Authors Note: the title of this chapter is a line from the song "Once You Love Somebody" by the band "Journey."
It was a few hours after Eric tried to eat some leftover supper. While he didn’t feel the urge to throw up; he was still feeling ill at ease from having to take a life earlier. Ever since becoming a were-panther though, Eric has become quite skilled at hunting; he and Frieda being taught by Spencer, how to stalk their prey to take it down efficiently and quickly with minimal suffering. Never feeling sick after taking down prey; on the contrary, he felt such a rush of victory and pride whenever he claimed an animal; whether it was a catch and release or a hunt with the intent to feast on fresh meat. Eric never had an issue with taking a life; until he had to kill a human being while protecting a couple of were-tiger cubs from potential harm.
Eric dreamed. He was reliving the act of having to witness the man, whose sternum he shattered gasp and slowly die in abject terror. Terror stemming from seeing his killer; an anthropomorphized panther, which most people believed belonged in the realm of fantasy and make believe. Eric watching the man’s life rapidly fade away; he felt that sickening feeling well up inside of him. The urge to vomit fresh within him, Eric was about to double over when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning round to see a familiar face; the face of a strange man he has not seen for nearly a year.
“You,” Eric looking stunned; “am I dreaming?”
“Well of course you are,” the man chuckling; “you can’t exactly kill the same man twice. Well unless it is his twin,” the man pausing; “but that isn’t the case here. This is dream and you clearly are in need of some guidance.”
“What I need,” Eric shuddering at having to see the man he killed; “is to have this memory or event, wiped from existence, permanently.”
“Can’t help you there,” the strange man responding; “but I can help you come to grips in dealing with what you had to do.”
“How,” Eric looking glum; “by talking to me? Saying soothing words such as ‘don’t worry, you did the right thing’. The deputies said that to me,” Eric’s voice starting to rise with an obvious snarl included; “Frances told me, hell even Benton gave me a rare nod of approval. None of it helped.”
“Yet the actions,” the strange man speaking in a soothing voice; “of Spencer and Frieda, helped to bring you out of your funk.”
“Rutting can only do so much,” Eric answering; “it helped take my mind off of what I did, but it didn’t fix things. I still feel like shit,” Eric shouting; “I can’t even look at my paws without feeling sick. I’m not even sure I can hunt after what happened,” Eric breaking down; his furry legs buckling under him as he starts to sob.
“Take comfort in the bond you share with Spencer and Frieda,” the strange man staring Eric face to face; “they will be your rock in this troubled time you are feeling. Only with their help will you be able to heal the damage to your psyche. Talk to them,” the strange man smiling; “trust in what they have to say.”
“You know,” Eric still teary eyed; “I remember you saying that we would have to deal with some trials shortly after our bond formed. Was this home invasion one of them?”
The strange man was silent; thinking on what Eric just said, his eyes shifting to a more draconic nature as he stares off into space for a moment. Looking at something that Eric cannot see; the white furred were-panther looked at the strange man and his reptilian eyes and felt a pang of dread wash over him as the man stared back at him with his eerie eyes.
“Just because you spencer and Frieda have creepy eyes,” the man looking at Eric; “doesn’t mean you have a monopoly over it.”
“What are you,” Eric slowly stepping back; “are you a were-beast like me?”
“Yes and no,” the man answering; “and as to your earlier question, regarding trials that you three would face? This home invasion you experienced earlier,” the strange man sighing; “was something I did not forsee. What I saw when you three became bonded mates,“ the man closing his eyes; “involved Julie Stovall trying to shatter that bond. Eric the future is not set in stone; it’s like a river, the ripples and eddies providing possibilities as you travel down life’s stream.”
“So the vision we three saw,” Eric eyes opening wide; “of the birth of our cubs is a future possibility as well?”
“No,” The man getting up and helping Eric as well; “that is an absolute. A rock in the stream that you three have joyfully latched onto; it’s the journey to that rock that is ever changing at the moment.”
“So what is next then for us,” Eric looking at the man with dragon eyes; “what possibilities do you see in our future?”
Sorry kid,” the man chuckling; “I don’t control or create the prophecy dreams, I just help you understand them better. Besides,” the man smiling; “I’m not here for that, only to help give you guidance so you can return to your old self-confident self. Talk to your mates,” the strange man smiling; “let them into your heart and you’ll find your strength once more. Your bond isn’t just for amazing sex after all,“ the man giving off a larger than average grin; displaying teeth more befitting a large wild animal than a regular human.
“You are one scary individual,” Eric looking at the man; “do you always have a flair for dramatics?”
“Only when they help get my point across,” then man chuckling; “but enough about me. Let’s get you back to a more pleasant dream.”
Before Eric could react or speak up, the dream of him talking in Benton’s study shifts to that of a wooded area; with the sun light streaming through the evergreens. Lying down on the forest floor, Eric tries to sit up but he is stopped as a couple of paws pass into his view. Looking around he sees both Spencer and Frieda in the fursonas; both purring and gently guiding him back down. Eric sees they are lying next to him and they place his furry paws on their respective and very swollen bellies.
“Your daughters want to say good morning,” Frieda nuzzling Eric; “feel them kick and squirm.”
“I can’t wait to meet them in person,” Eric responding; his purrs turning into happy growls as he feels the tiny kicks coming from his mate’s pregnant bellies. “Are either of you hungry,” Eric moving his paws to give them both loving embraces; there is still some of that buck I brought down last night left over suspended in the tree still.”
“You spoil us rotten you know,” Spencer purring; “fresh meat to ensure our cubs are healthy and strong. Once we give birth, you are getting one hell of a rut.”
“I’ll take that as a yes then,” Eric getting up to see his mates lying on the forest floor; giving a nearby tree a good shake, the large carcass of the buck falling down with a definitive thud. Eric rips off the hind quarters and gives Frieda and Spencer a leg each to gnaw on.
In the real world; Eric slept. The white furred were-panther, sandwiched between a grey furred were-panthress with russet highlights and a black furred werewolf/panther/feline hybrid. Each purring as they embrace Eric tightly; their tails twitching in delight as they sleep peacefully. Sharing the same dream that Eric is currently experiencing; the strange man, now in is ethereal dragon from chuckles softly as he watches the three enjoy the fantasy dream he helped fashioned for them.
“Enjoy the happy moment you three,” The dragon floating above; “and don’t forget Eric, let Spencer and Frieda help heal you. You have your future cubs to think of after all. Taking a human life is never easy, but you did it for the right reasons. Hold onto that, you will whether through this storm of yours in short order.”