Secrets: The Truth is Slowly Revealed

After getting a good night’s sleep and downing a quick breakfast, Devin and I headed out on the trails.  “This time I want you to examine the gray wolf just like you did with the black bear yesterday.”

Devin kicked off his flip-flops, took off his shorts and underwear, and then transitioned into a handsome wolf with a gray and white coat.  It stood passively as I used my hands and eyes to examine it, and one of the first things I noticed was how big it was.  The wolf stood about 30 inches (0.75 m) tall at the shoulders and was about 6.5 feet (184 cm) in length.  It also had a bushy tail that was approximately 20 inches (51 cm) in length, which I hadn’t included in its overall length.  

As I examined it further, I discovered it also had a shorter and softer undercoat, similar to the black bear, as well as longer and coarser guard hairs.  It appeared that the longest hairs where mostly on its back and along its front quarters, as well as on its neck. 

When I moved down to examine its feet, I discovered they weren’t all the same.  The wolf had only four toes on its hind feet, but it had five toes on its forefeet, and there was a non-retractable claw on each of its toes.  After I’d collected this information, I let Devin know I was ready to inform him about what I’d learned.

When he transitioned back into himself, I shared the information I’d just gathered, and then Devin had some more facts he wanted to share with me. 

“Just as the black bear doesn’t necessarily have to be black in color, the gray wolf isn’t always gray.  It can also be black, brown, or white, as well as a combination of those colors, and it can even have slightly different shades of those colors on various parts of its body.  You also should know the gray wolves that are predominately black in color are usually found in the Rockies, and the wolves that are mostly white will generally live in the Arctic regions.” 

He then transitioned again to show me some of the different color fur I might encounter with other gray wolves, and then he shared a little more information. 

“A wolf’s predominant eye color is yellow, but the color can vary from amber to a pale yellow, or even green.  Wolves are extremely social animals and form packs, which is the total opposite of bears.  Bears are only social when a female bear is raising her cubs or during the mating season, but you will generally find several wolves together whenever you encounter them in the wild.  One last interesting fact for you to know is that the wolf’s fur provides more insulation than a dog’s fur.” 

“Wow, I didn’t know that, but it’s probably important for them, since they sleep outdoors.”

“That’s very true, and the wolf’s fur is less likely to collect ice when warm breath condenses against it, such as might happen when the wolves sleep closely together on frigid nights.  The wolf will also shed most of its underfur and some of its guard hairs in the spring, and then they’ll grow it back in autumn.  This means your appearance as a wolf will vary, depending on the season in which you transition.”

“Damn, once again that’s a lot of information to absorb, and it’s taken up most of the morning to learn.”

“But it should help you when you’re in training, and it will also save you time when you’re going through the rituals for these animals.”

“I’m sure it will and I appreciate your help.”

We didn’t usually eat lunch while we were at the cabin, but I needed a break to allow the information time to sink in.  For that reason, I told Devin I wanted to go back to the cabin and sit on the porch for a short time and he agreed.  As soon as he was ready, we walked back to the cabin. 

“Actually, it’s a good thing you wanted to do this, because I forgot to bring water out with me today,” Devin stated. 

“I’m glad this didn’t upset you, but it’s just a lot to absorb, and I take it we’re going to do the same thing with the cougar next.”

“Yes, but I prefer to refer to them as mountain lions.  It makes them sound more dangerous, since a cougar can also refer to a middle age woman that aggressively pursues or dates a younger man, and that definitely doesn’t sound very dangerous to me.”

“Ok, then I’ll call them mountain lions from now on.”

When Devin went into the cabin to get each of us a bottle of water, he also grabbed two apples, and when he returned he handed me one of each. 

“Thanks.  I read somewhere that apples can help to stimulate the production of new brain cells, which in turn may improve memory and the ability to learn, so this is just what I need.”

“I didn’t know that, but I thought you might need a snack.”

“It’s very refreshing on both counts, so thank you.”

When we finished eating the apples and had drunk part of the water, we tossed the apple cores to the side of the cabin for other animals to eat what was left or for the apples to biodegrade into the ground. 

“Are you ready to go back out so I can show you a few things about mountain lions?”

“Yes, we might as well do that now.”

As soon as we reached the same location, Devin spoke before he removed his flip-flops and clothing again. 

“I know you’ve seen one of these animals before, but I didn’t figure out until much later that the mountain lion we encountered wasn’t a fully-grown adult.  I suspect that’s why it retreated so quickly when I transitioned into a bear, because generally the only bear that a mountain lion would be afraid of is a grizzly.” 

“Why are they afraid of them, since they’re smaller than a brown or black bear?”

“It’s because of how fierce and aggressive the grizzlies are.  The mountain lion is also afraid of humans, primarily due to the weapons they carry, so if you happen to encounter one you should do the following things.  Make yourself appear as large as possible, which means spreading your legs and holding your arms out to the side, and make a lot of noise, show your teeth, look the mountain lion in the eye, and don’t back down.  You should also think about what items you have with you that can be used as weapons, and even a walking stick will work fine.  Just don’t try to run away, because a mountain lion can run up to 50 mph (80 kph), so it will definitely be able to drag you down from behind.”

“I hope I don’t ever encounter another mountain lion, but I agree that information is good to know in case I do.”

“Something else you might like to know is that the mountain lion is the second largest cat in the Americas, right behind the jaguar, and it is also the fourth largest cat species in the world.  In some regions the mountain lion may even grow larger than a Jaguar, but it will be less muscular and not nearly as powerful as a Jaguar, but they are still animals to be reckoned with.”

“I have no doubt about that.”

“Mountain lions are usually tawny in color, meaning they’re generally yellowish-brown or orange-brown in color, but its coat can also be more reddish or light brown in color, as well as silvery gray.  No matter what color fur it has, most mountain lions will have a white underside and a long tail with a black tip.”

“I didn’t know some of that.”

“And something else you might not know is that young mountain lions are born with spots on their fur and rings around their tails.  That is nature’s way of helping to keep them safe by camouflaging them until they get a little older.  I’ll transition into a mountain lion now and allow you to examine it more closely.”

When Devin first transitioned into the mountain lion, I withdrew from it slightly.  I suppose it was just an involuntary reaction caused by the memory of my first encounter with the species, but once I had time to overcome that reaction, I began to examine it more closely. 

When running my hands over its fur, my first thought was that it wasn’t much different than petting a house cat, except it was much larger and more dangerous.  I then continued to examine the rest of it, including its paws, and then I let Devin know I was ready to discuss my findings. 

“Ok, tell me what you observed,” Devin stated.  

“First of all, its fur is short and coarse, but when I ran my hand over the fur it almost felt as if I was petting someone’s house cat.”

“Yes, but only a short-haired house cat.”

“Ah, ok.  The mountain lion also appeared to be just under a yard tall (75-91 cm) at the shoulders, and I’d say it was approximately seven feet (213 cm) from its nose to the tip of its tail.”   

“Very good, but just to be accurate, a male mountain lion can grow up to 7’ 10” (239 cm) in length, while a female may grow up to 6’ 9” (206 cm) long.  I would say the one we ran into when we were younger was closer to 5.5 (154 cm) long, so that’s why I later concluded it was most likely a young-adult female.”

“That’s still a lot of mountain lion to deal with.”

“It certainly is, but did you notice anything else?”

“Yes, each of its paws only has four toes, but I didn’t notice any claws on them, so they must be retractable.”

“Yes, cats are the primary group of animals that possess this ability, although cheetahs cannot fully retract their claws and foxes have partially retractable claws as well.”

“I’ll try to remember that.”

“Ok, that should cover what you need to know about the mountain lion, so let’s head back to the cabin so we can have supper with my parents.”

“Ok, but you probably should put on your shorts and underwear first,” I teased. 

“Duh, like I wouldn’t have done that on my own.”

When he was ready, we walked back to the cabin and his dad was sitting on the porch when we arrived.  After we exchanged greetings with him, he asked a question. 

“What have you two been up to today?”

“Devin was just showing me more about two of the animals I might be asked to transition into,” I replied.  “It’s a good thing too, because I didn’t know about a lot of the stuff he showed me.”

“That’s good, and I’m glad he’s proving to be a good teacher.”

“Yes, he is,” I agreed, and then I noticed that Devin’s chest was puffed out a little more than usual and he was standing straighter.  He also had a big goofy grin plastered across his face, so I guess his dad’s praise had made him very proud.

We then went into the cabin and washed up, and when we returned we asked his mom if there was anything we could do to help. 

“Yes, you can set the table for me.  Supper will be ready in a few minutes.”

We set the table quickly before going out to help her bring the food to the table, and then we all sat down to eat. 

“I saw my father and grandfather at the office today and they said they’ll definitely be coming to the cabin on Friday night after they have supper with their wives.  They’re planning on spending the night here so you’ll be able to leave early the next morning.”

“Great!  I can hardly believe it’s almost time to do this.” 

“You haven’t changed your mind about this, have you?”

“Oh, no, I really want this to happen.  I’m just not sure if the shaman will let Devin stay with me while I’m going through the training.”

“What will Devin do if he can’t stay with you?” Devin’s mom asked next. 

“I’ll just stay with Grandpa Isaac and Grandpa Jacob until we’re allowed to be with Mac.  I have a feeling the shaman might let us go with him when he goes out for the first time after he learns how to transition into each of the animals.”

“Oh, I see.”

“What do you have planned for tomorrow?” Devin’s dad followed. 

“I’m going to demonstrate what its like to move about on four legs for Mac.  It will probably take him time to get used to doing that, because I know it did me.”

“Yes, it’s not easy to learn how to move about on four limbs after you’ve become used to moving around on just two.”

After we finished eating, Devin and I cleared the table for his mom, but she said she’d wash the dishes.  When she finished, we asked if they wanted to play rummy, since I knew they had playing cards at the cabin and there was nothing else to do.  I mean, we couldn’t use our phones to play games or listen to music and there was no internet or TV for entertainment, so this was our next best option. 

“Sure, we can do that,” they agreed. 

We played two games and Devin won one and his dad one the other, and when we finished we all agreed to go to bed.  Of course, Devin and I didn’t go right to sleep.  We decided to make love first, seeing we didn’t know how long we’d have to wait before we could do it again once we left for the reservation. 

We took our time and did a lot more than just make love.  We started out with a little foreplay, but first we slow danced with each other in his bedroom, even though there wasn’t any music.  After that we took our time undressing each other, and as soon as we were both naked, we took turns giving each other a very sensual massage.  When we finished doing that, I started kissing him, but not on the lips.  I kissed both sides of his neck instead, and then I moved down to his chest and worked on his nipples.  Eventually, I worked my way back up until I was able to kiss his lips, and after I had done that for a while we switched places and he did the same things to me. 

When he finished, I urged him to keep going, so he worked his way down my chest until he reached my navel.  After kissing that area and allowing his tongue to dart in and out of that slight depression, he repositioned himself between my legs.  He kissed the inside of my thighs next, before moving up to my scrotum, and then he ran his tongue over the entire surface of that fleshy sac before he took one of my testicles into his mouth.  He used his tongue to toy with it briefly, and then he did the same thing with the other one. 

When he released that testicle, he moved up to my penis and slowly ran his tongue up and around my shaft, and after doing that for a brief time, he lowered his head over the crown and began to bob up and down on it.  As soon as I was erect, he straddled my waist and carefully sat down on my stiff member, and once it was completely inside of him, he began bouncing up and down on it.  He rode me like he was an old west bronco buster and continued until I ejaculated.  We then took a breather until we had recovered from the sensations coursing through our bodies before we switched places. 

I did the same things to him that he’d done to me until he had ejaculated, and then I collapsed on top of him until we’d both regained our senses.  When we were ready, we got up and went to the bathroom to shower and perform the rest of our nightly ritual, and then we cuddled on his bed and drifted off to sleep. 

The next morning we went downstairs to have breakfast, and then Devin and I headed out on the trail again.  Once we got to the same place as the previous two days, Devin explained what we were going to do. 

“One of the things you’ll learn is that all mammals move in the same manner, although there may be a few minor differences in how they actually carry it out.”

“What exactly does that mean?”

“Just listen and I’ll try to explain it as I go along.  When four-legged mammals walk, they all move their legs on one side of their body first, and then they do the same with the other side.  Most people don’t realize it, but if they did they would see the animal steps with its left hind leg first, followed by its left foreleg.  After that the animal will step with its right hind leg followed by its right foreleg, and then they start the process all over again.” 

“I always thought they moved the opposite back and front legs at the same time and then the other pair.”

“No, they do it the way I just described, because it gives them more stability.  It’s due to the fact that they’ll always have three legs on the ground at any one time and their legs will form a triangle to help stabilize them.  Just watch as I demonstrate this for you, and I’ll do it very slowly.” 

Since he didn’t have much on, he got naked quickly and transitioned into a black bear.  He then started walking very slowly, almost as if he was moving in slow motion so I could see what he was talking about.  After doing this for a while, he started walking a little faster, and then he did it at normal speed as he ambled down the trail for a short way.  When he felt I had plenty of time to observe the process, he transitioned back into himself so we could talk.

“It looks weird to me, but I can see how it works.”

“Good, and not only do bears walk in that manner, but they also walk with their heads down unless they are alerted by something, such as a noise or a smell.  If you didn’t notice this before, bears also walk in an overstep fashion, which means the bear is actually lifting its front foot just before the back foot lands where the front foot had been.  Bears also walk with most of their weight on the outside of the pads of their feet, unlike some other animals, but we’ll get to that another time.”

He then transitioned into the bear again, and this time I concentrated on watching its feet for what Devin had just mentioned.  As soon as I let him know that I was satisfied, he transitioned back into himself. 

“Any questions about what you’ve just seen me do before we move on?”

“No, I think I see how it works now.”

“Good, then I want you to try doing it.  I know it will be awkward, but it will give you a better understanding about how it works.”

“And how the hell am I supposed to do that?”

“Do you remember when we were younger and watched the Disney animated version of the Jungle Book?”

“Yeah, but what the fuck has that got to do with this?”

“Do you remember the boy, Mowgli?”

“Yeah.”

“And do you remember watching him walk on all fours?”

“Oh yeah, now I do.”

“I know it won’t be easy, but that’s what I want you to do now.  I want you to practice what I just showed you about how mammals walk on all fours.”

“Won’t that be hard for me to do, since my arms and legs aren’t the same length?”

“Yes, but it’s the best way for you to learn before you get to the reservation.”

It’s probably an understatement to say it was more than a little awkward and it took time for me to get it right, but eventually I got the process down.  After Devin thought I was ready, he announced what we were going to do next.

“Now that you’re doing fairly well with that, we’ll move on to the trot, which is basically a slow run, sort of like when a human jogs.  This is when the animal will move in the fashion you mentioned earlier and they’ll move the opposing hind and forelegs at the same time.  For example, they’ll move their back left and front right legs at basically the same time, followed by the back right and front left leg.  The animals will generally only trot for short periods of time, although you’ll learn that wolves use this method to cover great distances comfortably.” 

He then transitioned into the bear again so he could demonstrate the trot for me.  While he was doing this, I moved partway down the trail so I could watch what he was doing from a short distance away to make it easier for me to observe the bear’s movements longer.  Since this was how I’d always thought the animals walked, it didn’t take very long for me to catch on to what the bear was doing, and when Devin transitioned again, he looked at me as he spoke. 

“Do you have any questions about this?”

“No, I’m good.”

“Then I want you to try practicing it, just like you did when you walked on all fours.”

It was even more awkward trying to do this, since my arms are shorter than my legs and I didn’t have three limbs on the ground at the same time, like I did when I walked.  Initially, I lost my balance a few times and nearly face-planted on the trail, but after I was able to do it faster and got better at it, I was able to maintain my balance.

As soon as Devin felt I had that down, he decided it was time for us to take a break.  He went over to get his backpack and pulled out a couple of items.  He then handed me an apple and a bottle of water and then pulled out similar items for himself. 

“You seem to be doing fairly well at walking and trotting, although I wasn’t sure how it would go since you had to practice doing it as a human.  The rest of us got to practice those things after we’d learned how to transition into one of the animals, but I wanted you to learn as much as you could about these things before you go to the reservation.” 

“Yeah, it was probably a lot easier for the rest of you, but I’m glad you had me do this.  So, are we done now?”

“No, there are a couple more things I want to show you, but we’ll do that after we eat our apples and replenish our fluids.”

“That’s probably a good idea.”

When we finished our snack, we tossed the apple cores off the trail for the animals to eat or for the apples to biodegrade, and then Devin placed our water bottles back in his backpack.

“Ok, now that we’ve had a break and you’ve practiced walking and trotting, we’ll move on to the gallop.  It’s a faster form of running, like a sprint for humans, and when you do this, the animal pushes off with its hind legs while lifting its front legs at the same time.  They then land with both forelegs hitting the ground simultaneously, followed by both hind legs, and then they repeat the process for as long as needed.  It’s basically just a series of leaps.”

“That makes sense.”

He then transitioned into a bear again as I was moving partway up the trail so I could watch how the bear’s legs were moving while it was galloping.  After he’d demonstrated this process for me, he came to a stop and transitioned back. 

“Ok, it’s your turn to try doing it now.”

I thought this would be a cinch, but landing with my arms first and having to absorb all of my weight with them while my legs were still off the ground proved quite challenging.  In fact, at first I landed with my weight too far forward and it carried me over my arms and I landed face first on the trail.  I didn’t get seriously injured, but I was definitely glad that only Devin was there to see what had just happened.  Eventually I began doing better, and once I had it down, I stopped to see what Devin was going to do next.  

“When an animal shifts from one of these methods to another, such as from walking to trotting, or from trotting to galloping, it may not appear as if it is following any of the methods I’ve demonstrated.  However, as soon as it completes the change, it will appear to be moving as you thought it should.  Shifting from one form to another is one of the most difficult things you will be required to master when moving about on four legs.”

“Yeah, I can see why.”

“I won’t have you try doing it with each method, but I’d like you to give it a try going from walking to trotting first, and then from trotting back to walking.” 

I heard Devin trying to stifle a chuckle every now and then while I was doing this, because I often lost my balance and ended up on my side or sprawled out on the ground.  However, I persevered because I knew I’d have to do this once I learned to transition.  After a few more feeble attempts at mastering this skill, I was starting to get the hang of it and began doing better. 

“I’d like to do more with you, but it’s getting late and it will be getting dark soon, so we’d better head back to the cabin so we can have supper with my parents.  We’ll pick up from here tomorrow.”