team in the years to come!”

Adam flushed pink, but the Supreme Alpha only laughed and nodded his head in approval.

****

Two days later, their vehicle and equipment were ready for the two bears to begin their adventure.

The circular drive in front of the headquarters building was a buzz of activity in the early hours of the morning as a team of wolves helped make the final preparations under the supervision of Axel and Supreme Alpha Taylor.

Their vehicle was a black Mercedes-Benz G550 4×4, modified with an array of solar panels above the roof’s cargo rack, feeding a bank of batteries underneath the rear storage area. These should have enough power to run the vehicle’s interior cabin lights and Adam’s entire computer system for up to 24 hours without requiring a charge.

Behind the solar panels a small satellite dish was mounted. As the technicians watched, the dish reoriented itself, automatically finding the strongest satellite signal. One of the techs discussed the system with Adam and they ran a speed test showing a download speed of 250 MBps, which would be more than sufficient for him to keep up with any Council work while on the expedition.

Camping gear was stowed efficiently on the roof rack beneath the solar panel array, and the rear of the vehicle was modified for use as an alternate sleeping area should the bears find themselves in weather not conducive to tent camping. The Council’s tailor had put together a wardrobe for each bear suitable for an expedition into the Arctic Circle and their clothing and food supply were stored securely in back.

Axel sat behind the wheel and adjusted his comfortable and soft leather seat. He grinned over at Adam, who smiled back. If they were going to make a journey of 3,000 miles, they may as well be doing it in style!

The bears waved to the assembled crew and honked the horn as they pulled away from the Lycan Council Headquarters. Their journey had finally begun.

Axel tapped at the SUV’s GPS system and entered their first destination.

“Where are we going first, Papa,” Adam asked, trying to see what he was typing.

“First stop is Dawson City, Yukon, Cub,” Axel replied. “If I’m going to keep telling you my history, that’s where a big part of it plays out. We have a three-day drive to get there, so on the way, I’ll fill you in where my tale left off.”

“You’ve told me everything up to where your Papa turned you, and then finally showed you his underground home for the first time.” Adam said, prompting Axel to keep telling his story.

“Ah, yes,” Axel said with a sigh, “The good old days…”

****

“Bearcub!” the Old Man yelled, “You are becoming more than a man now. The more you can eat in the next few months, the less painful your first change will be. If you want to eat, you need to hunt!”

“Yes, Old Man,” Alexei replied. “What game should I be hunting during this season? I am still unfamiliar with this strange land.”

“I see that I will have to teach you everything,” the Old Man said with a snort. “You are still little more than a Milk-Sucker. Today we will hunt caribou. Follow me and pay close attention, as I only intend to show you once.”

They emerged from the underground dwelling and exited the tent into the open. The Old Man built a small fire on the ground and then took the shoulder blade bone of a caribou from his pack. He placed the bone in the fire and watched it intently. After the bone had heated up for several minutes it finally split with a loud “crack”. The Old Man pointed at the crack in the bone.

“Do you see the direction in which the crack points?” the Old Man said to Alexei tracing an imaginary line along the crack and out to the horizon. “That is where we will find the caribou herds today.”

He instructed Alexei to gather several long spears into his pack and they ventured in the direction that the bone in the fire had indicated.

They hiked for many miles, using landmarks on the horizon to ensure that they kept walking a straight path. As they approached a small hill, the Old Man picked up a sound that Alexei’s human ears could not yet detect and told him to get down. They crawled the rest of the way up the hill, and over the rise saw the herd of caribou that they sought, grazing upon the tundra grass.

“You will have only one chance,” the Old Man said, pulling two spears from Alexei’s pack and handing him one. “When I give you the word, we will both jump up and throw. If your spear does not find its target upon the first throw, all of the caribou will be out of range before you can pull another spear and your opportunity for the day is lost. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Old Man,” Alexei answered, “I am ready.”

The Old Man nodded and turned back to the caribou herd. All at once he whispered, “Now!”

The Old Man and Alexei both jumped up from behind the hill, throwing their spears with all their might. The Old Man’s spear found the heart of a large male caribou, and it dropped to the ground, dead. Alexei’s spear sailed inches in front of the chest of another, missing its mark, and startling the herd, which began to stampede away.

“Imbecile!” the Old Man yelled, beating Alexei around his head and back. “I should allow you to go hungry tonight for that poor performance, but it will do me no good to have a starving Cub. I will share my caribou with you today, but you must help me butcher it and bring it back to our home.”

Alexei was humiliated for his miss, and as he retrieved his fallen spear, he began to realize that his aim was off because his body was growing larger. He pointed this out to the Old Man as they skinned the caribou and cut the carcass into pieces.

“Bah! Excuses!” the Old Man said. “Of course you are growing larger! You will be growing larger every day for the next fourteen weeks! If you do not learn to adapt to your growing body quickly, you will not become much of a bear, and you certainly won’t survive for very long.”

As the two hauled their kill back to their home, the Old Man suddenly grabbed Alexei by the shoulder and pulled him to the ground again. He pointed to the right, and Alexei saw his first moose, slowly walking across the tundra, stopping here and there to root into the grass and forage for tasty edibles.

“The moose do not move in herds,” the Old Man explained, “They are mostly solitary animals except when a female has young. This is a male. A bull moose. Now is your chance to redeem yourself for today.”

He pulled a spear from Alexei’s pack and handed it to him.

“When I give you the word, you aim for that beast’s heart as if your life depended on it.”

Alexei nodded and gripped the spear, he mentally focused on adjusting his aim to compensate for his new body.

The moose was slow to move across the field, and when it was directly in front of the pair of concealed hunters, the Old Man whispered, “Now!”.

Alexei leaped up and threw the spear with all his might, while also taking a careful aim. It struck the moose in the middle of its chest, and it fell to the ground in a heap.

“I did it, Old Man,” Alexei yelled, pleased that he was able to redeem himself. “I knew that I could do it with just a little practice.”

The Old Man stood and walked over to inspect the moose.

“Better,” he replied. He walked over to their packs and removed the sections of caribou from Alexei’s pack and moved them to his own. “Now you may skin your kill and bring it home. You can take pride in knowing that you have supplied your own meal tonight instead of depending upon me to provide one for you. Get started butchering your kill, and I will go on ahead and get the fire ready to cook our meals.”

Alexei skinned the animal expertly and quartered the body so that it could be easily bundled within the skin. It was a heavy load to bear as he walked back to their dwelling, but he noticed that his body seemed to be getting stronger as well.

Arriving at their tent, the Old Man had a fire ready for cooking and had four caribou steaks grilling for himself. The rest of the Old Man’s kill was hanging in sections from a wooden frame. After Alexei had unpacked his moose and had carved out a portion for dinner, the Old Man showed him how to properly care for it.

“The meat must hang between three and twenty days depending upon the section of the animal,” he explained. “Hang the ribs for only three days. The backbone along with one inch of ribs you hang for a week. The front quarters you hang for ten days before cutting them into steaks and roasts. The hind quarters hang for twenty days. During the hanging time a dry skin will form on the meat; this should be trimmed off before you cook it.

“In this manner, a single animal could normally feed a werebear for several weeks, but you are a growing cub, and must eat three times the amount of a normal werebear until your first change. So, you must go hunting again tomorrow and the next day, and it is imperative that you do not miss your target!”

After processing his moose and enjoying a satisfying meal, Alexei followed his Old Man back inside the tent and down the trap door into their underground home. The Old Man stripped his clothing and laid on his back on the bed, grunting at Alexei to hurry up and join him.

Alexei had been feeling sexually restless to an unusual degree in the weeks since being bitten and bred by the Old Man and he was relieved that it was finally time to end work for the day and to enjoy a release.

As Alexei removed his clothes, the Old Man’s cock grew hard and stood straight up, ready for the velvety warmth of the Cossack’s ass. Alexei spit upon his hand and slicked the Old Man’s cock before straddling him and sitting upon it, taking it all the way inside of himself until his ass cheeks rested upon the Old Man’s balls and thighs.

The Old Man grabbed Alexei’s hips and began thrusting upward into him forcefully, closing his eyes and grunting with each thrust. Alexei gazed at the Old Man and pondered his feelings as the bear pounded his ass and dug his fingers into the flesh of his hips.

The Old Man could be mean and selfish, but at the same time his rough nature and gruff personality turned Alexei on. As he was fucked, he fantasized about living with the Old Man for years, and someday building a big home above the ground where they could live comfortably.

As Alexei was lost in his fantasy, the Old Man let out a loud growl and thrust his hips up against Alexei’s ass roughly, pumping his load inside of him. At that moment Alexei’s own fantasy reached its peak and his orgasm erupted from his cock, splattering across the Old Man’s chest, beard, and face.

The Old Man shot Alexei a nasty look and wiped the bearcub’s cum from his face and beard with disgust. He slapped Alexei across the face with his cum-covered palm and knocked him over to the other side of the bed before rolling onto his side and turning away without so much as a “good night”.

Alexei recovered from his orgasm and slap to the face and turned to look at the Old Man, his back turned to him as he lay on his side of the bed. The fantasy was broken again for the night, but maybe someday, perhaps after his first change, he would hear words of love from the Old Man, and then they could finally live together in happiness.

****

The GPS interrupted, telling Axel to take a left onto Alberta 43. Axel completed the turn and then looked over at his cub. Adam sat quietly in his seat with tears running down his cheeks into his beard, looking at his Papa.

“What’s the matter, Cub?” Axel asked.

“Papa, I feel so bad for you!” Adam replied, still in tears. “Grand-Papa treated you horribly!”

“It was a different time, Cub,” Axel said. “The Old Man wasn’t looking for a Mate or even a lover. He had found a kindred human in the unlikeliest of places and he was fulfilling a duty to turn that human into a werebear. Being my Papa was simply a chore that needed to be done, like taking out the trash, or wiping his ass.”

“I don’t know how I could have managed going through the four months getting ready for my first change if I thought that you viewed taking care of me was on the same level as wiping your ass, Papa,” Adam said. “I can’t make up for the way Grand-Papa treated you, but I’ll always be here to show you how much you are loved now.”

Axel wiped a tear out of his own eye and nodded. The tale of his time with his Old Man was not complete, and the next part would be the hardest yet to tell.