Free Her Wild Bear by Heather West

to pull off his shirt to get ready to shift, but stopped as he realized he shouldn’t. He grimaced and finally clambered to his feet. He let Tawny beat him to the cabin. He jogged calmly after her, unconcerned about his nudity, his drooping penis swinging and jostling as he ran.
     
    “Couldn’t that bear still be out there?” Tawny asked as she stood on the narrow porch, watching Matt stumble up the steps after her. She wrapped her arms tight around him, wishing she wasn’t wearing her skirt as she gently rubbed her hips against his. “Maybe we shouldn’t be sleeping on the ground like that.”
     
    Matt looked out into the woods. “I’m sure he could be around still. But it’s been a while. It’s more likely he’s moved on.” He gritted his teeth, bracing for what he knew she would ask next.
     
    “So are we going to get into town soon?” Tawny let Matt loose and stepped back to look into his eyes. But he kept his firm gaze on the surrounding forest.
     
    Tawny touched his face tenderly, her heart thrilling at the feel of his stubble on her fingers. “My parents must be going ape-shit crazy worrying about me, not to mention my friends.”
     
    Matt nodded reluctantly. “I suppose we should get you back. I need to be getting back to my family and friends as well.”
     
    A soothing breeze brushed past them as the night settled in.
     
    “Matt?” Tawny asked, her mouth twitching as she considered how to phrase the question. “What are you doing here?”
     
    Matt’s eyes glinted as he looked back over to her. “What are any of us doing here?” he retorted. “Are we here by accident, or is there some meaning to life?”
     
    Tawny slugged him in the arm. “I’m not being philosophical, you nut. I mean . . . why are you down at this cabin, alone?”
     
    A chilling breeze tousled at the hair over his gonads and they shriveled up with the cold. Matt pulled his pants from Tawny’s grip and slid his legs into them as she waited for his answer.
     
    “I needed to work some stuff out, I guess,” he admitted.
     
    “What kind of stuff?”
     
    Matt shrugged, and then sighed. He leaned over the porch railing and watched the rustling trees. “My father recently passed away,” he said finally.
     
    “Oh God! Matt… I’m so sorry.” Tawny covered her mouth with both hands in shock.
     
    “Thank you,” Matt replied. “It wasn’t a pleasant passing, I’m afraid. Someone shot him.”
     
    Tawny gasped. She watched Matt as he stared into the distance, a tear forming in his eye. She came up softly behind him, wrapping her arms around his body. “Was it a hunting accident?” she asked.
     
    Matt felt a lump swell in his throat, and he choked it back. He shook his head, his teeth gritting in rage as he thought about The Path.
     
    “You mean he was murdered?” Tawny breathed. Her heart pounded in her ears as she saw him nod.
     
    “And... did they catch who did it?”
     
    Matt only managed a subtle shake of his head before he felt the anguish engulf him. He pulled away from Tawny, hiding his pained expression as he stared into the evening sky. She studied his twitching jaw and his narrowing gaze.
     
    “He meant a lot to you, didn’t he?” Tawny remarked, her voice tender.
     
    Matt didn’t answer. He only took a long, deep breath, letting it slowly out. He kept himself turned away from her, but Tawny recognized the look of torment and loss in his hunched body. She could see that his eyes scanned the horizon as though he were searching — as though he were lost.
     
    Quietly Tawny worked her way in front of him, wrapping him in her embrace once again and burrowing her face into him. She could feel his body shake with grief. Her own tears stung her eyes and fell to his shirt. “And you’re here to mourn for your father?”
     
    He nodded. “That, and to figure my life out. Without him, I guess I really don’t know what to do anymore.”
     
    “Has it helped?” Tawny pressed. “Have you