Secrets 2: Looking Through Different Eyes

“The two guys are arguing, because whatever they were up to hadn’t gone well,” Devin reported after he’d transitioned back to himself.  “It appears that while they were kidnapping the woman, they might have also killed someone in the process.”

“That means they’re armed and dangerous,” Pops mumbled.

“It sounds as if they’re holding her for ransom,” Devin continued, “and I take it her husband must be very wealthy, because they were saying something about asking for a million dollars.” 

“That’s one hell of a ransom,” Gramps mused.

“And they probably came out here because they felt there wouldn’t be anyone else around,” Pops said. 

“And it appears to be up to us to rescue her,” Gramps added, “and that means Devin, Dad, and I will all have to transition in order to pull it off.” 

“What about me?” I protested.

“I have something else for you to do and you won’t be required to transition.  Dad and I will transition into guys 6 feet 6 inches tall (198 cm) and have extremely muscular builds so we can restrain the other men.  Devin, I want you to transition into a dog and we’ll use you to draw the men outside so the two of us can take them by surprise.”

“You mean I have to get undressed again?” Devin whined. 

“Devin, I can do that if you don’t want to,” I offered, “and then you can do what Gramps has planned for me.”   

“No, I’ve seen Devin doing the same types of things before that I want him to do today, and it will definitely be necessary for him to get undressed again.  It’s the only way I can think of that we might be able draw the men out of the cabin without raising their suspicion.” 

“Ok, I’ll do it then,” Devin conceded.  

“Thank you, and Mac, I have something else for you to do that’s just as important.”  That made me feel a little better, so I listened to what else he had to say.

“The three of us will have to sneak over to the cabin so the men don’t see us until we’re ready to act, and Dad and I will position ourselves on either side of the cabin while Devin scratches at the door and whines.  As soon as the men realize it’s just a dog doing this, we hope they’ll come outside to see if Devin’s alone before they chase him away, and when they do we’ll pounce.   Hopefully, Dad and I will be able to subdue them without too much trouble.”

“Ok, but what do you want me to do?” I asked.

“Mac, I want you to unhook the trailer from the SUV, and then I want you to watch us to make certain our plan goes off without a hitch.  If it doesn’t, then you’ll have to call 9-1-1 and explain what’s happening out here and tell the cops where we are.”  He then explained what I would have to tell the 9-1-1 dispatcher to get the cops to this location.  “However, if everything goes as planned, then we want you to drive the SUV about a half mile up the road and wait for us there and we’ll have the woman call 9-1-1 and report what has happened instead.” 

“So, that’s all you want me to do?”

“Yes.  I know it doesn’t sound like very much, but it’s vital for our safety.  As soon as we have both men subdued, we’ll have to get away quickly, before the cops arrive, so we can establish an alibi.  We certainly don’t want to be here when the police arrive, because we don’t want them to think that we had anything to do with her rescue.  By the way, you’ll find the key for the SUV behind the driver’s side sun visor.”

“Ok, I’ll do what you want then.”

Gramps and Pops then went to the SUV to get some items first, and then the three of them went into their tents to undress and transition.  When Devin emerged a short time later, he had transitioned into a German shepherd, instead of his usual dog, Bear.  The German shepherd is the same type of dog his dad usually transitions into, so Devin apparently felt that breed will be more appropriate here.  He might have thought a German shepherd would blend in better with the dirt in front of the cabin, possibly as a way of camouflaging himself, if necessary. 

When Gramps and Pops came out of their tent a few seconds later, they had to crawl out on all fours because they were so large and muscular.  Most people that saw them now might have thought they would be slow and awkward in their movements, but I knew better.  I realized they’d be able to run fast, have unbelievably quick reflexes, and would be extremely agile. 

They were also wearing a larger pair of jeans and flannel shirts, and they each had a stocking cap on their head.  Apparently they must carry those items with them in case they have to transition when they’re out here, and it’s obviously what they went to get out of the SUV before they transitioned.  Devin, on the other hand, merely wears larger clothes all of the time in case he has to transition.  

“Mac, unhook the U-Haul first, before you watch to see how we make out at the cabin,” one of them said, but I had no way of knowing whether it was Gramps or Pops because they both looked so different now.

Once they were ready, I hurried to disconnect the U-Haul as I’d been instructed to do, and as soon as that was taken care of, I had another thought.  I raced into each tent and retrieved their clothes and placed them in the SUV.  I put Gramps and Pops clothes on the backseat and I put Devin clothes and boots on the front passenger seat, and then I ran to a location where I could watch what they were doing. 

The three of them were using great stealth as they made their way over to the cabin, and then Gramps and Pops positioned themselves on opposite corners at the front of the building.  When they were in position, they nodded at Devin to let him know that he should begin his part of the plan. 

Acting upon their signal, Devin immediately began to scratch at the door and whine.  At first it appeared as if the men weren’t reacting, but then I heard the guy on the other side attempt to talk Devin into leaving, and when that didn’t work, it sounded as if he was trying to shoo Devin away.  He apparently wasn’t happy when Devin only moved back a few steps and then stopped, so he came out of the cabin to use a more aggressive tactic to get Devin to leave. 

As the guy was bending down to pick up some stones to throw at Devin, Gramps and Pops pounced and wrestled him to the ground.  As they were making sure he was restrained, I saw Devin race into the cabin.  I couldn’t see what he was up to, but I heard the other guy scream, so I assumed Devin was attempting to stop him from helping his partner. 

Since Devin, Gramps, and Pops appeared to have everything under control, I got in the driver’s seat of the SUV, located the key, and started the engine.  I then drove about a half mile up the dirt road, turned off the engine, and waited for them to join me.

I’d been waiting there for about a half hour and they still hadn’t showed up yet, so I began to wonder if something had gone terribly wrong.  I was even considering if I should possibly return to see if I could help out,  but just as I was about to go back, I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw them approaching.  Relieved, I reached across the passenger’s seat and opened the door so Devin could get in, and then I started the engine. 

One of them opened the rear door and sat directly behind me, and after Devin jumped in beside me, the other one shut Devin’s door and opened the other rear door so he could slide into his seat.  As soon as the door closed, he spoke.

“Start driving and I’ll tell you when you’ll need to turn,” he instructed.  “I know a place where we can stop so the three of us can transition back into our usual forms.” 

Devin, however, had already transitioned into himself, and when I glanced in the rearview mirror again, I noticed that Gramps and Pops were starting to transition into themselves as well.  I’d only gone about a quarter of a mile before Gramps had me turn down another dirt road, and then he had me pull over when the road widened out into a parking area. 

“This is where the hunters usually park when they come here,” he informed me, “and it’s a good spot for us to get dressed again.  I’m glad to see that you brought our clothes with you, since we forgot to ask you to do that.”  

“I knew you’d all need them, because Devin would be naked and the clothes you’re currently wearing would have been way too big on your normal bodies.”

“Just turn the heat up to full so no one complains about how cold it is.”  I knew this comment was directed at Devin, but I didn’t say anything about it. 

Gramps and Pops then opened their doors and got out temporarily so they could undress and put their other clothes on, while Devin did it all without getting out of the SUV.  As I waited for them to finish, Devin made a comment.

.

“Damn, I hope I’m done transitioning into animals for now, because I’ve frozen my ass off every time I’ve had to do it.”

“Yes, I think we’re all done with transitioning for now,” Pops assured him, as he and Gramps were changing their clothes as well.   

“I want you to tell me everything that happened at the cabin,” I exclaimed in excitement while they were still getting dressed.  “I wasn’t able to see very much and I want to know everything that happened.” 

While Devin was zipping up and putting on his coat and boots, Gramps answered as he was unbuttoning the flannel shirt. 

“Devin pawed at the door of the cabin and whimpered until one of the men opened the door a crack.  At first the guy asked Devin where he came from and if anyone was with him, as if he expected the dog to answer him, and then he tried to scare Devin away.  When Devin wouldn’t leave, the guy came outside and bent down to grab some stones off the ground so he could throw them at Devin, figuring that would chase him away.  However, as soon as he bent over, Dad and I ran over and grabbed him, and then we threw him to the ground and restrained him.” 

“I saw that part, but why did Devin race into the cabin?”

“I saw the other guy was searching for something and realized he was going for a gun,” Devin answered, “so I raced inside to stop him.  I got there just in time to clamp down on his arm with my teeth just as he was lifting the gun up to aim it at my grandfathers.”

“That explains the scream,” I said softly, “and I’m glad you were the dog, because I probably wouldn’t have realized what the guy was going to do and wouldn’t have gotten there in time to stop him.”  

“Yes, he probably saved one or both of our lives and we’re very grateful,” Pops added.  “When the guy dropped the gun, I hurried inside and grabbed it, but I could have taken my time, because Devin was still locked onto his arm.  After that, Jacob and Devin watched the two men while I untied the woman and set her free.”

“Once she was no longer restrained,” Gramps continued, “Dad and I used the ropes they’d used on her and tied both of the men’s hands behind their back.  Then Dad went outside to look in their vehicle to see if there was anything else we could use and he found a lot more rope.  They must have cut off the pieces they’d used on her, so we cut what was left in half and tied their legs together, and then we used the other end of that rope to connect the bindings on both areas together.”

“As soon as that was taken care of, Jacob took the cloth they’d used to gag the women and wrapped it around the first guy’s arm, since it was bleeding from where Devin had clamped down on it,” Pops added.   “As soon as he’d done that, Jacob started looking around for the cell phone Devin had seen them using earlier, while I talked to the woman to make sure she was ok.  I also told her that she would have to call 9-1-1 and report the incident to the dispatcher in order to get law enforcement to come out there.  I then relayed all of the information she’d need so she could direct the police to this location.  I also emphasized that she’d have to do this quickly, or else she’d be left alone out here with the men, since Jacob and I had to leave.”

“She seemed really upset after Dad told her that, so I explained that the two of us had been out for a walk with our dog and had witnessed what was going on, so we decided to stop and see what we could do to help.  I then apologized that we had to leave now and explained we had to go back to our house so we could clean up and change before going to an appointment we’d made previously.  She said she was grateful for our help, but she wasn’t happy that we were leaving her alone with the two kidnappers.  I empathized with her situation and assured her that she would be fine as I handed her the kidnapper’s gun in case they got free.  I then gave her a quick lesson on how to use it and reminded her that she needed to call 9-1-1 immediately, and then we wished her well before we left to join you.” 

“Yeah, it was really exciting,” Devin chimed in, “and I hope we’re able to find out how she made out after we left her there.”

“Yes, I do too, but what are we going to do now?” I wondered.

“Since we haven’t had lunch yet, let’s go get a bite to eat.  I know a little place that’s not too far from here where we can fill our bellies,” Pops responded.  “It will also give us an alibi for why we weren’t at the campsite when all of this went down, in case the cops are still here when we get back.”

He then directed me to a mom-and-pop diner and we went inside and ordered lunch.  After we finished eating, I handed Gramps the key so he could drive, and before we’d gone very far, he stopped at a local convenience store to fill up the SUV with gas and purchased a few more gallons of water.  

We weren’t very far from the cabin, and as Gramps drove down the dirt road to get to the campsite, we were mildly surprised to discover the sheriff’s deputies were still there.  In fact, one of them approached us as Gramps was parking the SUV. 

“Are these your things?” he asked as we got out of the SUV, while at the same time sweeping his arm in the direction of the tents and trailer. 

“Yes, we’ve been camped here for a few days,” Gramps answered.  “We brought my grandsons here to fish while they’re on spring break from CSU.”

“Did you notice anything odd going on at the cabin over there and were you around when their vehicle drove in?”

“No, that must have happened after we left.”

“Where did you go?”

“We didn’t have very good luck fishing, so we went out to grab some lunch.  We also filled the SUV up with gas and picked up a few more gallons of water.”

“Well, you definitely don’t match the description of the two men who rescued the woman, and you apparently don’t have a dog with you, so I’m sorry to have bothered you.”

“I take it something happened over there, so can you tell us what it was?”

“I guess I can share that information with you.  Two men kidnapped a woman and were holding her hostage in that cabin, but she was lucky that two other men were out walking their dog and saw what was happening.  They apparently devised a plan to rescue her, but then they left before we arrived.  Oh, and it looks as if they might have come over here with their dog at some point, because we spotted their footprints over here as well as around the cabin.  You might want to check and see if anything is missing.  If there is then you can give us a call and we’ll note it in the report and see if there is anything we can do to help.  Otherwise, enjoy the rest of your time here.”

“Thank you, but is the woman ok?”

“Yes, she’s fine and we’ve taken the kidnappers into custody.  When we first arrived, we discovered her rescuers had hogtied both men and left them for us.”

“I’m glad to hear it all worked out and the woman is safe.  It just makes me wonder if we might have passed the kidnappers as we were leaving.”

“It’s possible.  They were driving a Toyota 4Runner.”

“I don’t recall seeing one of those, but then again I wasn’t really looking for one.  In fact, I wasn’t paying much attention to the vehicles coming from the other direction.”

“I doubt you would have spotted them anyway, unless you were actually looking for them, because there was nothing about the men or their vehicle that would have stood out.”

As soon as the sheriff’s deputies drove off, we all breathed a huge sigh of relief. 

“That went well,” Gramps stated.  “We saved the woman, captured the bad guys, and avoided suspicion without anyone getting hurt in the process.”

“I was worried that they might see the other clothes you’d been wearing,” I said. 

“Nah, we stuffed the shirts and stocking caps into a pant leg of the jeans before we tossed them in the back.”

“Good thinking.”

“And it was good thinking on your part to get our clothes out of the tents and bring them with you, or we’d still be wearing those other things.  We might not have looked like the two guys who saved the woman, but we would have had a difficult time explaining why we were wearing the same clothing as her rescuers, even if they didn’t fit us properly.”

“And we’d have had to get take out, because I would have had to stay a dog,” Devin added.

“And now we can resume our vacation,” Pops added. 

After talking it over, we decided to go fishing again, and while we were out in the rowboat I made another comment. 

“I have to admit that this little fishing trip has been more exciting than I thought it would be.”

“Yes.  None of us could have foreseen anything like that happening,” Pops agreed. 

“And our ability has come in handy yet again,” Devin added. 

“If this makes it into the local newspapers,” I followed, “then Barry and the editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper are going to wonder if one of her rescuers is the same guy who caught the rapist.  Or if it’s the same guy who pulled the car door open after that big accident right before Halloween.”  

“And he either had a twin brother or a friend that looks something like him this time as well,” Devin added.

“Why do you boys say that?” Pops asked. 

“It’s because the description of the woman’s rescuers will sound very similar to the guy involved in those other two incidents.  It’s the same description of the guy Devin transitioned into when he did each of those things, because he was 6 feet 6 inches tall and very muscular as well.  The only difference is that this time he had his twin brother with him.” 

“Oh, we hadn’t heard about the accident,” Gramps stated, making me realize my mistake.

“It wasn’t a big deal.  It just that the car was damaged on both sides and the driver was unconscious and trapped inside with his seatbelt fastened, so there was no way to rescue him without doing that.”

“We may have to talk about that incident in more detail later,” Pops stated.

“I guess great minds think alike when coming up with someone to perform these difficult tasks,” Gramps offered without making as big a deal about it as Pops had.   “I suppose we’ll have to come up with a different stereotype to use in the future.”

“No, that won’t be necessary,” Devin countered.  “The descriptions were all very vague, other than about their size and build, and you’d be surprised how many other guys there are who are that tall and muscular.  If you don’t believe me, just think of all of the athletes in the various sports that fit the description.” 

“You might be right, although you don’t usually see those types of guys hanging around Fort Collins,” Pops challenged. 

“Oh, there are enough, if you count those playing football and basketball for CSU.”

Fortunately, nothing more was said about this and we had pretty good luck fishing after that.  It was too early to have supper, so they took me over to see the cabin, since I was the only one who hadn’t been there yet. 

“Someone apparently added the L-shaped bench that serves as seating on the other two sides of the table,” Gramps noted. 

“It could have been the kidnappers,” Pops reasoned.  “I don’t know how they would have discovered this place, though, unless they’re hunters or fishermen, since there aren’t too many people that know it’s here.”

“There will be once the media gets ahold of the story,” Gramps said with a disgusted look on his face.  “I hope it doesn’t attract too many curiosity seekers out here to see where it happened and they end up ruining our favorite spot for hunting and fishing.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Pops responded. 

“I guess the cabin wouldn’t be too bad to use if you’re just eating or using the fireplace to get warm,” I observed, “but there isn’t much room for anything else.”

“That’s why we felt we couldn’t stay here,” Gramps replied.  “I guess the kidnappers weren’t concerned about that, because one of them would have had to stay awake and remained on guard while the other guy slept sitting in one of the chairs.”

“Yeah, that probably would have worked out for them,” Devin agreed. 

When we finally ate supper, we discovered that Gramps and Pops had not only fried up the fish, but they’d grabbed a couple items out of the freeze-dried food again.  They’d selected another entree and a dessert for a little variety, and they were also fixing the fish a little differently each time, as well and using many of the other items they’d brought with them.  They were either frying the fish in dry vermouth, white wine, or garlic and lemon, and they were also using different herbs and spices as well, so the fish didn’t always taste the same.  Between that and using the eggs and freeze-dried foods to keep the meals from becoming monotonous, no one complained. 

Things went basically the same until Thursday afternoon, because that’s when Devin spotted another potential problem.  He and I had been scanning the area around the lake and trying to see if we could locate any animals drinking there when Devin sounded the alarm. 

“I thought you said the bears were still hibernating,” he challenged as he looked at his grandfathers. 

“Yes, they should still be in their dens,” Pops replied. 

“Well, that one was just drinking from the lake and now it’s headed in this direction.” 

Sure enough, an emaciated looking bear was heading toward us, so Gramps and Pops hurriedly took off their clothes and transitioned into bears.  They then ambled toward the other bear, reared up on their hind legs, and growled.  The other bear looked in their direction and spotted them, and since it was outnumbered and the other bears appeared to be in much better shape, it turned around and headed in the opposite direction. 

As soon as Gramps and Pops were certain the bear wouldn’t return and no other bears could be seen, they transitioned back and got dressed again. 

“I know we took a risk doing that where someone else might have observed what we were up to,” Pops stated, “but we felt it was necessary to prevent a bigger problem.  That bear was looking for a meal and might have tried to take the leftover fish that we’d caught, if we hadn’t been able to scare if away.  If it had, then I think things could have gotten a little dicey for us from this point on, because it might have been hungry enough to fight instead of walking away.  There’s a chance that it may return, or other bears will show up as well, so I hope you don’t mind if we decide to head back to the house in the morning.”

“No, because more bears will probably be waking up and I don’t want any of us to have to deal with them,” I replied.  “Do you think they might be out after dark?”

“It’s possible,” Pops answered.  “Even though black bears are usually only active from dawn to dusk, it doesn’t mean they aren’t sometimes active at night as well.” 

“Do you think that bear or others might try to attack us while we’re sleeping?”

“No, black bears aren’t normally aggressive, but since they’re just waking up after spending several months hibernating, they’ll definitely be on the prowl for food.  And since they won’t be at their peak ability and have their normal energy or strength yet, they won’t pass up an easy meal.  They’ll take advantage of any fish we leave lying around or any other food they can smell, because as you know, bears have an exceptional olfactory sense.”

“So, we’ll be alright if we don’t have any food in our tent?”

“Yes, you should be fine.”

I was still a little nervous when we turned in later, so Devin did his best to reassure me. 

“Don’t worry.  If a bear comes around, I’ll transition into a bear and chase it away.”

“But what if something happens before you can undress and transition?”

“If the situation is that bad, I’ll just crawl out of the sleep bags and transition without getting undressed.  Saving you is more important than saving the clothes I’m wearing.”    

“Aw, that’s so sweet and it makes me love you even more, if that’s even possible,” I told him.  “And if that happens, then I’ll transition as well.” 

I then gave him a kiss, which led to a make-out session, and that turned into us having oral sex without getting undressed.  We merely took each other’s penis out as we took turns doing it, so most of our bodies wouldn’t be exposed to the cold.  Doing this also helped to relax me and I quickly forgot about any other concerns.  Needless to say, we both fell asleep shortly after we’d ejaculated. 

When we got up the next morning, Gramps and Pops had us pack up everything and load it into the SUV or the trailer, and then we stopped for breakfast on the way back to Fort Collins.   After we’d filled our bellies and resumed the trip, Devin and I thanked Gramps and Pops for taking us on the fishing trip.

“We enjoyed fishing,” I said, “and helping to rescue the woman and seeing the bear coming toward us was really exciting.   This is definitely one trip I’ll never forget.”

“I don’t think any of us will,” Pops concurred.  “Those aren’t situations that happen every day.”

“I’m glad they aren’t normal,” Devin chimed in, “because I thought I was going to freeze my family jewels off when I had to keep getting naked so many times.”

“What are you talking about?” Gramps challenged.  “You only had to do it twice when you transitioned.”

“Yes, twice when I transitioned into the raccoon and dog and two more times when I transitioned back, plus all of the times I got undressed to change into clean clothes.”

“Oh, come on.  Dad and I transitioned that many times as well,” Gramps pointed out.  “First, we transitioned into the guys who saved the woman and then again into bears, as well as when we changed into clean cloths.”  

“Oh, yeah, I guess I forgot about some of those things.”

“I guess that makes me the lucky one then, because I only had to get undressed when I put on clean clothes.”

“Yes, so next time it will be up to you to do most of the transitioning,” Devin teased.  

When we reached the house, Devin and I carried our duffel and sleeping bags inside and up to our room, while Gramps and Pops unloaded the drinks that were left over.  They also brought the extra freeze-dried food into the house and stored it away.

“You boys can have the drinks, but we’re leaving the other items here for future outings,” Pops said. 

“Thanks for the drinks, because they’ll come in handy until we go to the store,” Devin responded.

“We just thought you might as well have them, since we don’t have any use for them,” Gramps added. 

“Don’t worry, they’ll definitely come in handy,” I reiterated. 

After we finished talking, Gramps and Pops transitioned into dogs and we let them out to the backyard for a run, since we all knew the woman who lived next door would be at work.  While they were doing that, Devin and I went up to our bedroom and made love.  It had been a lengthy dry spell and we were determined to make up for it. 

We all ended up taking a shower after we finished what we were doing, and then we all met up again in the living room. 

“It felt good being able to work out the kinks,” Gramps told us. 

“We would have done it longer, but we didn’t want to be out there when the old biddy returned home,” Pops added.

“No, we wouldn’t want that,” I agreed.

“And I’m sure it felt great,” Devin replied, “because we worked out some kinks of our own.”

Damn, he did it again.  It’s a good thing that it no longer bothers me when he does these things in front of Gramps and Pops, as long as he doesn’t do it when we’re chatting with Ma and Pa. 

“Damn, are you embarrassed that they know we had sex?” Devin asked when he saw me blush.  “I thought you were over that now.”

“I just don’t think you have to announce every time we do it.  It doesn’t bother me as much as it used to, but I don’t think you need to tell Gramps and Pops every time that we have sex.” 

“Gramps and Pops are cool and don’t care if we do it.”

“I know, but don’t you dare say anything like that in front of any of our parents.”

“Ok, I won’t.”

At that moment there was a knock on the door, so we stopped talking.  Had the neighbor lady returned home early and seen Gramps and Pops running around in the backyard and was now coming over to complain, or is it someone else?  We weren’t expecting anyone, so none of us could imagine who might be there.