I had to find Doug.
Deciding to use my new nose to sniff him out, I drew a few short sniffs. It took a while but eventually, I knew where he had gone. To the hill by the woods, where I had first changed. Hoping that he wasn't going to do anything stupid, I decided that transforming was the quickest way to get to him.
Shedding my clothes bar my pants took mere seconds and I threw them into a nearby bin. I slowly but carefully shifted into my wolf form.
A few seconds later, I hid myself from view and then, I ran towards the woods as fast as I could go. About three minutes later, I reached the edges to find Doug in human form standing against a tree. He was breathing heavily, and definitely looked to be in no mood for jumping into my arms.
He sensed I had arrived and turned to face me with a look of complete distrust prominent from every pore.
"What do you want?" He asked.
"To ask you why you ran away" I replied.
To try and bottle my exasperation would be too much effort at this point so anything I said, I would have to apologise later.
"You should know, your father is a cold blooded killer of our kind. And according to him, so was your grandfather"
"So you're implying that I have the same trait, as that it?"
Doug shifted into his wolf form and snarled.
"That's exactly what I'm saying" he spat.
That was it, the gloves were off and I was ready to let rip.
"For your information, I didn't know I had a father for a hunter. And up until a year before I met you, and I wasn't aware the supernatural existed. So how the hell would I know about what my family were if they didn't tell me?"
That was a surprise for Doug. He winced slightly but for the moment, he stood his ground.
"So you didn't know that your family used to hunt our kind?" he asked.
"No, I only found out when you did. When you left, I berated my dad for not telling me. Then I decided to come and find you so you could see that I would never hurt you"
Doug shifted back to his human form once again. His expression had changed from anger to a fusion of sadness and bottled adrenaline.
"I let my temper get in the way again didn't I?" he said turning away.
I shifted once more than put my hand on his shoulder.
"You had every right to be angry; you found out that someone you love had skeletons you never knew about"
Doug faced me.
"How do you stay with me every time I lose my temper like that?"
"Simple" I replied.
He looked confused for a moment. I placed my hand on his cheek and licked his forehead.
"Because I love you"
He licked me back and tears started to come from his face. Wiping them away with my free hand, I kissed him on his crimson lips. When I had finished, he smiled a forgiving smile.
"Taylor, you deserve so much more than me" he laughed.
"But we've imprinted on each other, so what's not to deserve?"
Doug's eyes widened and he pushed me away.
"You imprinted on me? When?" he asked angrily.
"The night when I became a werewolf" I replied.
"And it just happened to slip your mind?"
"I didn't tell you because I didn't think it mattered. I loved you before it happened, and I love you now more than I ever have"
Doug didn't look convinced.
"Telling you I had imprinted on you was the hardest thing I ever had to do. So you repay the favour by not telling me you had done the same?"
He was taking this the wrong way and I was getting sick of his attitude.
"It's not that though I didn't want to tell you. I just never found the moment that was right"
"That is bullshit Taylor and you know it"
For all of our relationship, it felt like it was me that had been doing all the fighting. But now, I was fed up.
"You know what Doug, I may as well tell you now. I was scared of telling you because I thought you might not think the same of me. Like you had to be with me"
It was his turn to apologise, but just at this moment, he didn't.
"You know me better than that, or at least you should"
When people patronized me, it filled with rage. And now, it was ready to burst at the seems.
"Doug, I love you and I'm sorry I kept that from you. But if you are going to turn every little molehill into a mountain, I don't think I want to spend another second of my immortality with you!"
Giving him a look that I hoped conveyed my feeling of betrayal; I ran into the forest and changed. About five miles into the lush botanics, I started to cry lupine tears and howl with heartbreak present in every note I sang.
A few minutes later, I heard similar howling to mine. At first I thought it was the echo of my own voice but then I realised it was Doug. The half of me that was angry at him faded away.
It wasn't just a plea to get me back. My words had invoked something in him that I rarely saw in anyone and never hoped to see.
I had broken his heart.
Feeling guiltier than I had ever done in my entire life, I ran through the woods without stopping and reached Doug. He had shifted like me and was straining choked sobs and howls from his wolven throat. I ran over to him and nuzzled him with all my strength. I then licked his muzzle and looked into his eyes.
"Doug, I am so sorry"
The waterworks began once again. I became human once more and hugged his werewolf form with what I hoped he would accept as an apology. He licked the back of my neck and shifted slowly just as I had done before. He patted me on the back and I did the same.
A few seconds later, we looked into each other's eyes.
"Don't ever leave me" Doug said. There was a desperation in his voice, like a child needing his parents.
"I never will" I replied.
Our lips met and we had a truly mind blowing kiss. There was the usual passion and heat, but this time there was the energy from our forgiveness to each other and our desire to be in perfect balance with the other.
Before either of us could move, something wonderful happened.
Our bodies glowed with a light blue energy. It grew stronger and stronger as our kiss intensified and then when the moon came from the behind the clouds, it began to glow with the same fluorescence.
We both suddenly noticed the auras and tried to break apart but the aura kept us together. The energy from both of us began to float into the air, leaving us behind with our usual grey lunar area. The blue energies spun around for a second but then, the two fused together.
The instant the energy fused together, it slammed into the ground.
Me and Doug were both knocked backwards by the blast, landing about six feet from where it had landed.
After checking I was unharmed, I stood up and when to see what had happened. The blue energy had left behind something flesh and bone.
And human, at least in shape. The human looked to be about twenty years old, with golden shaggy hair, a very toned body and a penis that would shame a porn star. For some reason, looking at that area made me feel disgusted. I looked at Doug; he was looking down at the strange man that had appeared. He seemed to be just as dumbstruck as I was.
The young adult blinked and awoke. He had emerald eyes that shone brighter than I had ever seen. He turned to face me and his eyes opened wide. Then suddenly, he rose to his feet and ran away towards one of the trees. After staring speechless for a moment, I took a deep breath, and then fainted.
The next thing I remember, a splash of water hit me on the face and I awoke to see Doug standing over me.
"What happened?" I asked him.
"Well..." Doug began.
I looked over to see the strange man standing naked against of the trees. For some reason I couldn't explain, it feel like there was a connection between us. But I wasn't sure how.
"Who is that man? And what was that light?" I asked.
Doug sighed and took a deep breath.
"The truth is Taylor, this man is our son" he explained.
Looking into his face, I saw no visible signs of a lie. I choked and stared at him in silence.
"But how?" What? When? Why?" I finally asked.
I had so many questions and it was clear that Doug didn't know the answer to most of them.
"Well, as for how, he is a Moonborn" Doug replied.
"Moonborn?"
It wasn't exactly a term I was familiar with. Doug face palmed himself and looked at me in a way that could have been interpreted as an apology.
"For were-animal couples that can't have children of their own, due to sexual preferences or other reasons, they can have what is known as a Moonborn son or daughter"
Well that was a relief in one way. I was glad that becoming a werewolf hadn't given me female reproductive organs. Not that there was anything wrong with them.
"When the couple make love, and they are in perfect synchronisation with each other, a son or daughter will be born, thanks to the power of the moon"
So that was one of the reasons why the moon was so important to werewolves, apart from the fact that it was the time that all new were-animals transformed for the first time.
"So if someone were to check his DNA, what would they find?" I asked Doug. He thought about it for a second then replied.
"They would find the DNA matched both of us. This is why we generally keep Moonborns secret. If scientists discovered that same-sex breeding could occur, there's no knowing what would happen"
A sudden image of two werewolves locked in a cage under a moon being forced to love each other sprang to mind. It wasn't a pretty sight so in a second it was gone.
"But he must be at least twenty years old. He's missed his childhood. Does he have any knowledge at all?"
"Moonborns are given a share of traits and intelligence from their families. They are not truly aware that childhood or adolescence exists so they cannot miss it. In a sense, this is the moment of their birth"
It felt strange to me that Moonborns were given life that would be as fulfilling as growing up from a child. But that was a part of my human instinct that still remained.
"In fact, one of the first were-animals was a Moonborn" Doug ventured.
"Really? When did that happen?" I asked intrigued.
"Two thousand years ago, a man named Zephr fell in love with another man, who was named Bryak. In those days, that kind of love was forbidden so a powerful elder warlock cursed Zephr to become a wolf.
The two still remained together but due to laws of bestiality, the two were banished to a forest. Where they met a kindly sprite named Marusiran. Who happened to be your guardian"
I gasped. Just then, a puff of green smoke appeared and Markus appeared in his usual genie slash fairy ensemble. After giving him a hug, we both smiled at each other.
He turned to look at the man who was still standing against the tree. He was staring at the floor. Lost like a sheep away from its flock.
"I see you've been busy" he smirked.
"It was an accident" I said on the defensive. I stopped suddenly and thought it through. I was defending a man I hardly knew. But somehow, listening to my new wolf instinct told me that this was my son.
"Was it you who gave us a Moonborn?" I asked.
"Yes, because you deserve to have one. Your love is stronger than any I have seen in a thousand years"
Doug cleared his throat.
"As I was saying, Markus saw their pain and gave the two what they both lacked to be whole. He gave them the power to shift between wolf and human form. They became the first werewolves"
"I couldn't undo the curse but I could change it to make it so they could be together. But the first Moonborn was born until they were in perfect balance with each other, not just physically but emotionally" Markus explained.
"Knowing that they would never be able to pass on their genes without a little help, I cast a spell on the moon to help them out. Just as I did with you two to give you a son"
Speaking of our son, we all looked over at him. He still looked scared, confused and lost. He smiled at us and turned back to face the ground.
"Does he have a name?" I asked
"His name is chosen by the two of you. Zephr and Bryak's daughter was named Minerva"
"The goddess of wisdom" I answered.
"Exactly. And wise she was. She brought together many others and changed them if they wanted to be changed. They decided to keep themselves secret and only breed with those of their own kind if they could help it. So in effect, that's how everything Doug and the others come to know as normal came to be, and now you have the wisdom Minerva bestowed all those years ago"
Markus smiled and I returned the gesture to thank him for the history lesson.
"I think he needs you" Markus said carefully pointing at our Moonborn son. "Both of you"
Me and Doug looked at each other. This was all happening so fast. A few minutes ago we were fighting and now we had a son?
"I think it's best to go one at a time" Doug suggested.
He was right.
"Do you want me to try?" I asked.
Doug nodded and kissed me lightly.
"Be careful" he said quietly.
"I think it's a bit late to be careful" I whispered back. He laughed and lightly tapped my arm with his hand. Taking several deep breaths, I started to wander in the direction of my son.
After walking a few inches, he looked at me with caution.
He growled lightly out of instinct so I approached slowly and carefully. When I about three feet away, I assumed a non-threatening position as best I could. After a while, he could sense that I wasn't a threat so he let down his guard.
"You ok?" I asked him carefully.
"Yeah, I think so" he replied.
I chose the soft approach in case he didn't know of his dual nature.
"Do you know what you are?"
He was silent for a second, then spoke his next sentence slowly.
"All I know is that I'm a werewolf born from moonlight. But I don't know my name"
He looked at me with slight confusion present in his face. A weak smile stretched carefully from the corners of his mouth. If I had been given a son in a heterosexual relationship, this is what I imagined he would be like, if we had met for the first time as adult. Because of my new werewolf instinct, I understood completely what he was going through and exactly what to say.
"You don't have a name yet. You were only born a few minutes ago"
He looked surprised. Then blushed and pushed his hair from his eyes.
"I kind of guessed as much. I don't have any memory of life before being here. But it feels pretty strange to be born from light, like some kind of shadow"
A brief smile crossed my lips. The bond between us was growing stronger every second. And it felt comfortable, normal even.
"Do you like being called a shadow?" I asked him.
For the first time, I saw a genuine smile cross his face. Not just an expression but a true emotional response.
"Just Shadow sounds cool. Kind of noble" He replied.
"Then, do you want that to be your name?"
He looked up at me. Then after a second, he slowly nodded. The whole situation was moving rather quickly yet I remained as calm as I could. The biggest surprise was the next thing he asked me.
"Can I get a hug?" Shadow asked.
Being one of his fathers, I had to oblige. He rose to his feet and we joined together in a bear hug. After a minute, Doug carefully walked over from Markus and joined in the hug. Shadow seemed cautious at first but after he realised who the other man was and relaxed.
Being the curious type, I had questioned if there was a bond between us in any way whatsoever. I mean, how could you suddenly have a family connection in a matter of seconds? But being close to him now, there was no question about it. His scent and the unconditional love I felt, erased all doubt from my mind. This man was our son.
I couldn't speak for Doug, but I couldn't have been happier if I tried.
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