When Cal came to, he was shocked to find himself staring up at the dark, starry sky of early morning, once again laying naked in a clearing in the middle of the forest. He sat up, groaning from how sore his body felt. Every muscle rang with a dull ache, as if he’d been working out all day. He reached over to massage his cramping thigh and his hand froze when he felt thick fur running under his fingers. He jumped and ran his hands over his body, marveling at the thick brown coat that covered every inch of his skin now. His lean, youthful physique had grown considerably; the muscles in his chest, his arms, his back and stomach all firm and bulging with power. He looked down at his cock, seeing it had changed to resemble Luka’s; dark, almost black skin, and longer and thicker soft than the erect human cock he had only just received what seemed like minutes ago. He reached down to touch it, yelping when one of his claws came into contact with the sensitive skin.
“You’ll learn how to retract them, don’t worry.” A deep, coy voice said behind him. Cal jumped and turned around to see Luka, in his bear form and reclining against a tree.
“You!” Cal shouted in a deep, thunderous voice, striding towards him. Luka stood up and casually dusted himself off as Cal stepped up and grabbed him by the neck with his enormous paw, slamming him against the rough bark of the tree. “What the fuck did you do to me?” He roared. Cal had never felt so much rage, so much anger before in his life. It shocked and scared him, these feelings, but having his body changed so irrevocably on him twice now, left him feeling used and violated.
Luka chuckled, not even wincing as Cal slammed him back again. “I know you’re angry. I was angry too,” he confessed, looking deep into Cal’s deep green eyes. “But look at yourself. You’re no longer a scrawny piece of walking meat. You’re a beastman! A strong and virile werebear. Isn’t this better?” he asked, leveling a serious gaze on Cal. He released his grip on Luka’s throat and stepped away, taking a deep breath. Cal was enjoying his strength, his ferocity, his cock. But he didn’t want to give Luka the satisfaction.
“Explain.” He damned, turning back to him and folding his arms over his furry chest.
“I was weak and human once too; I wandered out here as a young man many years ago, when the Alpha caught me and gave me the gift. And now I’ve given it to you.” He finished.
“But why did you give it to me?” Cal growled.
“Same reason my master chose me: I was alone and unsuspecting in the forest.”
“Do you do this to all the strays that get lost out here?” Cal snarled at him.
Luka smiled wickedly and shook his head slightly. “No, not all are worthy of the gift. But they don’t suffer.” He promised, leaving Cal to contemplate what his fate could have been.
He looked around the clearing, noticing it wasn’t the same one as where Luka’s den was; it was much larger and more open, the grass flat and trampled as if it experienced a lot of traffic.
“Why did you take me here?” Cal asked, his tone still tense and angry. “What is this place?”
“We like to gather here as the full moon approaches. I brought you here so that you could meet the Alpha, before the hunt begins.” He replied, striding towards the center of the clearing.
“What do you mean, ‘the hunt’?” Cal asked uncertainly.
“You may look like us, but now you need to prove you are one of us.” Luka said. “Tonight, you’ll make your first kill and become one of us.”
Just then, they both started as a trio of figures broke the treeline; two of them were carrying a bundled figure between them. As they approached, Cal figured that they must be the other werebears Luka was talking about. The two bears carrying the load were both tawny-brown, while the one looming behind them had rich, black fur smattered with grey. He was taller than all of the bears Cal realized, including himself, scarred and powerfully muscular. A heavy cock and round, furry balls swayed between his thickly muscled legs. This must be the Alpha, Cal thought to himself, tearing his eyes upwards to meet the bear-man’s green-eyed gaze.
The trio stopped before them, the two bears dropping their burden on the ground. Calvin’s eyes widened when he heard a grunt and a gasp come from the bundle.
“Greetings,” the black bear grumbled in a deep, throaty tone. “You’ve changed nicely, little one. But you’re not a werebear yet.” He stooped down and began working on the ropes of the bound person on the ground. “Times are hard, human. The uneasy peace between men and beasts is breaking. We need to build our ranks if we are to survive.” He pulled off the skins and furs, revealing a naked and bound man lying within them. His body resembled Cal’s human male body before his conversion; the leanly muscled and hairy body of a strong young man. He stared up at the werebears with wild, desperate blue eyes, his teeth gnashing at the gag in his mouth.
“This” the alpha peered down at the man as if struggling for the right word, “Human,” he spat. “Was once one of us, until he got himself defiled by a wizard and stripped of his ursine gift. He not only shamed us by laying with the human, but also by allowing himself to be turned into their weak form.” The other werebears next to him grumbled and growled in agreement.
“So,” Cal hesitated, wondering if the big bear would silence him. “So, what’s your point?”
“This human will get a chance to meet his new people, or his maker. And you will get a chance to prove yourself to us as his replacement in our pack.” He explained.
Cal glared down at the bound young man, watching him sweat. “Wait, do you want me to…”
“Yes. He will be released. You will give him a head start, and then, alone, you will track him and kill him.”
“And if I refuse?” said Cal, after a moment pondering.
“Then we will kill you both.” The alpha replied shortly. Luka moved away from him and took his place next to the taller of the two tawny bears, his hand snaking around his furry waist. They all glared at him with lethal intent on their furry, stony faces.
Calvin looked from them, to the boy on the ground, and then at his own hands. The rough, calloused pads of his palms, the narrow and razor-sharp claws emerging from his fingertips. Cal had no doubt that this new body he had was deadly and powerful, but he’d only had it for a few hours. These men had a lifetime to learn how to use their claws and their bodies to fight and kill; he’d be ripped to shreds by these creatures. He couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for the man at his feet, however. If it was true that this human was once a werebear like he was now, then the man shared his shock and fear at his new body.
And he was probably eager to find a way to return to it.
Calvin did some very quick thinking before looking the alpha bear in the eyes and saying, “Fine. I’ll do it.” He said, looking down at the man and scratching his nose.
“Excellent.” The bear let out a low chuckle. “I’m sorry, Ledo, that it has to be this way.” He said, kneeling down to the bound man once again to undo the restraints on his body. “But you should have known better than to trust a human wizard.”
“Why didn’t you just…fuck him into a werebear, like me?” Cal asked
“Believe me, we tried.” One of the tawny bears chuckled, his cock twitching from the thought. The other bears chuckled along with him but then died down and became solemnly quiet again. “But it didn’t work. The curse on him was too powerful.” He said.
“Enough.” He said, ripping off the cords but leaving the man’s mouth gagged. “Let’s end this. We need to be outside Dicktin by next moon.” He slapped the human man’s ass as he scrambled up to his feet. “Get going, meat-man. Before our fangs find you.” He growled.
The man ran forward a few yards before stopping and ripping off his gag. “I could get turned into a slug and you’d still be weaker than me! I may be stuck in this weak flesh, but I won’t give my throat to some squalling cub fresh out of his papa’s ass!” he shouted at them, spitting in Cal’s direction before streaking off into the underbrush.
“He even runs like they do. Go now, brother. Return with his corpse, or we come for you. And make no mistake: we will find you.” He threatened.
Calvin took a few hesitant steps forward in the human’s direction, feeling out his new longer and stronger legs before quickly breaking into a run. He dared not look back; he had to find the human before he got too far into the woods or laid some ridiculous trap or something for him. He could smell the boy in the air, on the tree trunks, on branches that whipped over his skin; it was musty, slightly sweet and cloying. He tried to ignore the way it made his mouth water as he pursued the scent trail, his mind clearing of thought as the noises and smells and tastes of the forest gradually became more and more clear to him. He followed the trail down a slope and up to the edge of a dry ravine, the steep walls covered in epiphytic ferns. Suddenly, the wind was knocked out of him and Cal’s stomach gave a sickening lurch as he felt himself falling over the edge and down to the gravelly dry riverbed below.
Cal slammed into the ground with a loud thump, the weight on his back informing him that whoever had knocked him down had fallen with him. He was still trying to catch his breath and recover when he felt a searing pain at his throat as the man lunged down and bit his neck.
“Ow, what the shit!” he roared, a mighty paw reaching around to cuff the man on the head and send him flying to the ground. Cal got to his knees and felt his neck; it wasn’t bleeding, he hadn’t even broken the skin, but damn, that hurt. “Look, just calm…”
But the man lunged at him, his hands stretched wide and his teeth bared in a roar, as if he were still a bear. Cal caught him and spun him around, slamming him down in his back and placing a heavy paw on his chest. The man was about to struggle when Cal hooked a sharp talon underneath his jaw and let it rest right on the jugular.
“Stop moving.” He commanded, growled in a low tone. He raised his head and sniffed the air; he couldn’t smell the other bears, but, then again, he wasn’t ready to totally rely on his new senses yet. The man started struggling again so Cal lifted himself slightly and slammed his weight back down on the man’s chest, hearing a satisfying groan.
“I said stop. Look, I’m not going to kill you. Just listen.” the man stopped struggling, but said nothing as he continued to stare at Cal with livid eyes. “I got changed against my will, and so did you. Instead of us dying, why don’t we help each other find a way back to our correct forms?” he offered.
“Why would you want to change back?” the man finally said, looking at Cal’s beefy, ursine body with lust and envy.
“Do you want to stay human for the rest of your life?” he replied.
“Gods, no! I want my fur and my fangs back!” he complained
“Well, then let’s get the fuck out of here before your brothers find us and kill us both.” Cal said.
“But how do I know I can trust you?” the man asked.
“Because I’m not from where ever this is!” Cal almost screamed at him. “This isn’t who I am and I don’t belong here! I want to go home!” he growled.
A strange look crept upon the man’s face as he peered up into Calvin’s eyes. “An outlander,” he murmured, before the heard a distant roar. “They’re entering the field. Fine, but you’ll need to carry me.” He said. Cal made to scoop the man into his arms but he pushed him off. “No, balls for brains, take your bear form and let me ride you.” He demanded.
“But I thought this was my bear form,” Cal muttered, looking down at himself.
“That’s your beastman form, but Weres can shift fully between their human and animal selves. You need to become a bear, now.” He said, looking around the dark forest with apprehension. “Gods take these human eyes, I’m nightblind.”
Cal found himself imagining a bear, a big, powerful, shaggy-furred bear, roaming the forest free and unencumbered like the apex predator he was. He felt his center of gravity shift, his bones and muscles shift into place his new weight pulled him down onto all fours. He let out a throaty gasp as he looked at his massive paws and down the length of his broad, furry body.
“Excellent, you’re becoming a natural.” The man said. Cal winced as the man grabbed a fistful of his fur and climbed on his back. “Now let’s go. We need to make it to the beaches. Follow the canyon, go!”
Calvin took off, growling when the man fastened his grip on his fur. He tore off down the dry ravine, marveling at how his body deftly leapt over logs and debris. He huffed and panted as his heavy limbs swung forward and backward, carrying his body swiftly downstream. He had remembered learning somewhere that bears could run quite fast, despite their size, but experiencing it was something else. Cal was enjoying it so much that he almost forgot they were running for their lives, until…
“They’re on our tails!” he heard the man shout. Cal didn’t want to turn to look, but his sensitive ears flicked at the sound of heavy grunting and thunderous footfalls above him; they were flanking him from above on the ravine.
“They won’t cross the treeline; its too close to port!” the man shouted in Cal’s ears. “Just get to the beach and…” he yelped and ducked as a low branch almost took his head off. The canyon had ended, and now Cal was loping through an uneven field of bramble and pine trees. He could hear the bears behind him and he pushed himself faster. A fresh, briny scent was on the air: the ocean. They tore across the field, Cal barreling through bramble and undergrowth like a bulldozer, then man on his back desperate to hang on. His paws suddenly connected with soft, cold, coarseness and he realized that they had made it to the beach. The waves were crashing in the darkness to their right, and looking down the beach, Cal saw the twinkling lights of a city. The roaring and snarling of bears was close behind them.
“That’s the port, go!” the man commanded. Cal grunted with the effort of forcing his huge weight over the shifting sand. He spread his claws and powered on, not stopping even when he realized he could no longer smell or hear the other bears. What did stop him was a piece of driftwood that came out of nowhere from the darkness. Cal roared and the man above him screamed as tumbled head-over-foot, throwing the man off of him and onto the sand. Cal felt his head collide with something hard and recoiled in pain, a whiney groan escaping his lips as he panted.
“What the hell was that?” cried the man, getting up and dusting the sand from his naked body. “Oh, shit.”
Cal got to his knees and clutched his throbbing head, shocking himself when a more human hand made contact with the slightly less furry side of his face. He looked down around his body, watching the fur and the claws slowly recede.
“You’re shifting back. You must be exhausted. Come on, lets rest here.” The man said. He helped Cal further inward and away from the rise of the surf. They lay back against a broad sand dune, Cal grateful for the cool, temperate air that blew across his sweating chest.
“I can’t believe you outran them. You’re pretty fast.” The man said after a minute. “My name is Ledo, thank you for helping me.” He said.
“I’m Cal,” he replied after a moment, checking his hand and relieved that his head wasn’t bleeding.
“Thank you, Cal. You saved my life, and I am in your debt.” He said formally.
“That’s really not necessary.” Cal protested.
“In this world, it is. I swear to help you find your true form and true home, as you swore to do for me.” He said.
“I’m glad that’s settled.” He felt around his body, noticing that as a human his muscles were now bigger and harder, the hair covering his body was thicker and coarser. He checked his face and sure enough he had a developed man’s beard where a face full of stubbly shadow had been the day before. Cal’s hand reached down to check his cock, feeling with another strange pang of pride that it too had grown bigger and thicker. He needed answers for how his body could be changed like this, or where he even was. Narnia? No, too much sex. Westeros? Not enough sex. Cal shook the thoughts from his head and laid back against the sand, jumping when Ledo pulled himself against Cal’s chest. He looked down at the smaller man in surprise.
“What? I got no fur anymore. And its cold.” He said, nuzzling closer. Cal laughed and put a big arm behind him, holding him in place. He could tell Ledo was nodding off, but Cal couldn’t find it within himself to sleep. Maybe it was because of the uncertainty of tomorrow, maybe he still wasn’t full convinced that he didn’t have a concussion. Either way, Cal laid awake into the wee hours of the morning, wondering what he and his new companion were going to do to fix themselves.