Blood Moon; Blood Lust
by Nicholas Hall
Chapter 4
"The title means exactly what the words say: NAKED Lunch – a frozen moment when everyone sees what is on the end of every fork!"
(William Seward Burroughs)
"In the group of males gathered behind these two old codgers," Prewitt stuttered , "there's a really powerful wolf."
"Which one?" thought Ted knowing only Prewitt could hear him.
"Can't tell, but I do know they're talking to each other, just by the way they look around," Prewitt stopped, somewhat confounded. "This is a different pack from what I'm used to. They can talk to each other and block others from hearing it. Maybe it's because we're up north and not down in Bayou Country."
"Perhaps, but I doubt it," Ted messaged to the parrot-sized boy fairy perched on his shoulder.
Ted turned his attention to Eric, apologizing, "I should come back another time. I can see you have a house full of company and I wouldn't want to intrude. Perhaps tomorrow or later in the day today?"
"No, please, Ted, come in. I do so much want to hear what you know of my dear cousin Marie. I've heard nothing from my family concerning her death, other than a newspaper clipping I happened upon," Eric said invitingly, extending a hand with every intention of greeting Ted and steering him into the house. "I insist; it'd be rude of me to turn you away. It's been so long since Evan and I have seen you. I'm certain we have much to catch up on. Pay no attention to the others."
How could I not pay attention, thought Ted, looking the crowd of naked males over carefully. He was suspicious of Eric's motives from the inflection in his voice. It had the distinct meaning of the proverbial spider to the fly inviting the fly to visit his home while intending to feast on the fly's body.
"Thank you, Ted, but I really must go," explained Ted, "it'd be terribly poor manners for me to intrude. I'll give you a call," and turned to leave. In doing so, he noticed three young men standing behind him on the porch. He never heard them approach. One he recognized, the African-American, but the other two, younger naked males, were complete strangers.
Chase and Henri, standing on either side of Diondre Carlson, looked the stranger over carefully as he stood in the doorway turning slightly toward them as he assessed his situation.
"Will he bolt and run?" Chase asked Henri.
"Doubt it; doesn't appear to be that type!"
Henri was correct! The man stood confident, assured it seemed, seemingly unconcerned about the dangerous situation he was currently involved in. Chase could detect no fear; apprehension, yes, but no fear! Why, he didn't know.
Apparently from his greeting to Uncle Eric, he was known from somewhere in the past, but if the vibes Chase was receiving from others in the Pack, the man wasn't well liked. What Chase did know, the man was focused on finding Gaige and had tracked him to here. If he could, then others could. This presented a clear danger to Gaige and to his brothers and himself and the entire Averill Creek Pack. The Red Wolf would be relentless in his pursuit and total annihilation of the Landry's and their kin. Chase wasn't altogether certain what really motivated the Red Wolf, but he did know the death of his two brothers and himself was high on the list of priorities. He couldn't allow that or risk a message being sent back to Bayou Country they'd been located.
David and Lindsey were behind the rest of the Pack, along with the younger members, and Diondre's wife, Annie, and their babes. Chase thought they should be well protected if something unforetold broke out and teeth started tearing flesh. David's Uncle Dave (Flynn) and his mate, Stephen Granger, and Franklin Campbell were home at Remote Lake and hence removed from any fracas which might erupt. The man, Ted Symthe, as Uncle Eric called him, could surely be dispatched if need be. It was what would come later which would be a little more difficult to explain or defend against.
"Hello, Diondre," Ted greeting the young African-American nervously, trying to suppress any overt signs of his anxiety, in greeting. "I see you're here for the party as well. I understand you married. Is your family fine?"
"Ted." Responded Diondre, using only the first name and a nod of his head to acknowledge Ted's greeting, but offering no more.
"Perhaps you misunderstood Uncle Eric," a familiar voice announced from behind Eric and Evan. "We're all quite interested in hearing what information you have concerning Marie Le Compte and this Gaige Wyatt Saulnier you seem so eager to seek."
Ted turned slowly from his interaction with Diondre and as Evan and Eric stepped aside, saw Jessie Sutton standing behind them, a smile on his face, flanked by the Campbell Twins and, on one side of the trio stood Rick Hayes and on the other, Mike Bowers almost as if they were there to protect Jessie, Jason, and Tyler. Clearly as evidenced by their nakedness, they were well and truly mature young men, blessed in their maleness hanging down in front of ample testicles. By far the most magnificent and well-endowed were the Campbell twins, cocks long, thick, uncircumcised, and, like the paper towels, hefty! All Ted could think of was how painful it must be or would be for their spouses to have that stuffed up inside them. Behind the five were more naked male teens, but no females or youngsters.
Why, thought Ted, when one man enters a room, such as a locker room, full of naked men, does his eyes gravitate to the cocks first? He doubted an eye witness to a very naked bandit robbing a filling station could describe the bandit's face.
Jessie, now having an unobstructed view of Ted Symthe, scrutinized the former DNR Warden carefully, seeking any signs which might reveal his weaknesses, his true purpose, his reaction to him and the Twins, or the Averill Creek Pack. On the outside, Ted appeared calm, unperturbed, but persistent, much as he was when serving in law enforcement in the area. Many times, Jessie smiled to himself, Ted was convinced, correctly so, he and the rest of group of boys were up to something, but just couldn't quite prove it. If Eric would step in as their legal counsel, Ted would be furious, not so much on the outside, but on the inside where he hoped no one could discern it, but Jessie could! Jase once said Ted showed up like shit in your underpants, at the wrong time, wrong place, and uninvited. All in all, the group thought him a prick!
Ted, looking at Jessie, deciding the young man was quite serious in his comments, decided to ignore them, temporarily! He rapidly came to the conclusion Prewitt was correct; this was a room full of werewolves and amongst them would be young Gaige Saulnier, protected by them. Who the Alpha of this Pack was, Ted could only surmise, but he thought it just might be Jessie Sutton, but how had he become a werewolf? Was his whole family, those at Sutton's Resort all of the same tilt?
He looked at the group, most of whom he was familiar with although there were some strangers in the mix, in an entirely different light! Ted now saw young men, well developed, physically fit, lean, athletic, to a point, all endowed with what one might consider an ample, above average penis, and were werewolves! No matter, they were still the group that used to pester the shit out of him. Be that as it may, the big wolves he so diligently sought while living and working here were in front of him all the while, hidden in plain sight and he didn't recognize it. Why would he? He wasn't seeking werewolves or Lycanthropes at the time, but a mutated grey wolf grown larger than normal, much like what happened bringing about the Greater Canada Goose. How goddamned dumb could he be? He bet they laughed their asses off every time the left them.
All of this didn't change the reason for his visit. Prewitt had a warning for Gaige Wyatt Saulnier and he was determined to make certain Prewitt delivered it.
How, he thought, does one greet someone like Jessie Sutton? Ted thought it wouldn't be appropriate to greet Jessie with "how's it hanging?" Not even "my, what big eyes you have," or "what big teeth you have," or "what a long, fat cock you have," could he? He was fearful of what the answer might be, although being eaten might be the lessor of the final two. Instead, he smiled, as warmly as he could, given the circumstances, saying,
"Jessie, I hardly recognized you. You've, ah, grown considerably these past years."
Ted swore he heard Prewitt snicker somewhere, but he was nowhere to be seen!
Jessie ignored Ted's greeting, as Ted had ignored him previously, responding,
"Uncle Eric didn't make a request for you to join us, if you understand what I mean. We want to hear what you have to say, understand?"
Ted furled his forehead, pursed his lips, lifted his head, looked Jessie Sutton in the eyes, and replied, without anger, without discourteousness, and but quite emphatically, "I'd rather not. No offense to you and your gathered companions, but what I have to say is for Mr. Trempealeau only and is of a highly sensitive nature. It is imperative I deliver a message to Gaige Wyatt Saulnier. I should think you'd understand how concerned I am for confidentiality and, since I'm not familiar with some of your group, which really makes no difference, I still wouldn't wish to divulge what I wish to say in front of them."
He couldn't very well say "a little boy fairy" told me Gaige was in danger. No, it was more complicated than that. The tension in the room were growing exceedingly high. So far there was no sign of aggression, hostility yes, but not outright aggression.
Jessie nodded his head several times as if digesting what Ted said, and suddenly changed the subject and direction of the conversation.
"Have you ever found your big wolves you've pestered us about and were so intent on finding, Ted? Better yet, have you ever seen one up close?"
Ted thought a moment and decided what the hell, may as well be honest and lay it out.
"Yes and yes. In fact, that's why I'm here!"
Ted immediately felt it in the room. The tension seemed to ease, not abating completely, but down a couple of notches.
Evan turned to the side slightly, pulled his cell phone from his pocket, and sent a quick text to Dave Flynn, known as "Flynn" to discern him from his nephew David Giordano, and Steve Granger. If they were anywhere near, they'd be a great help in untangling the web of confusion and uncertainty in the current situation. Jessie seemed to be in control, but, of course, he would be given his abilities and intelligence. Evan and perhaps those members of the Averill Creek Pack weren't too certain, however, if Ted Symthe was a Trojan Horse or a "wolf in sheep's clothing" sent to ferret out information concerning young Gaige. Was he feigning knowledge to gain trust so he might do harm to the Landry boys and Gaige? Flynn and Stephen were definitely needed since they had access to information others didn't.
Ted seemed to have no knowledge of or even be aware of the existence of Chase, Henri, and Jacques as former members of the now scattered Bayou Pack. Perhaps, again, he was feigning ignorance to help someone exterminate the remnants of the pack and the successor brothers? After all, Chase was now the successor Alpha of the pack.
"Such a puzzlement," thought Ted.
"He knows who we are," Jessie communicated to Jase and Tyler. "I wonder how long he's known and if he was here before why didn't he react then?"
"Don't fuss about it," Jase responded, "it's not worth it!"
"I still don't trust him," Tyler added. "I wish I knew what the hell he was up to."
"We'll soon find out," Jessie concluded.
"I'm going to send everyone else back out to the lake, but keep Mike and Rick nearby in case we should need them." Jase announced.
"Keep the Landry's close by as well. They may have something to add once we've given good old Ted the once-over," Tyler said.
"Ted," Eric said, extending the invitation again, "please come in and make yourself comfortable."
"I don't have to, you know," he responded hesitantly making a sweeping gesture over his clothing.
"Not necessary," Evan laughed, "unless you really want to! How about a brandy instead?"
"Do they," pointing at the other naked individuals in the room, Ted asked, "always run around in the nude? I can't recall seeing any of them naked before."
"Probably not," Evan concluded for him, "unless you happened upon them in a beach changing room. Away from crowds, just among themselves, they tend to wander around in the altogether." Evan didn't add it also saved on the clothing bill if they had to shift suddenly. Shifting tore clothing all to hell! Kind of hard to explain, especially in Jessie's case, to explain to family members why your clothes were shredded every now and then.
"Oh!" was Ted's only response, before looking around the room, surveying the faces of those in front of him, allowing his gaze to land briefly on those gathered on the staircase, wondering again just who the hell they were. Ted nodded his head, thankful he didn't have to disrobe in front of this mixture of young and old males and females. Waiting for Evan to fix him his brandy, Ted noticed the room cleared, except for Jessie, Jason, and Tyler; Rick and Mike who'd taken up positions near the front door; and three young men, accompanied by another young lad and a young girl, ensconced on the stairs leading to the upper floor. He noted they were seated so they had a very clear line of sight to him and everything else in the room. So far, this group hadn't been introduced and Ted wondered why. They were strangers to him.
Chase settled on the stairs with David sitting on the step below him so he could lean back between Chase's legs and rest his head on his lower body, while Henri was seated next to him, but Lindsey was sort of next to him with one leg draped over Henri's leg. Jacques sat up a couple of steps where he thought he'd have a view and be somewhat removed if either of his brothers decided to do something else, if the conversation below did not hold their attention. The stranger's, Ted Symthe, comments concerning seeing "big wolves" caused Chase to conclude he knew what they were and was aware of what he'd walked into.
Gaige was well away from the scene, out in the lake playing with Christopher Campbell, with Patrick Hayes acting as a guard, along with other Averill Pack members. They were determined to protect Gaige, Jessie's adopted son, from harm and especially from this stranger until they learned more about him.
Ted sipped his brandy slowly, looking over the room and the gathered individuals. He was uncertain what might happen next. If worse came to worse, he wondered if he could make it to his truck and grab the silver bracelet before they tore him to shreds. He doubted he could!
"In case you're wondering," Jessie began, absently scratching his large balls, "Tyler and Jase are my husbands. Only one is legally, but in life and actuality they both are."
"And," added Eric, "Evan and I are married as well, although I'm certain you gathered years ago we are a gay couple. In fact, you'll find most of our guests today are gay, but we do have some straight, and maybe a couple of bisexuals in our group. We hope this does not offend you, since it is quite natural for us."
"No problem!" Ted offered and took another sip of his brandy.
"He's trying to work up his courage by sipping the booze!" announced Jacques.
A quick rap at the front door signaled more company arriving. Flynn and Stephen Granger popped in the door. Dave noticed the Landry's on the staircase, but Chase's finger to his lips signaled him not to acknowledge them.
"I see you have company," Stephen said to Eric and Evan. "I hope we're not intruding."
"Nah, you're always welcome," Evan offered. "Introduce yourselves to Ted Symthe. Ted used to be the DNR warden here and dropped in with some interesting information for us."
Flynn and Stephen shook Ted's hand, introduced themselves. They were interrupted by Jessie.
"Ted was about to explain the purpose of his visit. Apparently, he's seeking a Gaige Wyatt Saulnier. Please find a chair and join us. I'm certain it will be most interesting."
"Ted," Eric cautioned seriously as one would advise a client about to face some sort of inquisition, "I really must advise you to choose your words carefully, speak only the truth, and understand once you begin this journey you'll be bound, upon severe penalty, to keep all you hear, see, or read, confidential the rest of your life. Do you understand, because if you're not willing, I advise you to leave right now and never return to this part of the country?"
Chase watched Ted take a deep breath, another sip of brandy, and reply, "How well I know. If I told anyone other than you gathered here what I've seen and heard this past several weeks, I'd be declared insane and locked away for life!"
"Or murdered," Jessie added, "by those who'd like to destroy us!"
Ted never thought of that!
Chuckling to himself, Ted said, "This advent ure of mine began in high school when I was captivated by a magazine article by Dr. Hiram Steele, I later discerned, claiming he'd sighted and photographed extremely large tracks by a giant wolf. His claims were widely debunked, but not by me.
Throughout high school, Ted believed and was convinced such a creature must exist. After high school graduation, he pursued degrees, a Bachelor's, Master's, and a PhD, in Wildlife Biology in every intention of researching and making an actual discovery of the large, mutated subspecies of Canis lupus lupus, the American Grey Wolf.
Employment at the university level or college level was extremely limited at the time of his doctorate graduation, so he ended up with the Minnesota DNR as a warden and assigned to the Kabetogama area.
"I'm not much of a people person, as you all well know, so I wasn't that successful. In fact, again as you witnessed, people tended to think of me as more of a prick because of my brusqueness and lack of patience with them."
On one trip into the woods, Ted happened upon a solitary large wolf and snapped a rather grainy picture of it with his cell phone.
"Another time, three large wolfs were captured on a trail camera I'd set up to snare some possible deer poachers. You remember when I showed you those pictures, don't you Eric and Evan? We were in the Pelican Café at the time."
Both men nodded their acknowledgement of their meeting with him and viewing the photos. It was Ted's photo which alerted the Averill Creek Pack of a pending attack by a rogue wolf and his pack of renegades.
Ted explained he was offered a research position and a generous stipend by an anonymous benefactor to sustain his research. It precluded him from having to teach, for which he was thankful. The position and funding gave him the opportunity to follow leads, rumors, or reports of large wolves. Most proved to be without foundation.
"In my networking with other researchers, I made contact with Dr. Hiram Steel, drove to his home in Eagle Lake, Maine, and spent some time with him. It was there my eyes were opened and my mind expanded."
He explained the network of observers Steele established over the years, without going into Steele's predilection for younger males, and how he catalogued those incidents throughout the country of suspicious deaths and bodies untouched by autopsy. It was a long shot, Ted thought at the time, but the more he talked with Steele, the more he was convinced the retired professor might be on to something.
"One night, Steele came to my bed, he was naked by the way as well as I was, and beckoned me to follow him to the outside. Once in the yard, I encountered two large wolves, one an adult and one clearly a juvenile. While I stood there, the juvenile shifted from wolf to teen boy, a very attractive teen boy, and the lad ran toward Steele, where he bent over and offered himself to Steele to mount him. Steele obliged, quite quickly, and I must say, quite massively, and they began to copulate."
Stephen barked out a hearty laugh. "It sounds like a cousin of mine. Loves taking it up the ass."
His frankness and open admission of his cousin's sexual activities and being a werewolf, surprised Ted, but only led to confirm what Prewitt informed him of when they first entered the home. He was, indeed, in the midst of a rather large pack of werewolves. He wondered if Jessie Sutton was the Alpha or was someone else?
Ted paused to collect his thoughts, trying best to explain how he felt the adult wolf "spoke" to him, wanting him to go to New Orleans and find a missing member of the Le Compte Family. It'd been reported, according to Steele, there were no surviving members after their tragic deaths. The lad, having had his sexual interlude with Steele, shifted back to wolf and the two disappeared into the woods.
Back in the house, Ted quizzed Steele, wondering why the wolves would want him to go to New Orleans. Steele then relayed to him the legend of the Prince of the Lycanthropes, Lord Saulnier, the attack in Europe, the exile of the heir apparent to the New World, and settlement there. According to legend, the Saulnier's settled in Maine and New Orleans. If, there was someone missing the wolves were concerned about, Steele assumed it had to be an heir apparent to the Prince.
"In New Orleans, I met another unbelievable character, a Feufollet garcon by the name of Prewitt. At this point in time, I was convinced there really was another world or dimension I'd been unaware of. The creatures inhabit the world all around us and we don't even know it. It was Prewitt who alerted me to the danger his friend Gaige was in and why."
Ted explained what Prewitt overheard and witnessed and why it was of the utmost importance it was to find Gaige Saulnier. He made a point of informing the group, according to Prewitt, the Red Wolf and a strange, well-dressed man met, discussed the quest to find Gaige, but had no idea what he looked like or his age.
"Son-of-bitch," Ted heard one of the males on the stairs utter.
"That's why," Ted said, "Prewitt came with me. Frankly, I have no idea who the Landry's are, what they look like, or why Gaige left with them. I found you, Eric, by discovering Marie Le Compte's maiden name and remembered you."
Not one person in the group offered an explanation or even admitted if the Landry's were in the group or not. Chase, other than his expletive outburst, was still in the process of deciding if he should trust Ted Symthe..
"So," Jessie said carefully, "you claim a Cajun boy fairy by the name of Prewitt has a message for Gaige Saulnier and you brought him with you."
"Yes!"
"Where is he if he came with you?"
"I really don't know at the moment, but I'm certain he's not far!"
Jessie suddenly commanded, "Feufollet garcon, show yourself to all present!"
A voice, from an unseen being, stated emphatically, "No!"
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