Welcome to Gaia! ::

They drove most of the way in silence. For lunch they raided the dollar menu of a drive through and came away with twenty cheese burgers. Then they crossed the Cascade mountain range and it assented like the world changed. Cedars and maples took the place of the alpine forests, and everything smelled like rain. Katriel navigated through Seattle traffic and in only a few hours after pointing out the space needle, they were approaching the US/Canada boarder crossing. Katriel speed the caravan for a bathroom break at the tiny town just before the crossing.

"This is where I have to leave you, Ray," she warned him. Then she pointed north west. "There's a bay that way. You can hug the beach and no one will see you. The town on the other side is called Whiterock, because there's a big white boulder on their beach. We'll meet you there. If you do run into anyone, just act like a friendly dog but don't let them grab you. Got it?"

Katriel breezed through the boarder crossing. While not lax in security, these boarder guards were used to people coming through on longer road trips, which was why she stopped here instead of anywhere else. She speed up once on the Canadian side; her instincts told her something was wrong.

She parked in the small lot for tourists right next to the beach. She kept out of the car and took a wig of the breeze. She smelled something familiar--something from when she had rescued Ray. She came to the large boulder and saw Ray snarling at an ugly man. She didn't know who he was, but judging from Ray's reaction he was a very bad man.

"Thanks for finding my dog, mister," she called as she came to stand beside Ray. She looked around but most of the tourists had abandoned the beach at this late hot.

"You must be mistaken," Leon interjected, coming to stand on the other side of Ray. "I gave my wife this dog when he was just a puppy the years ago. We're very attached to him, and if you're going to threaten him or my wife, then I'm going to have to call the police and beat you to a pulp until they get here."

Katriel gave Leon a grateful glance. Three against one were far better odds.

"Do me a favor and put some clothes on before you hug me again," Leon said stiffly.

As they turned to walk back to the camper, Katriel nudged Leon with her elbow. "You can be pretty intimidating."

"This might sound weird--or not, considering present company--but he smelled wrong," Leon said. "I wouldn't trust that scumbag with a test sample I didn't like, much less a person."

"Well, judging by the smell of the camper, Ray-Jay is making dinner to show his appreciation," Katriel replied. "You should make friends."

Leon just grunted. They climbed into the camper and Leon sat down at the table while Katriel got the serving utensils and set the table.

"I'm just worried that he found you," Katriel said as she took the first portion of dinner. "Can he track you somehow?"

Leon noticed that Ray was acting like a shrinking violet. He hadn't meant to offend the boy. He just wasn't used to naked men hugging him. In an effort to make peace, more for Katriel's sake than Ray's, he piled his plate high with bangers and mash.

"This is great," he said after the first bite. It was true--the dinner was savory and satisfied his cravings for meat and calories.

"It would have been easier back at my lab," Leon grumbled. "But I think I can find a sympathetic vet to loan me an x-ray machine."

"Good, we'll take care of it before we leave the area," Katriel replied. "And I think youhave a knack for quick and simple cooking. This is delicious."

"It has to be done," Katriel insisted. Then she kissed him on the forehead before he went to take his nap.

"Squirrelly little fellow," Leon commented.

"Only around you," she reminded him.

"Can I help it if he sees me as competition?" He cried defensively.

"You've seen some of the scars, and you meet the man responsible for most of them tonight," she retorted. "He doesn't trust easily and you're not making it easier being as gruff as a grizzly around him."

"He seems to think that he's the alpha male around here," Leon snapped. "Is that true? Have you taken him as your mate? Or do werewolves get to sleep around like primates?"

"Now you're just being vulgar," Katriel growled.

"It's just a slap in the face that you would choose a scrawny stray like him over me," Leon continued, letting out all the frustration that had been building up through the day's drive. "I had a good job, I'm intelligent, I'm good with my hands, and I've had the hots for you for years. Then he come along and you bite me! Now we're together but not even close to how I imagined it, and my whole world is changing faster than I can cope with it. So yeah I'm going to be a mean old bear for a while; I don't think it's unreasonable."

Katriel got up and retrievedher bottle of whiskey and two glasses.

"Then we'll toast to the insanity of life," she replied, pouring them both large portions.