Page 44 of Bear Creek Father's Day
“Yes, and I got you a gift too, but you can open it after you eat.”
They got up, dressed quickly, and reported to the kitchen where Zak made sandwiches and his mid-day protein shake. Cognizant of the time, they ate quickly and without much conversation. With ten minutes to spare, Orrin gave Zak his gift. The scent of chocolate was obvious, despite theDeliciousgift box, and Zak put one of the double hearts in his teeth, sharing it with Orrin until their lips met. The incredible taste of one another plus the chocolate was almost overwhelming, and they lingered to savor it. Zak pulled away, eager to share his feelings.
“Happy Valentine’s Day. I love you, Orrin.”
Orrin’s happy purr rumbled between them.
“I love you, too, Zak. Will I see you tonight?”
Zak kissed him as the timer on his phone went off.
“Yep. Supper with the kids, story time, and then it’s just us.”
Orrin smiled all the way home.
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The Cub House, Sunday, February 23rd
Right after breakfast the driveway began to fill up with vehicles in preparation for the great Pocono Ridge Resort excursion. Once everyone had agreed on a date, Dash set things in motion to host all the children and their prospective parents to play and eat together. The idea was to provide a fun bonding time away from home and Bear Creek, while making sure everyone enjoyed themselves. Not only was Tasha invited to come along, she’d been gifted with a free overnight stay, plus meals, courtesy of the resort.
The big room upstairs buzzed with activity—couples assisting the children as they filled their backpacks with flip-flops, towels,and a change of clothing. Tasha helped locate items and answer questions, making sure everyone had what they needed before leaving the house. The kids had been talking about the event all week, and Orrin had shown them a colorful map of the resort as well as a short promotional video so they could see what the place was like.
While bears (and bear shifters) loved to swim, they usually did so in rivers, ponds, and lakes—not in concrete pools under protective domes, and certainly not in the middle of winter! Which was why the group would visit both the human water park and the Watershed; a separate domed play space specially designed for ursines. After the recent scare with the big boar, Rayn wasn’t sure she wanted to be anywhere near strange bears. Orrin sat down with her and Kip to explain things.
“There won’t be any natural bears there, sweetie, only bearshifters. Wild bears never turn into humans or even think like humans. Besides, Papa Zak will stay with you the whole time, and there will be other people in our group who don’t shift, like Levi, Aiden, and Dustin. Most of the bears you’ll see will be people you already know, like me, Tasha, and Kip. There’s nothing to be afraid of, and you’ll get to see how bears have fun in the water.”
Zak was convinced that once she saw the bears in action, the fear would fade and she’d have a blast. Fortunately, her follow up appointment last week revealed that her leg had sufficiently healed to allow freedom of movement, though he intended to watch over her very carefully.
While the children put on their winter outerwear, Orrin and Tasha installed booster seats in the other vehicles. The house was locked up as the kids boarded, with Dash leading the way, followed by the McCoys, Cunninghams, Orrin and Zak,and finally Tasha in the new sedan. The eleven-mile drive itself was an adventure for the children, though the deep snow prevented them from seeing much. Each vehicle had its own conversation going as they drove—varying widely depending on the occupants.
Dash and Aiden were already attached to Griffin and Fort, and were currently doing final interviews for a housekeeper. The cubs were too young to care about the couple’s wealth and standing in the community—they just wanted to be loved, and the men had plenty to give. The boys would certainly enjoy some advantages growing up, but Dash and Aiden were grounded enough to prevent them from becoming spoiled and selfish.
The McCoys were having a ball with Scout and Birdy. The household represented an eclectic mix of city and country life, formal and self-taught education, and love mixed with humor. The littermates would have a chance to flourish in such a home, no matter where their interests led them, and through it all they still had each other.
As for the Cunninghams, Zuzu appeared to be an ideal fit for Gruff and Dustin. She was sharp, inquisitive, sweet, and funny—keeping both men on their toes and laughing the entire time. Having Baxter as a companion, as well as Esther and Jay as grandparent figures, provided Zuzu with a wonderful household in which to grow up. Future plans to adopt several more cubs would balance out the family and give the girl much-needed siblings.
The short drive to Blakeslee ended with heads turning this way and that to see the enormous place as they pulled in to park. The orphans had never seen ski runs, geodesic domes, or acres of cars before—and that was just the outside of the resort. The group went inside together and gawked at the beautifullyappointed lobby, much of it handcrafted by Knox McCoy. Most of the cubs were pointing at the overhead glass dome—amazed to see the sky.
Dash led the group to his office suite, located behind the check-in desk, and took over one of the large conference rooms. There, they could leave their things and change without having to rent lockers. Since everyone was wearing swimsuits under their clothing, all they needed to do was tie up long hair and grab a towel. The group followed Dash and Aiden down a long hallway and past various shops until they reached a set of double doors. He unlocked them with a key-card, and they stepped into another world.
A wall of warm humid air enveloped them, including the harsh and pervasive scent of chlorine, which their bears found unpleasant. The sound of echoed shouts, wet feet, and conversation distracted them, however, until they got their first good look at the amazing water playground. While they were all together, Dash pointed out the bathrooms, warned them about the ‘no running’ rule, and reminded the adults to watch their little ones at all times. In addition, lifeguards were stationed throughout the park for everyone’s safety and were to be obeyed.
“We’ll play here until lunch and then after we eat we’ll go to the Watershed in the shifter wing so our bears can have some fun.”
Each family decided where they wanted to start and split off from the larger group. Tasha was invited to join Orrin and company, but declined, saying she was fine by herself. Zak found an unclaimed lounge chair by the wave pool, and they decided to leave their towels and flip-flops there while they played. When Zak took off his shirt, both Kip and Rayn pointed at his tattoos, eyes wide with wonder. He kneeled down so they could get a better look and started with a general explanation.
“They’re called tattoos. It’s like using crayons on my skin, but it doesn’t come off.”
Questions and comments followed.
“I see flowers.”
“Do they hurt?”
“You need a bath.”
“I want taa-too!”
