Secrets 2: Looking Through Different Eyes

We all woke up early on Sunday, loaded into Gramps’ SUV, and he drove out to the hunting camp so we could go for a run.  As we were undressing in the small, unadorned cabin at the end of the long driveway, Pops whispered something to Devin and he transition into Bear as soon as he was naked.  Pops then opened the door far enough to let Bear go outside. 

“Why are you only letting him transition and go outside?” I asked.  “Why can’t I go with him?”

“Bear has a nice black coat and dark brown eyes and won’t be as noticeable in the shadows as you would be with your white and black Husky fur coat and distinctive blue eyes.  I’m only doing this so he can look around and make sure that we’re alone before the rest of us join him.  You and Jacob can transition if you want, but I won’t transition when I step outside until after I lock up the building and hide the key.  Devin will bark when he’s sure it’s safe.”

“But why would there be anyone else around, since this land is posted?”

“That’s true, but young boys don’t tend to read signs, and if they do, they often don’t understand their meaning or decide to ignore them.  Not only that, but game wardens and sheriff’s deputies all have the legal right to ignore the posted signs so they can carry out their duties.”

“Oh, ok.  I see now.”

Shortly after we finished talking, we heard Bear bark, so Gramps and I transitioned and Pops let us out, and then he transitioned after he’d locked the building and hid the key.  Now that we were all dogs, Devin and I followed Gramps and Pops as we ran out toward the clearing.

We raced around the open field for about an hour, chasing birds and scaring the rabbits and other animals as we raced around and darted in and out of the wooded areas that surrounded it.  When we finally grew tired of doing that, Gramps and Pops barked to let us know we were heading back to the small cabin to transition and change into our clothes so we could leave.  However, as we got closer to the small building, we encountered a problem.  We spotted a sheriff’s deputy nosing around Gramps’ SUV before he caught a glimpse of us.

This created a slight predicament and put the four of us at a severe disadvantage.  We could transition back into our own bodies again, but then we’d be naked and have to explain to the deputy why we were running around without any clothes on.  I don’t think any of us thought that would be a good idea. 

I briefly wondered how the deputy knew we were here, but then I concluded that since it was autumn and most of the leaves had fallen, he must have caught a glimpse of the SUV as he drove by.  That probably caused him to stop and investigate, but what were we going to do now? 

Fortunately, Pops thought faster than the rest of us and had the answer to our predicament.  He transitioned into a black bear and began roaming around the area.  He was close enough for the deputy to notice him without posing a threat, while the rest of us kept low and peered out from behind trees to see what was going to happen next.

Shortly after the deputy spotted the bear roaming nearby, he hurriedly got into his patrol car.  It appeared that he then radioed in the license plate number of the SUV to his dispatcher and learned that we were authorized by the owner to be here.  Therefore, he merely started the engine on his vehicle and drove away.  

As soon as that happened, Pops waited a couple of minutes before he wandered over to us and transitioned back into a dog, and then we all walked the rest of the way to the small cabin.  As we got closer to the door, Gramps was the only one who transitioned into himself, and then he retrieved the key, unlocked the padlock, and we all went inside.  Once the door closed, the rest of us transition back into ourselves. 

“I’m glad Pops knew what to do,” I confirmed, “because I don’t know about the rest of you, but I didn’t want to continue hanging around here as a dog.  I also didn’t want to have to explain to the deputy why I was running around the naked in the woods.” 

“Yes, that might have been a little awkward,” Gramps agreed. 

“I wouldn’t have minded being naked, if the deputy was cute,” Devin joked, “but that deputy just wasn’t my type.”

“I suppose we could have transitioned to look like someone else,” I continued. 

“But that may have been a problem as well, for a couple of reasons,” Pops stated.  “First of all, we would still have been naked, and we’d also be people who weren’t authorized to be there, so we would have been arrested for trespassing.  The other reason would be that they’d know about Jacob, since they have the vehicle identification number on the SUV and could pull up his information.  The sheriff’s office could then have used that to have them forward a copy of Jacob’s driver’s license with his photo on it to the officer’s phone, so just transitioning into someone else wouldn’t have worked.”

“I guess I hadn’t thought the idea through.”

As soon as we were all dressed, we exited the hunting cabin and Gramps locked the place up again, and then we all got in the SUV and headed back to the house. 

“When we get back, let’s all freshen up and change into something nicer,” Gramps stated, “and then we’ll take you boys out for breakfast before we leave.” 

Since our stomachs were growling, due to the long time since we had last eaten and as a result of the calories we’d burned while running around as dogs, we agreed to do as he suggested.  When we were ready, we all went out and got in the SUV again, but this time he drove us to a restaurant before the crowds started arriving after the various church services ended.

As we waited for our meals to be prepared, we indirectly continued to joke about what had happened earlier. 

“I guess we’d better be more careful about taking the dogs out to the hunting lodge,” Gramps joked.  “They almost got us into trouble.”

“I suppose a group mug shot of the dogs might sell as well as the painting of dogs playing poker,” Pops shot back. 

“Hey, that’s a great idea,” Devin concurred.  “We can put them in orange jumpsuits and hang prisoner numbers around their necks and take our own photo of them and use it to make money.”

“And we could take a photo of us in orange jumpsuits and prisoner numbers hanging around our necks and we’d be looking depressed,” I added, “and then we could add it above the photo of the dogs.”

“And then we could add a caption below it that says, ‘When dogs get their owners in trouble’.”

“Yeah, that would be awesome,” Devin agreed. 

“And I’m sorry I mentioned about the photo of a group mug shot of the dogs selling better than the painting of the dogs playing poker,” Pops chagrined.

Luckily, our meals were delivered just as Pops said that, so we filled our mouths with food, instead of jokes.  

Before we finished eating, the owner stopped by our table to chat.  “It’s nice to see all of you again.  Isaac and Jacob, did these boys tell you what they did for Dominick’s?”

“No, I don’t think they mentioned anything like that,” Pops replied. 

“They might be too modest to tell you, but they directed a gentleman here to eat, and it turned out he was from the Food Network.  And after he finished eating, he identified himself and said he’d like to include Dominick’s in a new series they’ll be producing.  It will be called, ‘Gems in American College Towns’.  They’ll be coming here to film the episode about us on the weekend of the San Diego State game.” 

“That’s great!  I’m just sorry that we won’t be here that weekend, but we’ll watch the Food Network to see when that episode is showing.”

As soon as we finished our meals, Gramps drove us back to the house, and then he and Pops packed up the things they’d brought with them.  When they were certain they had everything, they said their final goodbyes before they left. 

“We’ll see you boys again in a couple of weeks,” Pops said. 

“And hopefully the team will pull off another win,” Gramps added. 

“Yeah, that would be great,” Devin and I agreed, and then we carried the small duffle bags they’d used out to the SUV for them.  As soon as we’d placed the duffle bags in the back and they got into their seats, we said goodbye one more time before they drove off.

After we went into the house, Devin looked at me and spoke.  “Running around at the hunting camp made me realized how much I missed going to the dog park.  We kind of got away from doing that for a couple of weeks.”

“Yeah, we were busy with other things, especially our studies, but we can do it in the morning if you want.”

“Yes, I’d like to start doing that again, but how will you explain our absence to Preston?”

“Oh, I’ll think of something.”

Since we’d spent so much of the weekend with Gramps and Pops, we decided to double-check to make sure that we were prepared to return to our classes.  We finished taking care of any assignments that were coming due and made certain we were caught up with the required reading before we turned in that evening.  I also set the alarm on my phone to make sure we were up in time to go to the dog park, and then Devin spooned behind me and we fell asleep. 

As soon as we woke up, we both tossed on the clothes that we’d worn after we returned from having breakfast with Gramps and Pops the day before.  And as soon as we were both in the SUV and away from the house, Devin started undressing and transitioning.  It’s so much easy now that I don’t have to find someplace where he can do that. 

When we reached the dog park and pulled into a parking space, we got out and headed over to the entry gate.  Preston and Bailey were there and they seemed happy to see us, if not a little surprised that we were there, since we hadn’t been to the dog park for a while. 

“Damn, we’ve wondered where you and Bear have been,” Preston greeted us as he held out his hand for me to shake.  “Bailey has been a basket case since Bear wasn’t here each day while we were here.” 

“I’m sorry about that, but Bear’s owner called and said he’d be going out of town for a while and he was taking Bear with him.”

“That’s right!  I sometimes forget that Bear isn’t your dog,” he replied. 

“I do as well.  Anyway, the guy called to say his brother’s wife had died and he was going to the funeral.  He said he’d also be staying there for a while to visit and help his brother, who apparently has a fairly nice cabin in the woods.  He thought Bear could run around with his brother’s dog and keep it company while he was with his brother.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re back, and it’s nice to see Bailey racing around with Bear again.  It means that she’s happy to see him too.”

I think Preston meant Bear was running around and Bailey was chasing after him, and eventually they ended up at the obstacle course, which is located at the far end of the dog park.  We watched as they navigate the various obstacles while we chatted, and then Preston asked a favor. 

“If anything like that happens again, would you mind stopping by here and letting me know, because I was actually worried about you.  In fact, let me give you my phone number at work, because you can always leave a message instead.  I was worried that you might have been in an accident or something else had happened.  I wasn’t afraid that you had flunked out, not after you’d told me your GPA, so I checked in the local and nearby newspapers to see if I could find anything in there about you being in an accident.”

“I promise to do that next time, and I’m sorry that I gave you such a scare.”

“Trust me, it was worse for Bailey.  She’s been morose and moody the entire time.”

“I’m sorry to hear that as well, but I didn’t have any control over the situation.  Bear’s owner just called late one night and explained what he’d be doing.”

“And I’m sure you missed the extra money he paid you for doing this with Bear.”

“No, he actually offered to pay me anyways, since it was his decision to leave on short notice.  He merely transferred the money to my account, like he usually did.”

“That was awfully nice of him.”

“Yes, it was.”

We chatted for a while longer, as Bailey followed Bear around the obstacle course, but eventually Preston said he had to leave. 

“I’ve got office hours in a little while and I have to be there in case a student comes by for help or with a problem.”

“That’s ok, because I’ve got to leave soon as well, so I won’t be late to my first class.”

We said goodbye, and I promised they’d see us again the following day, and then Preston called Bailey so they could leave.  Of course, Bailey was reluctant about coming when Preston called, but eventually she did, and then Preston led her out to his car and they drove away.   

Bear ran around for a while longer, getting in plenty of exercise, and then he came over and barked, to let me know that he was ready to leave.  After I let him into the back of the SUV, I headed back to the house, although I found a place to pull over first, so I could let Devin drive, since I didn’t like pulling the SUV into the garage.  It was a fairly tight squeeze and I’d rather that Devin was driving in case the SUV got dented or scratched when pulling in there. 

As soon as the SUV was parked in the garage, we went into the house and got ready to go to the dining hall for breakfast.  After we finished eating, we headed off in opposite directions as we went to our first class. 

The rest of the day and the rest of the week fell into a pattern.  We’d hit the books every night after having supper at the dining hall, and sometimes we’d make love before showering and going to sleep.  The next day we’d go to the dog park after having breakfast at the dining hall, and then we’d go to our classes. 

The only deviation from that pattern was on the weekends.  We’d still go to the dog park after having breakfast, and then we’d either go to the football game in person or go to Barry’s apartment to see how the team was doing.  Sometimes we’d watch it on TV, but other times we’d listen to it on the campus radio station, since not all of the CSU games were televised.  That would depend on how the team was doing. 

Barry informed us that since the game wasn’t being nationally televised, one of the local stations had worked out an agreement with the Mountain West Network to televise the CSU-UNLV game.  So, on game day we went over to Barry’s apartment to watch the game with him and Jer. 

Barry bought the beer for us, plus the snacks, so we only had to pay him for our share.  He bought two pizzas, one with pepperoni and sausage and another with bell peppers and mushrooms.  Of course, Barry also purchased a vegetable tray, along with two dips, and a bag of potato chips and another of pretzels. 

There was no scoring in the first quarter of the game, but then UNLV scored on a field goal to start the 2^nd quarter.  CSU then kicked a field goal to tie the game, and later they scored on a touchdown and kicked another field goal, so they were leading 13-3 at the half. 

We were all in a good mood as we took a break to chow down.  Devin and I each grabbed two slices of the pizza with the meat on it, so that meant three of us sharing that pizza.  We knew Barry would share the other pizza with us before we left, so we also took a few vegetables from the vegetable tray and dunked them in the dip to go along with it and we washed it down with a beer. 

In the 3^rd quarter, UNLV did all the scoring, kicking two field goals before scoring a touchdown on an eleven yard run, giving them the lead at the end of the quarter, 13-16.  The 4^th quarter didn’t start off any better, because UNLV kicked another field goal, but then CSU scored a touchdown on a 20-yard pass play, bringing the score to 20-19.

With a minute and a half left in the game, UNLV kicked another field goal, giving them the lead again, but with 44 seconds remaining, CSU kicked a field goal and retook the lead, 23-22.  We were all cheering, thinking we’d won the game, but then just before time expired, UNLV kicked one more field goal to win the game, 23-25.

“Dammit,” Devin wailed, as he lamented the team losing another close game.  “I thought we had it in the bag.”

“That’s why they play every second of the game,” Barry pointed out, much to our dismay.

“Yeah, we know, but the defense let us down again,” I replied.  “The offence did all they could do to win it, but then the defense let the other team score again to win it.”

“It was a good game though,” Barry added. 

“And your last two comments are making you sound like Pops,” Devin responded. 

“Hey, I’m just trying to be realistic,” Barry said.

We all sat around talking about the game and various things the team could have done to win it, and after a while, Jer left to return to his dorm.  Once he was gone, we helped Barry straighten up his place, and then he shared the leftovers with us again. 

We thanked each other before we left, since Barry thanked us for helping him clean up the apartment and we thanked him for sharing the leftovers with us.  Once that was taken care of, we drove back to the house. 

A couple of hours later, we ate some of the leftovers for a late dinner, and then we went up to our room to make love before taking a shower and going to bed.  Devin spooned behind me and held me tight as we slowly fell asleep.  

The next week was just like the previous week.  I took Devin to the dog park every morning so he could run around with Bailey as Bear, and after he transitioned back we’d go to our classes.  The main difference was, this week was a home game and Gramps and Pops were coming to go to the game with us again.

“Did you see last week’s game?” Devin asked as soon as Gramps and Pops arrived. 

“Yes, we watched it on YouTube TV.”

“You can do that?”

“Yes, because we subscribe to YouTube TV.  They have an agreement with the Mountain West Network so they can post the games.”

“Damn, I didn’t know that.  So, what did you think of the game?” 

“I wish CSU hadn’t wasted the first quarter before they started scoring, but they did alright after that, except after scoring in the final two minutes of the game.  Their defense just didn’t step up, but then again it wouldn’t have had to if the offence had turned some of those field goals into touchdowns.”

“Yeah, we didn’t look at it that way and had only been blaming the defense,” I admitted.  “You’re right, though, because both squads had plenty of chances to win the game.” 

“Let’s hope they do better tomorrow,” Pops stated, and we all nodded our heads in agreement. 

Of course, Gramps and Pops took us to Dominick’s for supper, and then when we got back to the house, we talked about a couple of things before we went to bed.  The first was when I asked them if they wanted to go to the dog park with Devin in the morning. 

“No, you can take Devin, but we’ll wait until we can go out to the hunting camp again on Sunday.” 

After that, we talked about how we though CSU would do the next day, and then we went to our rooms.  I guess I’ve finally gotten over my shyness about Gramps and Pops knowing when Devin and I were having sex, because we made love before going to sleep. 

After Gramps and Pops took us out for breakfast in the morning, I backed the SUV out of the garage and took Devin to the dog park.  At least backing out of the garage was a little less stressful than pulling into it. 

When we got to the dog park, Preston greeted us at the gate.  “I’m glad to see you.  I wasn’t sure if you’d be here, since you told me yesterday that your roommate’s grandfather and great-uncle where coming to watch the football game with you today.”

“Yeah, I felt Bear still needed to get out for a run, so I excused myself to do this.”

“And Bailey and I are glad you did.  You don’t know what it’s like living with her when you don’t show up.”

“I can imagine, but don’t forget that in less then a month I’ll be going home for Thanksgiving.”

“Yes, and I’ll have to deal with Bailey during that time.  Hopefully there will be another dog here that will distract her, at least temporarily.”

“I hope it works out for you.”

When we eventually left the dog park, we hurried home to get ready for the game, but I pulled over before we got there to let Devin take over the driving.  As soon as he pulled the SUV into the garage, we went inside to see what Gramps and Pops wanted to do next. 

“Since the game doesn’t start until 5:00, we’ll take you out for a late lunch around 1:00, and then we’ll grab something more to eat during halftime at the stadium.” 

“Ok, we can live with that.”

They then asked us about our classes and how we felt we were doing.  After that, they wanted to know if we had any other friends besides Barry and Jer, so we told them about some of the friends we had made in our classes.  After that, they took us out to lunch, and when we got back to the house, we all went up to our rooms to put on our CSU gear for the games.  Once we were all ready, the four of us walked over to the stadium, and Devin and I were surprised to find Barry sitting alone. 

“Where’s Jer?” Devin and I wanted to know. 

“He decided to sit with Brock and Art and their other friends today, since he knew your grandfather and his brother were coming today.”

“He sat with us when they were here for the Boise State game.”

“Yes, but I think he felt like the odd man out last time.  I was asking Gramps and Pops about how they handled the guys that tried to rob you at the Colorado game, and he wasn’t involved with that or some of the other things we were talking about.”

“Damn, we didn’t mean to leave him out,” Devin said. 

“He knows that, but he just thought he’d fit in better with Brock, Art, and their other friends.”

Now that Barry had explained that to us, we settled in and waited for the game to start.  Air force scored first on a 9 yard pass play, but then CSU scored a touchdown and kicked a field goal to take the lead.  However, Air Force scored another touchdown after that, but missed the extra point, and then CSU kicked another field goal with 41 seconds left in the second quarter, leaving the teams tied at the half. 

“It looks like this might be another nail biter,” Pops said when the half ended. 

He and Gramps then went to the concession stand to get something for each of us.  And since it was already 6:30 and the game wouldn’t end until around 8:00, they bought each of us a hot dogs and a slice of pizza, along with a drink. 

“Thanks, but you didn’t have to buy for me too,” Barry said. 

“Well, we felt you boys were probably as hungry as we were, so we bought all of us enough to tide us over until we could eat supper.  In fact, we’d be happy to have you join us when we go to do that.”

“Won’t we have to change first?”

“No, they’ll understand if we wear this stuff.” 

“Ok, but where are you going?”

“We’ll take you to the same restaurant as last time.”

“Ok, I liked that place.  I just didn’t understand what some of the things on the menu were.”

“And you had to ask four Scotsmen to explain an Italian menu to you,” Pops quipped.

“Wait, I thought McCaskill was Irish!” Devin countered.  

“A lot of people get confused about that, because of the Mc in our name, but it was originally MacAsgaill.  It’s a Scottish-Gaelic name, and McCaskill is just the English version of our family name.” 

“And I’m Scottish too,” Barry confirmed.

“Really?” I asked.

“Yes, Campbell is a Scottish surname as well, even though it doesn’t begin with Mac or Mc.”

“Maybe that’s why we get along so well.” I joked. 

“You might not be too far off about that.  It might be something in our DNA that made us get along.”

“Do you think Jer is Scottish?”

“I don’t know, but I don’t think so.  His last name is Robertson.”

“Yer wrong, laddy.  Robertson is also a Scottish clan, just like the Campbells and the MacAskills,” Pop replied, sounding like Scotty from Star Trek. 

“I would never have guessed he was Scottish too, not with the first name of Jerome,” I admitted.

“Jerome is Greek in origin,” Gramps explained, “but it’s been used by Americans, and Scottish-Americans, for many years.  I’ll bet he was named after an ancestor, possibly one from his maternal line.”

“What about Art and Brock?” Devin pressed. 

“Art’s last name is Bettendorf and Brock’s is Carey,” Barry replied. 

“Bettendorf would be German and Carey is Irish,” Pops explained. 

“German and Irish, no wonder they both like to drink so much beer,” Devin quipped.  “And it’s what caused the problem when we watched one of the away games with them at Barry’s apartment.”

“Yeah, but at least we know the rest of us have something in common,” I confessed, “and we’ll have to tell Jer that at the next game.”

“He may be as surprised as we were,” Barry stated. 

“I always knew I was Scottish,” I stated.

“Well, now we all know,” Devin and Barry agreed.” 

Our conversation had continued into the start of the second half, although we had each kept track of what was happening on the field.  Nothing much had been happening, however, but then Air Force scored a touchdown on a one yard run, which made us concentrate on the game, not our surnames.  And before the quarter ended, Air Force kicked a field goal as well, taking a ten point lead. 

Air Force scored another touchdown in the 4^th quarter on a six yard run, while holding CSU scoreless for the entire second half.  It meant Air force ended up winning the game 13-30. 

“I guess we shouldn’t have continued talking when the second half started, because I believe we distracted the team,” Gramps teased. 

“Nah, they probably ate as much as we did at halftime,” Barry offered.

“If they did, then that might account for their sluggishness in the second half,” Pops suggested. 

“Let’s just hope they do better at next week’s game,” Devin stated.  “Do any of you know if it’s a home or away game?”

“It’s away,” Pops confirmed.  “They’re playing Wyoming.”

“Is Wyoming any good?” I asked.

“I don’t know, but I guess we’ll find out,” Pops stated, and then we all walked back to the house and piled into their SUV so they could take us to Dominick’s to eat.