Summer Camp - 15. If A Tree Falls At Four In The Morning...

Circumstance and fate smiled on the little trio of mismatched shifters. Paddy’s group of girls finished their assault course activity with time to spare, which they of course wanted to spend packing, unpacking and packing again. Troy was on field duty and wasn’t doing anything. Noah allowed Gregg to slip away from scrambling without a by your leave. Ms. Spinell had been called away on a medical issues with a kid overreacting to a bee sting. There was an hour before the light lunch and the time the kids would be leaving for the weekend. Gregg grinned, waved nonchalantly to Troy on the grass as he walked past, nodded to Paddy and vanished into the woods. It took all of ten seconds for the other two shifters to depart into different points of the woodland.

They met under the trees near the big patch of ferns where Paddy had first located the scared and shaking teenage shifter, and Gregg folded himself cross legged and twirled a thick blade of grass between his thumb and forefinger. Paddy sat and joined him, then Troy, the three od them moving together until their knees touched and formed a little triangle of space between them. Gregg smiled softly.

“Do I have to leave?”

“Aye pet, ye do.” Paddy took the little blade of grass from him with a sad smile. “But ye ken we’re here now.”

“But it’s not fair!” Gregg whined.

“Life’s not fair Gregg.” Troy spoke softly, but his voice was firm. “You can’t stay here. You have to go back with your class and your friends. You have to go back to school and your mum.” When Gregg sniffled Troy rubbed his shoulder softly. “We’ll have a whole group of knew kids here next week yeah?”

“Wha Troy is tryin’ tae say is tha’ yer nae alone anymore Gregg.” Paddy took his mate’s hand in his own. “He ken ye, and you ken us and it will nae be long before ye see us again.”

“I could come visit?”

“Aye laddie.” Paddy had no idea how he could promise such a thing, a hare in a gang of bears, but he knew that with other shifters was the best place for Gregg to be, even if they were the wrong species.

“And maybe you guys could come and meet my mum?”

“I don’t see why not.” Troy smiled. “I expect she would like to hear all of Paddy’s stories too.”

Gregg picked at the hem of his shorts with nervous fingers.

“I’m sorry I caused you so much trouble. You guys have been nothing but nice to me.”

“Hey, hey…” Paddy smoothed his hand over Gregg’s short brown hair in an automatic gesture. “We’re big enough to deal with whatever they throw at us eh? Don’t you worry about a thing.”

“Can I…?” Gregg seemed to falter, his words not coming to him the way he wanted them to. He shivered in his clothes, even though it wasn’t cold. Paddy saw in his eyes the desire, the natural animal need to be touched and be close to another.

“It’s a’right. Ye can ask us.”

“Hug me?” They were tiny words, such a small voice for a boy who had gained so much confidence since the afternoon four days ago when he’s run away from people who he thought were predators who might hunt him.

Troy surprised them both, by reaching across the little triangle of space and wrapping his arms around the boys shoulders. Gregg sort of dissolved in his arms and when Troy sat back, he was holding Gregg’s t-shirt in his arms as the soft brown hare came snuffling out of the fabric.

“There you are.” Troy discarded the cloth as the lagomorph snuggled into his chest, long ears flat over his back. His nose twitched and sniffled constantly, little whiskers bouncing. “Well aren’t you a pretty one eh?”

Paddy smiled. It was a lovely thing to see his mate, the total carnivore, holding the little hare as though it was perfectly natural for a lynx and hare to be friends. Gregg wasn’t nearly young enough to be a child of theirs, they would make awful father-figures, but Paddy had always wanted brothers. He’d grown up not just with his parents, but his grandparents, his uncles, and the host of cousins. Gregg needed them to be role models of some sort. The hare twitched his ears, and jumped smoothly down from Troy’s arms and crept across to place small paws on Paddy’s knee. The big Scot scooped the hare up with one hand and nestled him against the centre of his chest. Gregg rubbed his head against Paddy’s fingers.

Oh Great Spirits, don’t let us fail him now. He’s gonna need us.

“I’ll tell ye all the stories little one. Show ye how tae build fires, teach ye about tha moon.” Paddy whispered to the furry shape in his arms. “Wi’ll find a way. I promise.”

“Babe…” Troy touched his shoulder, and Paddy dragged the slender young man into his lap, wrapping himself around both of them. He wanted for a moment to wear his fur, to keep his mate and this boy who needed them safe and sheltered in the warm harbour of his furry bulk. Not for the first time, his heart reminded him how lucky he was to have such love and joy in his life. Gregg touched his cheek with his little velvet nose and Paddy chuckled.

Eventually, Gregg nuzzled them both, then hopped out of Paddy’s arms and over to the pile of his clothes. The older shifters both turned their backs while Gregg shifted and got dressed. One swift round of hugs later, they had to make sure they exited the woodland at different times and in different places. Paddy waved to his lover and his friend and wandered off into the trees to appear at the far end of the River Road field. The kids were all back now, packing up their stuff and clearing out their tents. Paddy strolled over to the tent where Gregg’s companions were trying to force their sleeping bags back into their bags.

“Paddy!” Matthew was beaming. “You gonna miss us when we go?”

“Aye laddie, that we will.”

“No you won’t.” Rory elbows his friend playfully and threw his mostly packed bag past Paddy’s head and out of the tent where it immediately burst open, spilling clothes and odd socks everywhere. “Damn. He’ll forget all about us quick enough.”

It was true enough. As Paddy cast his mind back, he could barely pick individual kids from the sea of faces they’d seen over the last eight weeks. He remember people here and there, the first group of girls who had squealed over his accent, Dani who had been so impressed with his strength, Amber who had begged him to climb across the wobbly log in the trees. There were others, kids who had said silly things or managed to cover themselves in mud, but Rory was right. Most of the kids he’d never remember. Nic had been overheard several times saying the kids would remember camp all their lives, and it made Paddy both proud and strangely sad to think there were children who would tell stories of him back home, but whom he had already forgotten. Would he remember Rory and Tom and the others? Probably as no more than a fleeting image, but as Gregg came out of the other side of the tent with Matthew, carrying their stuff, Paddy knew there were some kids he’d remember forever.

Gregg looked up at him and grinned. Matthew nudged him and whispered something with a grin, heads close together. Paddy shook his head and smiled. Gregg had come a long way from the scared and shivery boy he was on the first day, but Matthew had grown as well. The blond boy and the hare were obviously going to be good friends. Paddy was happy knowing he wasn’t leaving the boy completely alone.

It was all too soon when the two big coaches arrived to take the kids away. Paddy and Noah loaded the luggage into the coaches, and Paddy took the pine twig from his pocket and stuffed it very quickly into the top of Gregg’s bag. It might take years for the kid to know what he’d really done for them. Troy had begun to voluntarily eat vegetables, they had been able to talk openly, spend time in their fur by the side of the lake. Somehow Gregg’s presence had helped them, and now Paddy reached down the line from his heart and tapped gently at Troy on the other end, just to let the Norwegian know he was thinking of him. He felt Troy’s smile from the other side of the coach.

“Right you lot! On you get!” Mr Ralph and Nic began to herd to students onto the coach as the luggage doors were shut. Several of the teachers were already on, chasing students into their seats. Matthew jumped up the stairs and turned for his friend with a smile. Gregg had been right behind him, but the skinny boy leapt off the bottom step and back onto the grass. For a moment, Paddy thought he was going to run off into the trees and make a scene, but he didn’t. The boy ran to where he and Troy stood, and collided with them at speed. The trio hugged hard and swift and Paddy felt like another member of his family was leaving.

Gregg broke away too soon, and Paddy waved to him as he got back on the coach. It was only when Noah coughed into his hand that Paddy realised he still had his arm around Troy’s waist. He dropped it quickly. The coach pulled away, and there were Gregg and Matthew in the back window: Rory and the others, all waving excitedly. Noah and Troy and Paddy all waved back until they were out of sight.

“Well I dunno about you guys, but I need a fucking drink.” Nic turned on his heel towards the mess hall, “Close up the tents lads, it’s been a long bloody week.”

Paddy, Troy, Sean and Noah closed up all of the tents. Ava did the equipment and Alexia refused to do anything because she was not ‘one of the boys’. Levi had vanished, and Paddy was grateful for that small mercy. Sean zippered up the last of the tents and arched an eyebrow at Paddy and Troy standing in the field.

“So…?” He didn’t even finish the question, but shook himself down like a dog coming out of the sea, and wandered off towards the mess hall. Paddy watched him go with a sinking feeling in his stomach.

“Guys?” Noah shifted his weight nervously from foot to foot. “You’re gonna have to tell them something.”

“Do we have to?” Troy’s arm around his waist was sweetly painful. Paddy knew the slender young man loved him, he could feel it through every place their skin touched. It frustrated him that Troy still didn’t want to tell people they were together.

“A’ this stage babe, I dae nae think it could hurt. We should say somethin’.” Paddy breathed in the scent of his mate, inhaling the salty cold scent with his face pressed into Troy’s hair. “Levi will hae told them somethin’ already. We shuid go clear it up.”

“Patrick.” Troy was watching him with hard eyes.

“Gae ahead Noah.” Paddy spoke to their Canadian friend without taking his eyes off his mate. “Wi’ catch ye up.”

Noah half shrugged and half waved, and jogged away from them, heading for shelter and the promise of alcohol. Paddy found a snarl in his throat, and dampened it quickly. Neither of them would be served by his anger.

“Why nae?”

Troy shook his head quickly.

“But why?” It’s the perfect time. It’s tha weekend, loads o’ people are goin’ home. There’ll be nae more rumours, nae more stupid teachers an’ their suspicions.” Troy raised an eyebrow at him. “OK, less stupid teachers. It’ll fix ev’ythin’, including Levi, ‘cause unless yer goin’ tae take hi head off, we got a problem wi’ him.”

“People are going to look at me differently.” Troy didn’t look angry, he looked scared, and stepped close to Paddy, fingers catching the thin fabric of his t-shirt. “I don’t want them to see me as different.”

“But wi are different babe. We’re nae liek them. We’re shifters.” Paddy stroked Troy’s silky hair away from his face. “I daen’t understand.”

“I spent my entire life being different, having everyone call me a freak. Even the rest of my dad’s family think I’m strange. Dad was really in tune with his lynx self, really close to the wild. Can you imagine what it was like to be a cub not yet grown into his fur that spent his weekends learning how to kill and skin rabbits? Every child thought I was an aberration.”

“Bein’ gay is nae a thing tae be ashamed o’ babe.”

“I know.” Troy took a deep breath. “Look, can we just say nothing and let them make up their own minds?”

“Only if ye want them tae think tha worst.” The big Scot kissed the top of Troy’s head gently. “We daen’t hae tae say everthin’ babe. Just that ye wi me and tha’ thar aten’t anythin’ else fer them tae worry about.” Troy still looked uncertain. “Ye were niver worried about wha’ Gregg thought about ye bein’ gay.”

“Well that was…” Troy looked up at his love quickly, and his voice faltered, “…different. This is important to you, isn’t it?”

“Aye pet. It is.”

Troy took a deep breath and set his eyes on the mess hall, the single window glowing in the fading light of the day.

“OK. I trust you.” Troy wrapped his arms around the taller man. “Just nice and low key eh?”

Paddy’s idea of low key was to walk into the mess hall as though nothing had happened, take two beers from the little fridge and sit himself down next to Troy as they had done a hundred times before. Then he simply used one hand to drag Troy’s legs across his lap, and sat with his arm around the other man’s shoulders while they sipped from the chilled bottles. The mess hall went eerily silent.

Troy was the one to finally break the tension in the room.

“Sorry Levi. He’s sort of taken.”

Nic downed the rest of his beer in record time. Sean raised an eyebrow.

“Levi?”

The skinny teenager glared at Troy, who simply shrugged under Paddy’s arm. Paddy stilled his growl before it made it past his voice box. Threatening someone he worked with was unlikely to make any resolution easier.

“This morning I had one gay member of staff…” Nic sounded as though the news had put a major hole through his world view. “Now I have three. What happened?”

“Actually four.” Everyone turned to look at Ava, who was peeling the label off her bottle of cider, looking pensive. “Well I’m bi, so I sort of count.”

Nic stared from Ava to Levi, to Troy and Paddy on the sofa, gaping like a fish.

“And you two are… are…”

“Together?” Paddy clarified.

Nic dropped his empty can and walked out. Sean blanched and dashed after him.

“Well that went well.” Noah said into the emptiness of the room.

Nic had not gone far enough before Sean caught him to be out of even the human’s range of hearing, and Paddy didn’t need any special skills what so ever to suppose the sort of tight, angry, confused gestures that went with the conversation they were having. Everyone listened unashamedly.

“Nic!” Sean hissed. “Dude, what the fuck? You can’t just walk out like that!”

“What the hell happened in there?” Nic sounded exasperated. “Half my staff is gay or bisexual or something!”

“Nic, bud…” Sean was trying to reason with his friend and boss. “Why does it matter? Nothing has happened has it?”

“But, but, but… why now? We’ve been here months, why has this only all come out now?”

“Does it matter?” Sean was getting impatient. “Fuck’s sake Nic, you just ran out on all your staff. How welcome do you think they feel right now?”

“What about how I feel?” Nic was shouting.

“You’re their boss!” Sean snapped back. “Your job is to make them feel happy and safe and get the best out of them for the season.”

“One in ten…” Nic muttered. “Why is it my team has a one to one ratio?”

“I don’t get why this matters Nic.”

“Well how am I supposed to treat them now?” Nic seemed at a loss. “I come from a tiny mining town in the midlands Sean. I don’t know any gay people.”

“Well you do now.” In that moment, Sean sounded like the boss, the sensible one who knew what he was talking about. “I doubt you have to treat them any different at all.”

“But Paddy and Troy…”

“Nic, seriously?” Paddy could well imagine Sean’s hooked eyebrow. “Last year you spent the whole summer shaking up with that cute kayak instructor. Why is this different? They are clearly only interested in each other.”

Paddy had had enough, and sprung up from the sofa to open the door. Nic and Sean both looked at him wide eyed, realising they’d been heard.

“Oh shit… Paddy I-!”

Paddy cut him off with a smile.

“Yer beer is getting’ warm boss. Come on back intae the house aye?”

“Paddy…”

“It doesnae matter tae me. An’ Sean is right; I daen’t care so much about anyone but Troy.”

“Right then.” Nic took a deep, steadying breath. “Let’s drink!”

*

Alcohol was the cure for everything. Alexia got picked up by her father in the fuel-guzzling Jaguar early on, and Levi had two beers and went to bed. Paddy knew from experience, only one of his cousins could out drink him whenever they all drank together, but Fergus was some kind of alcohol absorbing machine. He said it make his fur lustrous and thick. At that point, his brother Steafan would usually clout him over the head.

It was four am, and everyone apart from Paddy, Troy and Noah had gone to bed. Sean had been the last to stagger off with a nod and the sort of expression which showed the assembled drinkers there was no way he was going to be up before the middle of the afternoon.

“Nae breakfast tomorrow then.” Paddy was laying full length on the sofa, sipping from the neck of the cider bottle in his hand. He recognised through a number of slow and steady blinks which blurred his vision horribly he was indeed drunk. Troy was sitting on the floor, head resting against his thigh, sipping from an enamelled tin mug that smelt like honey and paint thinner. Noah was drinking from the bottle of whiskey, grinning faintly to the wall over Paddy’s head.

“E’s pissed.”

“So are you.” Troy countered. “I think we all might be.”

“Well, tha’ cuid a’ been worse than it was.” Paddy took another swig from what turned out to be an empty bottle and placed it with extreme care on a portion of the little coffee table that turned out not to be there. The thick glass thudded on the floor and rolled away across the water warped boards. “Nic seemed happy when he went tae bed.”

“He was singing.” Troy sounded thoughtful, “I’m not sure he was really awake enough to notice.”

“Nic should not sing.” Noah sat up and straightened his clothes in an attempt to look neat. “Around the campfire is one thing, but that man is tone fucking deaf.”

“Aye, tha birds in the forest would all abandon their nests rather than listen tae him serenading tha flowers.”

“So….” Noah sounded thoughtful, and was concentrating on the label of the bottle very hard, as though trying to force his eyes to start being able to process words again through the haze of alcohol. “Does a bear have sex in the woods?”

Paddy blinked at his friend, and Troy giggled into his cup.

“Aye lad. I reckon h’ does.”

Troy put down his mug and reached up to find Paddy’s free hand. His fingers were warm and rough and for a moment Paddy could think of nothing but the proximity of Troy’s head to his crotch. His cock twitched at the idea, wanting to join in from under his shorts.

“If a tree falls in the forest…” Troy mused gently. “…Will there be a bear fucking around to hear it?”

“Only if ye there tae babe.” Paddy stroked his mate’s hair. “Suppose none o’ yer cousins hae sex in the woods, aye Noah?”

“I dunno if Darryl’s girlfriend would like it…” Noah frowned into the whiskey bottle. “Course, Todd and Hoyt do it all the bloody time.”

“Sounds like fun.” Troy purred against his leg. “It’s the weekend babe.”

“Nae one went home pet.” Paddy sighed. “It might be busy in tha woods ye ken.”

Troy turned and looked up at him fully, pressing his cheek against Paddy’s thigh, lips mere inches away from his quickly thickening cock. Paddy grinned.

“But I’m gonna bet no one will be up in the trees.”

Paddy grinned.

“Night chaps.” Noah coughed into his hand, suddenly sober. “I’m off to bed. See ya.”

Neither shifter noticed him on his way out, both of them much too wrapped up in the idea of each other to be aware of their surroundings. Paddy wanted to pull Troy up into his lap, but the little lynx had other ideas, stripped off his own shirt and tugged at the zipper in Paddy’s short’s until he had his lips wrapped around he pulsing head of his dick. Paddy gasped and went boneless against the sofa, falling into the pleasure that ran through his body. Troy teased him, playing with his teeth and tongue until Paddy growled, wrapping a hand into the silken locks at the back of his head.

“Tell me what you want.” Troy’s eyes were glowing with a chill inner fire. “Patrick.” He said the big bear’s name as though he owned him, and Paddy felt his pleasure spike in time with his pulse.

“Ye, here, now!” Paddy managed between pants. He couldn’t find the better elements of his voice to tell Troy how much he loved him, how much he adored and respected him for coming out to their co-workers. He wanted to tell Troy in sexy little whispers what he wanted him to do, but all he could do was grip the young man’s arms and haul him up off the floor and into his lap. Troy ground against his crotch automatically and Paddy grinned stupidly. “Aye lad. Tha’ tae.”

Troy was ridiculously efficient at removing his clothes, and the moment his naked erection lay alongside Paddy’s the bear growled in pleasure at the contact. Troy balanced himself with one hand splayed on Paddy’s chest, rucking up his t-shirt, exposing his jumpy abdomen and hard honey-coloured nipples. Paddy wanted to touch the man he loved desperately, Troy’s thighs clamped over his hips, spreading himself wide in the sort of manner Paddy had fantasised about several times. The Norwegian wrapped his rough fingers around both their erections and touched his lips to Paddy’s chest gently, lapping at the smooth yellowish skin.

“Troy…”

Troy nipped at the bud of one nipple gently and his eyes flashed up from under his long lashes.

“Touch me.” The words were wet whispers against his skin, and Paddy felt his skin heat up by several degrees. Troy was watching him like he was the centre of the universe again and Paddy was helpless to resist him.

He curled his fingers underneath where Troy was jacking their cocks together with torturous slowness and touched at the firm fleshy mounds of his lover’s pert behind. Troy’s eyes were hooded, and he was watching his crotch, fascinated by the sight of their twin erection appearing and disappearing from the top of his fist. Paddy found the tight ring of muscle at Troy’s entranced and circled it a few times with the tip of one fingers. Troy mewled between gritted teeth, vibrating and purring against his skin.

“Babe…” Paddy was equally breathless as Troy squirmed above him. The young man found his nipple again and began to lick and bite at the tender flesh as Paddy touched him. Pleasure was building in them both like hot coals glowing on a wintery afternoon, and Paddy could feel the heat creeping along the line which attached them.

“Please Patrick…” Troy was shaking, hardly holding himself up anymore, whimpering against his skin. “Please touch me.”

It was not a command Paddy could resist. He removed his hand, making Troy snarl at the sudden lack of contact, but brought his fingers to his mouth, wetting them considerably before returning.

“Breathe.” It was a reminder for both of them but Paddy managed to find his other hand in Troy’s hair and caught his mate’s chin, forcing the big blue eyes to look up at him. “Breathe and relax.” He tapped at Troy’s entrance, drew little circles with the wetness of his digits for a moment, then as Troy continued to squeeze them together, he pushed in the tip of one finger.

Troy was hot inside like the earth in a peat fire, smouldering and soft. Paddy waited for his mate’s body to adjust around the invasion, for Troy to recover and continue to stroke them both with his hands. When Troy’s breathing dropped back into its normal range, Paddy pushed in further.

“Patrick!” Troy’s eyes glowing blue in the half light. “Oh…”

Paddy growled gently, making his chest vibrate and rumble under his lover. Troy’s body was tight around him, the gripping walls simultaneously trying to pull him in further and reject his presence. It was delightful, and Paddy felt his cock jerk of its own accord at the idea of soon being surrounded by the fantastic feeling.

Troy mewled into his skin, and Paddy took it as permission to start moving his finger. He slid gently in and out of his lover, never quite leaving his body, never letting Troy feel empty as he had done before. Only when they were both panting from the quick friction of Troy’s mutual masturbation did Paddy push further, curling to find Troy’s pleasure centre and stroked firmly over his prostate.

“Paddy!” Troy went suddenly tense in his arms at the touch, and his cock pulsed alongside Paddy’s as he came. Paddy continued to touch him, feeling all of Troy’s inner muscles clamping down around him, almost painfully tight, as his orgasm decorated Paddy’s hairless chest in sticky white ropes of come. When Troy kissed him, it was more than enough to push the big Scot over the edge himself, both of them becoming messy as Troy collapsed on his chest. Paddy brought both hands around his lover to hug him tight against his chest.

“Oh…” Troy’s voice was small and full of wonder. “Oh…”

“Aye babe.” Paddy was surprised he could even speak, considering how drained he felt. “I told ye it were gid.”

“It’s better than good.” Troy said between long breaths. “We should do it again.”

“Yes please.” Paddy managed. It was late, he was tired and sated, and his mate was warm and soft on his chest.

“We should go to bed.” Troy murmured, sounding as though getting up was the last thing he wanted to do. “We should have a shower.”

“Later.” The bear muttered, and fell asleep.