Therian Shifters: A Liolf's Mind

Chapter 21: White Fur, White Snow:

December began, as Akira and her parents decorated the house.

"Right, if a Blood Moon happens, we're going outside. There's no way I'm letting our wild, animal selves ruin the decorations." Hunter said.

Each of the ornaments on their Christmas tree were wolf themed. Pawprint baubles, blue, red and white tinsel, and a star at the top with a wolf howling silhouette in the middle. The tree was perfect. Everything was perfect.

Meanwhile in Mr WinterLand's house, Chase, Tyler and Mr WinterLand, their new dad, all sat around the fireplace with cups of hot chocolate each and blankets round their shoulders.

"Merry Christmas, you two. I'm so glad that we can be a family again." Mr WinterLand smiled.

"What about mum, dad? Are you going to find her? Winter usually makes food scarce for animals who live in the woods. Who knows? She could be on her own."

Mr WinterLand hugged his sons and smiled. "I'm sure we can find her before weather conditions get worse."

So a few hours later, Chase, Tyler, and their now-father Mr WinterLand all wrapped up in their winter clothing and went out in search of their mother.

In that moment, the temperature outside wasn't too cold. 

"Wait, dad!" Chase exclaimed. "We don't need winter clothes remember? We can turn into lions that literally have fur!"

"Quite right, Chase. Us White Lions and our Demon-Wolf-Fox Hybrid have thick fur. Let's put our coats away and use our forms." So in that moment, all three of them turned to their forms and dashed through the woods. "The Skull's territory is near, follow me!"

As they made it to the territory, Mr WinterLand felt a sense of nostalgia as he and his boys entered the territory. It was then they were confronted by two of the territory's guards, two foxes.

"Who are you, strangers? This is Arthur Takeshi's territory!" One of them exclaimed. Tyler gasped. The alpha of the skull was Mr Takeshi's older brother!

"We know of the alpha's younger brother Jay. He's safe and well." Mr WinterLand replied.

The guards looked at each other. But before they could continue, Arthur came forward. "No... It can't be... You're dead... Impossible..." Arthur murmured in shock. "Dylan WinterLand, as I live and breathe! You're alive! But that means... my brother was driven out of here by traitors... They falsely blamed him of murder... Those scoundrels...And who might you be?"

"I'm Chase WinterLand, Dylan's son and this is my adopted brother, Tyler. Him and I used to play together as cubs." Chase replied.

Arthur nodded in acknowledgement. "Man I was an idiot in the past for disrespecting my brother so much... Well, never mind that, follow me. If you're looking for Autumn, she's in the nursing den helping the newborn cubs feed for the winter."

As they walked to the nursing den, the skull murmured and gossiped, shocked to see Mr WinterLand alive and well.

"Autumn, I have someone familiar here to see you. You may feel a bit shocked, your gentleness."

As she saw Dylan's face, her jaw dropped as another nursing fox took the cub from her side and took turns nursing the newborns as Autumn walked out of the den. "Dylan, oh my goodness! My darling, you're alive!" Dylan and Autumn nuzzled lovingly. She then walked over to Tyler and Chase. "Aw, Tyler, I'm so glad that you've become the boy you've always wanted to be. And..."

She stopped as she looked at Chase. She circled him and sniffed him. "Ch-Chase..? My- My boy! Aww, my darling boy, you've grown so much! You look just like your father, my dear!"

Autumn nuzzled her son happily and lovingly.

"Dad adopted Tyler so now he's my brother! Isn't that amazing!" Chase grinned.

Nodding gladly and looking at Tyler with a warm, friendly grin, she nuzzled her now-other son.

"Two boys! Just what we wanted, wasn't it, my love?" Autumn said.

Mr WinterLand nodded. "Love, I just wanted to know... Did you want to come home for Christmas? You can bring the skull with you and we can have a meat feast!"

Autumn smiled. "I'd love to, my darlings. I need to ensure that this is okay with Arthur as he's the alpha."

A few minutes later and Arthur and Autumn discussed Dylan's request, she nodded gladly. "Food has been scarce out here, so Arthur is very grateful of your request, my love. There haven't been any threats out here, so we're safe to go."

After a few minutes of preparing the skull, they all followed Mr WinterLand, Tyler and Chase back home. Just as they all came inside, it began to snow.

Meanwhile at Akira's house, she stared out of the window eagerly. "Mum! Dad! It's snowing!" She squealed.

Akira's mother Tala embraced her daughter and kissed her on the forehead. "It really is a White Christmas out there, isn't it? Let's wait until the morning to see how much comes down, shall we?"

Akira nodded, excitedly running up to her bedroom and getting to bed, kicking her feet in excitement as she finally drifted off to sleep.

As the next morning came, Akira awoke to the cold air. Looking out her window, she gasped. 8 inches of snow had fallen in the night.

All that was once red, orange, yellow and green was now covered in a thick blanket of white.

Opening her window and sneaking out of it, her feet touched the powdered, icy snow. Turning to her form, she rolled around and jumped about in joy. Turning human again, she got on her winter clothing and made a snow wolf, sculpting the paws, the tail, the body and the head. After it was finished, her parents came outside too.

"Well done, Akira! That looks amazing!" Her mother exclaimed joyfully. "How about we have breakfast and then we can join your friends for a snow day?"

Akira nodded happily as she and her parents came back inside and shut the door.

Her father prepared some hot chocolate and a nice, hot English breakfast.

A few hours later, Akira and her parents left her house and walked through the woods. Going down the hill, Akira spotted Zero and Rhydian as they waved. Soon, Tyler, Daniel, Chase and Shade appeared.

"Let's play!" Daniel exclaimed as he rolled around the snow and pounced.

After the snow day full of snowman-making, snowball fights and playfighting, it was then Autumn emerged with the skull.

"Autumn?" Tala, Akira's mother, asked. She nodded, embracing her old friend. "Oh, how I've missed you. How has the winter season been for you and the skull?"

Autumn nodded. "It's been going rather well. Dylan came to the territory with our sons and asked if me and the skull would like to join them for Christmas dinner next week. He let us stay at his home in the warm and has treated us very well."

Tala smiled. "I'm glad Dylan was kind enough to offer you somewhere to stay for winter. That's lovely of him."

Autumn nodded once more. "It is wonderful to have somewhere warm to stay while the weather is awfully bitter."

A few minutes later, they all parted ways as Autumn and the skull followed Dylan, Tyler and Chase back to their house, Akira and her parents went home and so did Daniel, Rhydian, and Tyler.