When the weekend finally came to an end, Cameron and Patrick were a perfect team, running the junior sports activities like pros, playing soccer, kickball, and even a little beach volleyball over by the lakeside. With his newfound stamina that came with his newly lean build, Patrick could keep up with even the most energetic critter in the world without breaking a sweat, and Cameron learned from his little boyfriend’s energy and spirit to get in on the fun as well. Cameron could teach the kiddos all the technical aspects of the game, while Patrick kept the energy levels and motivation high until the very last minute. And whenever they got a chance where the little critters weren’t looking (or, at least they hoped not), they were planting kisses all over each other, getting their paws and sweat all over one another.
“I love you so much, Pat,” Cameron kept saying teasingly between kisses. “I can’t wait till we get back to campus, though, so we can really get a workout. Want to invite Zack and Tom again?”
“Mmm… maybe next time, big guy,” Patrick responded as he ran a paw over Cameron’s chest. “I think I want you all to myself at least once…” The two young lovers had a good laugh at that, knowing that their friends must be thinking the same thing.
Tom continued to prove himself to be a fountain of facts that the little critters adored, wowing them with impromptu science experiments and demonstrations out in the woods around Camp CritterCreek. Even Zack had to admit that he was learning a thing or two from the lean wolf, who always looked great with his perfectly groomed hair and fur and immaculate uniform. A real overgrown boy scout, indeed.
“God, I can’t wait to rip off that little uniform and mess up your hair,” Zack whispered into his boyfriend’s ear, making it turn bright red and causing the wolf to start panting excitedly just thinking about it. “Get ready, ‘cause you won’t be getting any sleep when we’re back at campus, little pup.”
The four men had fully accepted their new lives by now, as memories of going to the local college began to come to the front, and memories of their old lives getting pushed to the back. They much preferred their new lives, however, especially Patrick and Tom, who were able to have everything they wished they could have had the first time they were that age. Patrick got the respect and satisfaction he always got from coaching a group of youngsters again, but without the ego that he had developed the last time, while Tom got the chance to be the man he had always dreamed of becoming but had feared would be impossible. As always, the camp managed to make its guests happy, though it was a challenge this particular time.
There was only one little issue still remaining, which luckily managed to sort itself out on its own…
++++++++++++++++++++
One the last day of camp, Cameron and Patrick were running all around, making sure all the critters were packing up their cabins and making their way down to the front gate to start heading home. Once all the junior campers and other younger critters were accounted for, they headed over to the teen cabins, which were as chaotic as usual. They checked around and saw that all the teens were getting packed up… except for two, who seemed to be missing.
“Okay, have any of your seen Elliot and Liam?” Cameron said, getting a few shrugs from the other teens.
“I dunno, I think I saw them over by the playground a few times. They’ve been going over there to make kissy-faces at each other for the past few couple days,” said one of the teens, a slim rabbit boy.
Patrick and Cameron looked at each other then nodded in understanding. Once they saw the teenage campers off, they headed over to the playground, which was empty except for Liam and Elliot, who were once again gently swinging side-by-side with their paws clasped together, quietly talking amongst each other.
“I’ll miss you, Liam,” the tabby boy said, tightening his grip on his little boyfriend’s paw.
“I know, but it’ll just be for a few weeks. We’ll see each other once school starts again…” the skunk boy said back, flashing Elliot a grin that made him feel all better.
“Yeah, I know. I was just-,” Elliot started to say, then he noticed the counselors coming closer and clammed up, keeping an eye on Cameron as he walked up to them. Likewise, Liam narrowed his eyes when he saw Patrick, a strange sense of irritation rising up as he spotted the mouse. On some level, he still saw the mouse as the homophobic coach who had tormented him into leaving the baseball team when he was still an adult, even though by now the whole camp knew that Patrick and Cameron were an item.
“Are you two all ready to go? You don’t want to get left behind, right?” Patrick said, noticing the look that Liam was giving him. He smiled and continued with, “Cute couples don’t get special treatment here, I’m afraid.”
Liam’s face softened, and seeing how Patrick was smiling genuinely at his and Elliot’s youthful love for one another made him rethink his opinion of the older mouse. Liam nervously leaned over and gave Elliot a kiss on the cheek, then hopped up and started to walk back toward the parking lot.
“Bye, Elly! I’ll call you when I get home, I promise!” Liam said. He walked past Patrick, then suddenly feeling himself whispering, “Bye, Coach. I still had some fun, even after everything that happened…”
“Huh? Oh… R-right,” Patrick responded, a flash of the man that Liam used to be blinking through his head momentarily. “Umm… Hey, Liam? Good luck with tryouts this fall. If anyone can do it, you can.”
Liam nodded with a little smile on his face, then started to run off to meet his new parents, who he knew were coming to pick him up from camp soon. Elliot watched the skunk leaving, then he sighed and got to his feet as well, ready to head home with his big brother Jared and Rick. He looked at Cameron, and suddenly felt compelled to say something.
“Umm… C-Cameron…” Elliot said, a sudden feeling of regret starting to rise up within him as he vaguely remembered how he had mistreated Cameron when he was still a woman named Ellen. “I’m… I don’t know why, but I’m sorry… For everything.”
Cameron gave the little tabby a strange look, both understanding and not understanding what he was trying to say. “…That’s okay, Elliot,” he found himself saying, patting Elliot on the back like a big brother. “Just, make sure you treat Liam right, okay? I’m sure you’ll both be happy together.”
Elliot smiled a perfectly innocent smile as all the lingering regrets he’d been feeling disappeared, and in a flash he was simply Elliot, all ready to start his second chance at youth, ready to support his cute skunk boyfriend as they started high school together. He waved to Cameron and Patrick and ran off to the parking lot behind Liam, and one last big breeze blew through the camp toward Soren, letting him know that all the little issues that remained had finally been dealt with.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Once all the critters were off, most of them back to their old adult lives and a lucky few off to their brand-new second lives, the counselors took off as well. Soren had offered Tom the job of scouting leader, in charge of coordinating all the nature activities at the camp, and the wolf had accepted in a heartbeat since he needed something to do over the summers while he finished his pre-med program. With Patrick taking over some of the sports activities down the line, Soren knew his first session as head counselor definitely could have gone worse.
The matter with Elliot still weighed on his mind, as he tried to learn the toughest lesson that Alex had tried to teach him; trust the camp to do the right thing, even if it seemed extreme. As irritating as Ellen had been at the start of camp, was it really right to force her into a new life, even if it seemed like she was happier now as Elliot? But if Soren went down that path, he’d have a whole lot more questions the longer he did this job, and he really did want this job.
Soren checked his phone, which immediately began to work again now that the weekend was over, and saw a message from Jack. “Love you, can’t wait to see you again, sweetie!” it read, and Soren had to trust that just as his life had been improved by his visit to the camp, so would the others’ lives be made better. Alex’s words echoed in his head:
The camp really did know just what people needed.