Blackfeather
30 College
HERE’S SOMETHING that will scare the freakin’ shit out of you. Go off time traveling in the body of an ancient wolf and when you get back home, realize that you’re still in him and looking at yourself—only you’re not home. I could feel my consciousness split. I was in Wolf. I was aware of myself.
My hand was on Kyle’s arm to stop him from shooting. Blackfeather, still echoing his call, swooped in and sat on Kyle’s rifle. Wolf sat on his haunches and began to snarl-bark.
Kyle turned and went pale.
“Ramie, let go of my arm. We’ve got wolf-company behind us. Get your gun, sister.” My hand tightened on Kyle’s arm. I didn’t turn. “Ramie?” Wolf started snarl-barking again. I could feel my voice giving shape to Wolf’s thoughts.
“I will thin my pack and teach my pups. We will abide in this land and share it for generations to come and generations past. We will avoid the man-lands and shepherd the prey.”
Apparently, Blackfeather figured Kyle had seen enough. He called with his knocking voice and I could see Kyle change. He was time traveling. Blackfeather cawed again and I was in my own body. I turned to look at Wolf. He stood and shook himself. We heard the pack howling in the valley below. Wolf approached the overhang where Kyle and I were watching the pack. He sniffed Kyle up one side and down the other and then did the same to me. He licked the scars on my throat. They burned.
“Thank you for the ride,” I said. “I think that’s your new pack down there. You’ve got to lie low. They’re being hunted. Even by me. I’ll see you around.”
The paw he placed on my chest nearly covered it. He didn’t push me but just held the paw there, right over the necklace of wolves’ teeth.
“We are one spirit.” The words echoed in my head and I felt my senses heightened.
Wolf looked out over the valley to where we could still see the wolves moving south. He lifted his head and gave a howl that almost left me deaf. Wolf leapt over our shoulders and down toward the valley below.
Blackfeather, still perched on Kyle’s gun, cawed and Kyle snapped back to himself. He jerked around to look for the wolf. I pointed down the hill. We could see him leap occasionally as he sprinted toward the pack.
“That wolf, Ramie. He was… he was talking to us.”
“I don’t think everybody in that pack is going to be happy to see him,” I said. “Good luck, Wolf.”
The kids saw us about the time we crested the last rise before the slope down to the ranch. They pushed the horses they were riding up the hill and met us half-way.
“Did you kill them?” Caitlin asked excitedly.
“Where’s the teeth?” Phile added.
“You’re back sooner than we expected,” Caitlin continued, without giving us a chance to answer either question.
“We heard them howling two nights ago. Everyone was up all night and patrolling in pairs.”
Pa and Moms were standing on the porch when we rode into the yard waiting for us. They stepped out to meet us and help us take the gear off the mule and horses, and make sure they were well-tended before we went in the house and sat down at the table. Smelling a kettle of Mom Mar’s chili cooking set my stomach rumbling.
“That smells so good!” Kyle moaned. “Can we eat now?”
“I wasn’t planning to starve you,” Mom Mar said. “Sit down.” She started ladling chili into bowls and put crackers on the table for us.
“That’s so much better than trail rations,” I sighed.
“And the wolves?” Mom Ash said, getting straight to the point. Kyle looked to me, and I took a deep breath and looked at Kyle. He looked down and shoveled another spoonful of chili in his mouth. Big help.
“The problem is over,” I said with finality. “There are still wolves, but they won’t be bothering us again.”
“What do you mean they won’t be bothering us again?” Caitlin demanded. “Are they dead? If I see a wolf near our horses, I’ll shoot it, no matter what.” Phile reached over and touched her arm.
Pa nodded and stood up. I knew we were headed to his office and I’d have to say more, but for now it was over.
“Don’t forget they are Ramie and Kyle’s horses. They’ve got a lot at stake here. If Ramie says they won’t bother us, believe it. Don’t go looking for trouble,” he reprimanded Caitlin. “We’ll talk in the office.”
I hedged a lot, but Pa wasn’t too demanding. When I told him Blackfeather had arranged a leader that would teach the pack, he and Moms just shrugged. They let us off. We headed out to call Aubrey.
We’d missed being with Aubrey on Christmas and on New Year’s Eve, but we still had three weeks before classes started and we were determined to make the most of them. An hour after we’d called, the three of us were piled into the seat of Kyle’s truck and headed for Roxie’s Bistro for dinner. Aubrey was squirming between us. With Kyle focused on driving, she turned her lips to me and I got lost in her kiss.
“I’m so sorry we missed all the holiday with you,” I whispered as I petted and kissed her.
“Hmmpff. Next time the two of you want to take off for a romantic getaway in the mountains for a week, give me a little advanced warning. I might have been able to arrange an affair while you were gone,” she said.
“Aubrey! You wouldn’t, would you, baby?” I pled.
“Aubs, we weren’t having any romantic getaway,” Kyle added. “No place either of us wanted to be as much as beside you.”
“That’s for sure. Freezing your ass off in a tent and eating trail rations three times a day is not what I call romantic,” I added. “Aubrey, would you really have an affair?”
“Don’t be silly,” she whispered, as she kissed me again. “Kyle, get this thing parked so I can kiss you. I’m not even sure I want dinner before we make love.”
Kyle obeyed pretty quickly and before we got out of the truck we’d all had another round of kissing. We got to Roxie’s and all smashed in on one side of a booth.
“It’s pretty bad when a girl has two lovers and still gets left alone,” she sighed as we waited for our food. “You really weren’t having a… romantic getaway together?” she asked.
“No, Aubs. Is that what you were really afraid of? Kyle and I both love you, but we’re not into each other like that.”
“We love each other, but we’re brother and sister. You are our lover,” Kyle added. He glanced at me for confirmation. Aubrey held one of our hands in each of hers and pulled them up to her lips.
“Sometimes I get worried,” she said. “I don’t know anybody who has a relationship like we do. I can’t talk to anybody. I tried talking to my parents. They are supportive of my lifestyle as much as possible, but they don’t really understand it and don’t want to know the details. They just want to believe that Kyle is my boyfriend and Ramie is my best buddy. They have acknowledged that Kyle and I are living together and practicing to make them grandchildren. They really don’t want to think about you getting your face between my legs, Ramie,” she giggled.
“Damn. That talk always gets me hot,” Kyle moaned. The back of my hand brushed his as we ran them up the inside of Aubrey’s legs. We were going to get her out of those jeans as quick as possible when we got home.
“That’s just it,” Aubrey said. “You both get off when I’m with the other. You both really love me for me?” We kind of knocked heads as we both dove in to kiss her. I let Kyle go first but he yielded her lips to me and I kept them until our food arrived.
There was a lot of squealing and a lot of coming in our apartment that night, and every night for the next two weeks. Kyle and I were both determined to knock our little dynamo’s socks off. Whatever we could dish out, she could take and give back more. When I first got Kyle and Aubrey together, I never dreamed what a sexpot she was. She never wore clothes in the apartment and I kind of lost my inhibitions after I’d seen Kyle’s bare butt enough times, when he was carrying her to me, or I was carrying her to him. Aubrey’s nearly a foot shorter than Kyle and eight inches shorter than me. Either one of us can carry her around and she loves it.
The week before classes started, we got the keys to our new room on campus and started moving in. We still had responsibilities on the ranch and worked with the kids to get things split up so they wouldn’t be overburdened. Moving us into town meant they’d have to start riding the bus every day again. They weren’t happy about that, but weren’t old enough to drive yet. That’s the problem with a summer birthday. Even as sophomores in high school, they would never get to drive. Phile already had picked out the kind of truck he planned to get the day he turned sixteen.
Kyle and I got out of class early on Wednesdays, so we arranged that one of us would pick them up at the high school that night and go out to the ranch to help with chores and the big jobs. Then they could ride in Thursday morning with whichever of us was at the ranch. That meant that we each had the campus apartment alone with Aubrey every other week. It became our solo date night.
On the weekends, we all went out to the ranch unless one of us had an activity on campus. Lots of students go home on the weekend from UW unless there’s a ballgame. We took care of our responsibilities on the ranch, loved on our horses, ate dinner with the family, studied, and made love. Monday morning, we’d all five pile into the truck and we’d drop Caitlin and Phile at school before we headed for class.
We started to realize what a mistake we’d made first semester by not living on campus. We were having fun in school. Our campus apartment was small, but no worse than our ranch apartment. We also shared a pretty normal bathroom, which was the same as we did at home, so it didn’t bother us. We’d managed to train Kyle to put the seat down most of the time.
We didn’t hear much about wolves for the rest of the winter. Whenever they were mentioned at home, Caitlin got a murderous look in her eyes. I tried to comfort her and talk to her, but the death of Bows’ foal hit her harder than all the rest of us. Even Phile had trouble keeping her calm and he’d been the only one who could always soothe her.
We got through our final exams the second week of May and spent the entire weekend on campus partying. We didn’t booze up, though there were plenty of opportunities. Aubrey pledged a sorority and I got dragged along to their year-end party. Some frat was there and it seemed like it was just a hook-up party. I was pretty uncomfortable, but Aubrey didn’t want to make a big thing about us being together, so she flirted a lot and we got dragged out to dance. I caught myself reaching for my boot knife on one occasion when a guy made a pass at me. Another dude tapped him on the shoulder and reminded him that ‘no means no.’
“You’re Aubrey’s girlfriend, right?” the newcomer said. “I’m Rick Miles. Aubrey and I are in the same study group.”
“Um… thanks, Rick. I’m Ramie Bell.”
“I have to tell you, Ramie; I’m a little envious of you. Aubrey made it clear to us last fall that she was in a serious relationship with her girlfriend. That was about the time I asked her out,” Rick said. Aubrey never told me she’d been asked out. Or that she’d told her study group about me. Why me and not Kyle?
“We’ve been together for a while,” I said. “Aubrey doesn’t want to make a big deal about it here at the sorority, though. I don’t blame her. It just isn’t my scene. How did you know it was me?”
“I’m not much around horses and livestock, but a bunch of us who play football went to support our rodeo team. I spotted the two of you at one of the rodeos cheering up a storm. It was pretty obvious you were together,” he laughed.
“My brother ropes on the team,” I said. “We were having a good time cheering for him.”
“Yeah. Bell. Kyle Bell, right? Couple of the brothers invited him to pledge our frat. He racked up some serious points in that last rodeo. Is he headed for Nationals?”
“No. Even though he did well in that last competition, he didn’t compete in the fall season, so he doesn’t have near enough points. Maybe next year.”
“People think we’re crazy to gear up and slam into each other while we try to move a football down field,” Rick laughed. “But none of my opponents has horns or weighs 500 pounds! Those guys are crazy.”
“Hey, you!” Aubrey said, coming up from behind me. She started poking Rick in the chest with her finger. “Are you putting the make on my girlfriend?” Her voice was just low enough so only we could hear her. I was worried she was angry with me.
“It’s okay, Aubs. He kind of rescued me from a guy who was a little aggressive,” I quickly explained. Aubrey giggled and I realized she was kidding with us and trying to make Rick blush. She was succeeding. He raised his hands like he was under arrest.
“Really, Aubrey. Just as your friend!”
“Yeah. Not that you’re so much a friend that you wouldn’t want to get these two hot girls alone together,” she giggled. I wondered if she’d been drinking. She was really wound up tight.
“You know guys,” Rick said innocently. “All we ever think about is having two hot girls to watch.”
“I’ll let you watch us kiss if you get us out of here,” Aubrey whispered. She looked at me with her eyebrows raised. “I’ve really had enough.”
“And me leaving with the two of you would help your image in the eyes of your sisters,” Rick snorted. “Actually, it wouldn’t do my reputation any harm either. Ramie?”
“I don’t give a shit about my reputation, but if that’s what it takes to get you out of here, honey, I’m all for it,” I said to Aubrey.
“Let’s go.”
“I’d rather not show up at the frat house ten minutes after leaving a party with the two hottest girls there,” Rick said. “How about we go to Shari’s for a burger or something.”
“Let’s pick Kyle up on the way,” Aubrey said. “He’s just moping around the apartment waiting for us anyway.”
“You all three live together?” Rick asked. We just nodded. I wasn’t willing to give away any more of our relationship than necessary to a stranger.
“I guess you’re kind of a fourth wheel tonight, Rick,” Aubrey said. “Unless Ramie wants to do something. She’s my girlfriend and Kyle’s my boyfriend. You can back out now if you want.”
“Look, if I’m interfering with something, I’ll take off.”
“We’ve got friends, Rick,” I said. “We’re just going out for a burger, right?”
We picked up Kyle and he recognized Rick. We all had a good time at the restaurant and when several other kids from school showed up, we waved. Shari’s is about the only place open in the middle of the night in Laramie. Aubrey was still at her best and flirted equally with all three of us. We finally left and Rick dropped us off at the dorm. He and Kyle shook hands and I gave him a kiss on the cheek to thank him for intervening at the party. Aubrey gave him a smooch right on the lips. She had to know Kyle and I both noticed.
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