Serpent Mound - 16. Eve of Battle

Apollo and Susie sat around the fire in the center of the base camp with the eight bears, reviewing their current intel and planning the next day’s strategy. They had taken the Humvees and Axel’s truck as far as the parking area intersecting with the Appalachian Trail and had hiked about a mile toward the target area before finding a suitable flat area far enough off of the trail to set up camp and remain hidden from any hikers.

“All the data shows that Rodney and Marcus are still about 10 miles away, on Mount Sequoyah,” Thomas reported, “Marcus has continued to move about a bit within a small range, which must be the boundary area of the village, while Rodney’s GPS still hasn’t moved since coming online. Either Rodney is being detained, he’s injured, or he was somehow separated from the tracking device.”

“At least they’re both still working, and they’ve given us a target,” Apollo replied. “When we move in tomorrow, we will fan out and surround the village in a wide circle first, slowly constricting the circle until we have the village in our sights and have eyes on all the rescue targets.”

“Just to confirm,” Gary said, “What are our rescue target priorities?”

“The top priority is the four teenagers to be used for sacrifice,” Apollo said. “We only have a visual ID of Bernie, but the other three shouldn’t be too hard to distinguish, as they’ll be the only underage humans in the village. If we can remove those four from the equation, Rieka’s ability to perform the sacrifice ritual will be negated.

“Priority two, is the old bear, Karhu. Again, we don’t have an exact physical description to go with, but we believe that he will still be incarcerated in a cave somewhere within the village territory. He will be the only emaciated bear within the village.

“Priority three is our men, Bill, Rodney, and Marcus, but if we have an opportunity to move in and rescue these three first, we’re going to take it, because the intel they can provide could possibly aid in the rest of the mission.”

Gary nodded. He wanted all rescued safely, of course, but he had been feeling Bill’s absence since the night of the attack the most keenly, and he wanted his mate back home again.

“I took the time to check in with Matthias on the drive from the landing strip,” Adam reported.

“You mean after you came down from your herbal high?” Siku asked.

“Yes,” Adam replied, “And go fuck yourself. Matthias has a working theory about the Tuath Dé that he was ready to share. He said that these are entities who are tied to the Earth and nature, but in order to get across the ocean to the New World, there must have been a physical vessel within which the essence of each god was transported. Based on his theory, those vessels were then ‘planted’ in the ground on this mountain, where they each spread out underground, creating their individual effigy mounds.

“However,” Adam continued, “The original vessels must still be intact within the ground and must be the actual container in which the physical essence of each god resides. Destroy the vessel, and you destroy the god… at least for the four minor ones. He’s not sure if that strategy will apply to the primary deity, the Serpent, due to its suspected size and strength.

“A repetitive grenade strike on each of the mounds should be able to rupture their vessels,” Susie replied, “Provided that they’re not buried much more than a few feet underground. Did Matthias have any strategy for the Serpent?”

“Unfortunately, no.” Adam replied. “He said that when it comes to the Serpent, it will take a god to kill a god.”

“Did anybody remember to pack a god in our weapons arsenal?” Susie shouted out to the wolves in the camp. “No one? Well, that’s just fucking great. There’s never a god around when you really need one.”

“Yeah, I tried a smart-ass answer like that with Grand-Papa too,” Adam said. "I was expecting him to launch into his usual tirade whenever he thinks I have a smart mouth, but this time all he said was ‘Odin will provide’.”

“Ominous.” Apollo said. “I think we have our battle plan, anyway. Tomorrow, we hike as a unit the 10-odd miles to the outskirts of the village, we fan out and surround them without being seen, and we constrict the circle until we have the opportunity for surgical strikes to rescue the prisoners. Then, once we have them all secured, we commence rapid-fire grenade attacks on the effigy mounds until we’re sure the vessels containing their essence are destroyed, and hopefully retreat before the Serpent can retaliate.”

“Or, until Odin can send backup,” Gary added.

“If that’s all settled,” Axel replied, “I’ll bid you all a good night. My Cub and I have a date with a couple of horny wolves in our tent who aren’t above slumming with a couple of Kodiak bears for the evening.”

Axel stood up and left the circle of the fire, leaving Adam to make apologies before leaving as well.

“Sorry, all,” he said. “Papa has a one-track mind when there’s wolf-tail to be had. Good night, everyone!”

“That sounds like a good idea to me,” Thomas said, standing and stretching as well, “Sam, what do you say we invite this handsome polar bear couple to join us for a little fun this evening?”

“Sounds good to me, Papa,” Sam replied. “How about it, Erik and Max? You ready for a little friendly bonding time?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” Erik said with a grin, “Come on, Cub. Let’s show these mountain bears a thing or two.”

Apollo and Susie looked over at the two remaining bears, Gary and Siku.

“Are you going to be okay Gary?” Susie asked. “I know you must be missing your mate pretty badly now.”

“I’ll be fine, Colonel, thanks,” Gary replied. “We will be reunited soon, I’m sure of it.”

“Then if you do not need us for anything more tonight,” Apollo said, “The Colonel and I have some business of our own to attend to.”

“Go ahead, love-birds,” Gary chuckled, “You’re still in the honeymoon phase after all!”

Susie blew Gary a kiss and took her mate by the arm, leading him toward the privacy of their tent.

“Would you stay up and talk with me for a while?” Siku asked Gary.

“I’d like that,” Gary replied. “I don’t think that you and I have spent any time together since you were on the crew helping to build the Academy.”

“True,” Siku said, “I was very tempted to stay, and ask you for a staff position once the construction was complete, but in the end, I decided that Atikokan was my home.”

“It must be nice living in an all-bear enclave like that,” Gary observed, “At the Academy, all of the adults are bears, of course, but we have to watch our behavior and make sure we don’t go changing where any cadets can see us. Luckily, there’s no shortage of forest just outside the Academy gates, so we all can find time to go out to run and play in our fur whenever the mood strikes.”

“It feels like everyone in Atikokan is beginning to pair off lately,” Siku commented, “For a century, it seemed like we were a village of bachelor bears, doing as we pleased and enjoying each other’s company whenever we wished. Now, although we have more bears living with us than ever before, it feels as if it has become a community of mated pairs, and old bachelors like myself have to be a little more cautious when seeking playtime with my brothers.”

“You know that werebears aren’t the jealous type,” Gary said. “I’m sure that you’re more than welcome to spend time with anyone who feels the same.”

“Oh, it isn’t a jealousy, issue,” Siku replied, “It’s more of an issue of… romance. Mated pairs are opting for more private quality time, leaving third-wheels like me just for occasional fun.”

“Surely Axel and Adam never get tired of playtime!” Gary said.

“Oh, they never will!” Siku said with a chuckle, “But even they like their private time, and they’re gone half of the year on their adventures finding the Ancients. Erik and Max allow me to join them now and again, but I’m not always in the mood for what feels like a ‘sympathy fuck’, you know?”

“I’m sorry, Siku,” Gary replied. “Maybe it is time that you took a sabbatical of discovery. That’s how Gunnar discovered his mate Mike after all! If I remember my history correctly, you were a part of the army that came to their rescue from the crazy wolf-pack that were out to kill them!”

“Indeed, I was,” Siku said. “That was when Apollo and Susie first formed this peacekeeping force. Long before they, too, decided to commit to the mating bond. That was a battle worthy of stories, let me tell you! When Apollo fought the Alpha from the separatist pack in one-on-one combat to the death, it was a sight to see!”

“Siku,” Gary said, “I think that your true mate is out there somewhere. You can either choose to remain in Atikokan for the next hundred years, hoping that he comes and finds you, or you can get out there and find him first. He may even still be a kindred human, waiting for the right Papa bear to come along and change his whole world.”

Siku sighed.

“I think you’re right,” he said. “You are a wise bear, Gary. Not even Ezekiel has been able to get to the root of my feelings so simply and plainly. No wonder you make such an excellent teacher of the human cubs!”

Gary smiled at the compliment and regarded the big white-haired bear.

“Siku,” he said, “I would be honored if you would join me in my tent tonight. I think we could both use the comfort of a fellow bear on the eve of battle.”

Siku nodded with a gleam in his eye, and the two bears stood to make their way across camp to Gary’s empty tent.

It was a warm early-summer evening, and most groups, with the exception of the General and Colonel, had chosen to sleep with their tent flaps open for air. As they wove their way through the tents, they passed by the one occupied by Axel and Adam, and the bears were in the midst of a feverish bout of group-sex with a pair of soldier wolves. Glimpsing briefly through the open door of their tent, Gary saw Adam on his back being aggressively humped by a wolf as Axel knelt beside him, pumping his huge cock in and out of the backdoor of the wolf’s comrade. The wolves kissed each other tenderly as they fucked and were fucked by the giant bears, and Gary thought to himself that it was likely they were more than just army buddies.

A couple of paces further, and they passed by the tent occupied by the polar and black bear mates, grunting and growling as they enjoyed their own playtime. The view through their open tent door revealed Thomas and Sam both being pummeled by the big, white-haired polar bears, relishing the oversized cocks in their tight holes.

Siku grinned at Gary.

“Everyone loves a big polar bear dick,” he whispered.

“You’ll be my first,” Gary whispered back, and they hurried to his empty tent.

Once inside, they were overwhelmed by the heat and realized why the others had brazenly left their door flaps wide open. They followed suit and tied their doors back before removing their clothes and meeting in the middle of the tent.

“Hey there, sexy,” Gary said, on his knees and looking up at the big polar bear.

“Hey there yourself,” Siku replied before leaning down and kissing the grizzly deeply, running his hands down Gary’s back and pulling him in close.

Siku leaned forward and supported Gary as he continued kissing the grizzly while laying him onto his back on the sleeping pad. Siku then worked his way down Gary’s body, kissing his neck, chest and working his nipples before kissing his way down his abdomen.

He gave Gary’s straining cock a sensual lick before sucking his balls into his mouth and rolling them around with this tongue. Gary growled and grabbed Siku’s head as the polar bear expertly licked his sack before releasing it and pushing Gary’s legs in the air over his head, exposing his pink hole.

Siku attacked Gary’s pucker with his tongue and rimmed him with a ferocity that the grizzly had never before experienced.

“Oh, fuck, Siku,” Gary moaned, “Yes! Eat my ass!”

Siku snaked his tongue into the grizzly’s puckered hole sending new waves of pleasure through the bear. When he knew that Gary was properly stimulated and ready for more, he quickly flipped him over onto all fours and mounted him in the traditional bear-style.

“Oh, gods, yes!” Gary shouted as Siku’s enormous member penetrated him from behind.

“Shh!” Siku whispered into his ear with a bit of a laugh, “You’ll have the whole camp over here watching the show!”

“Oh, fuck it,” Gary moaned, “Let ‘em watch!” and he began to pound his hips backward in time with the big bear, taking the giant cock balls-deep with each thrust.

Siku hammered Gary’s ass for nearly twenty minutes before flipping him onto his back and mounting him again. Gary reached down and began to stroke himself, but the polar bear quickly swatted his hands away and held them firmly over his head.

“No hands!” Siku whispered, “Let Papa take care of it.”

Siku continued to hold both of Gary’s arms above his head with his left hand as his right grasped Gary’s hard cock and began to stroke, sliding his hand down the shaft in time to each of his mighty thrusts.

“Oh, shit!” Gary moaned, “Siku… I’m… I’m gonna…”

He couldn’t finish the sentence before his cock erupted all over his chest and belly, with semen running in rivers over Siku’s knuckles.

Siku raised his hand to his mouth and licked his paw clean before increasing his pace and pounding Gary with a frenzy, nearing his own finish line. He tipped his head back, and in the heat of the moment shifted into his bear-form, his body sprouting fur and expanding to his full, massive size.

Gary was sill recovering from his explosive orgasm when the cock inside of him suddenly doubled in size and he felt himself spontaneously climaxing a second time.

Siku let out a polar bear roar and reached his orgasm, pounding hard into Gary and growling obscenities in the bear-language. He opened his eyes and looked down at Gary, who was looking back up at him with wide eyes. It was only then that Siku realized that he’d changed into his bear form, and he quickly shifted back, embarrassed.

“Oh Gary!” Siku said, “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to shift into my full size like that, I must have gotten carried away! Did I hurt you?”

“Hurt me?” Gary repeated, “Fuck no! You made me come twice in a minute! That was fucking amazing!”

“Aw,” Siku said, his cheeks flushing red. “I’m no match for that hot muscle-Cub of yours, but I’ll take the compliment. You were pretty amazing yourself. I’ve never lost control of my bear during sex like that before.”

Gary settled down into the big bear’s arms until they were both in a comfortable position.

“Thank you for keeping me company tonight, Siku,” Gary said. “I still miss my mate, but it’s comforting to have friends like you.”

“The pleasure was all mine,” Siku replied. “Thank you for the advice earlier. I think when all of this mess is over, I’ll make some changes to take control of my fate a little better.”

With that said, they both settled down for a good sleep on the eve of battle.

****

The next morning, bears and wolves alike came crawling out of each other’s tents, forced to do the proverbial “walk of shame” across the camp.

Axel, who had no shame, emerged nude from his tent, slapping his two wolf companions on their asses to send them on their way before having a stretch and pulling on a pair of cotton shorts to get a cup of coffee.

He noted the number of battle companions hurrying back to their own tents in the early morning light to get dressed and nodded in approval.

“Nothing like a good night of sex before a big fight to make you feel alive!” he said to himself and sipped his coffee with a smile. “I feel it in my bones, today is going to be a fucking good day!”