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“The New Lieutenant is he,” Mike did not get to finish the comment before Patterson smiled and finished it for him “He is something but we are not quite sure what, though his early evaluations showed he may possess a spark of magic, just not strong enough to cause interest from the Sup squad, if you and your nose can sniff anything out let me know. ”Mike looked out at the field watching the teams run their exercise under the bright Californian sun “He going to be ok working with Weres’ and Vamps don’t need a revisit of what happened with the last LT , Jacks is still picking silver out of his neck” Mike let a scowl cross his normally friendly face“No, Gunny, that won't be an issue Lieutenant Fick has worked alongside Weres and Vamps in Afghanistan with great success and shows none of the leanings of some of our less gifted members of the command,“ Patterson glared over to where Captain Schwetje was looking his usual mix of confused and just plain stupid.“Well thank the gods for small mercies then, know when he is arriving”“Word is that is will be today, and he will want to check in with you and the boys once he is settled, I’ll send word once he gets here” Byan looked tired already trying to organise a large-scale invasion as quickly as they were was not a job Mike wanted.“I better head back Fernando wants a meeting, looks like things could be kicking off soon Mike, make sure your boys are ready for what's to come” Patterson reached out and shook Mikes hand before turning and heading in the direction of the large cinder block buildings that housed Pendleton's high command. 000 Mike sighed looking out at his charges, Devil dogs, they were a strange mix of human and supernatural Marines each with their own special talent and quirks, they got along well together and most had done several missions.New boys like Christenson and Trombley would have more experienced guy guiding them.Stafford and Christeson had already formed their own little coven both young warlocks itching to show what they could do. They had Rudy to help guide them being seasoned marines and damn fine Warlock hopefully he would be able to control the two younger men's more adventurous magical leanings.Trombley was a bit of a worry freshly minted into Recon he was as human as you could get and made no bones about airing his distaste for Vampires and Werewolves but he would let Colbert sought that one outAs Vampires went Colbert was one of the most level-headed he had known, Brad and Poke among the company's oldest supernaturals as Vampires went they were alright in Mikes book, he still could not understand what came over Brad to turn Ray, spending eternity with Person was not Mikes idea of a fun time.Walking toward the hanger that was housing the Humvees for their next mission Mike took a sniff of the air and smiled the clean summer rain and meadows smell coming from the hangar indicated that the companies only resident dryad was inside, smiling when he saw the familiar blonde head bent over the engine of a Humvee“Walt what are you doing here”, it was a running joke that the Werewolves had unofficially adopted Walt into their pack , and in a sense it was true Walts nature was a natural calming balm for the Weres who were often at loggerheads with their natural wolf instincts and a smile from Walt could calm an otherwise volatile situation. More than once in the last few weeks Mike had found need to spend time with Hasser his scent curbing Mikes need to rip into Griego and Schwetje.Walt smiled “just helping Pappy” the latter appearing from under the Humvee , Standing Pappy gave a lopsided grin “Think Walts here hiding from another puppy pile, or it could be that Doc Bryan has set up just over there giving combat first aid lessons” pappy pointed over to the far corner of the hanger where Doc Bryan there Navy Corpsman was giving one of his Battlefield first aid classes.Walt blushed scarlet at the Mention of Docs name, and his scent sharpened a faint hint of arousal and embarrassment.“You know Walt you really should tell the man how you feel, not like it is much of a secret with all of the wolf noses around”Mike had to hide a grin a the look of shock that passed over Walts' face “Wait you guys can smell how someone is feeling”Pappy looked up from where he was wiping the grease off his hands “Well, born wolves like Mike and Doc are better at it, the others just know something smells funny with your scent”Thinking on it for a moment Pappy added “Not Jacks though that man could not smell a skunk right in front of him, he is an embarrassment to wolves everywhere”Walt slumped against the Humvee groaning “I am going to die of shame, everyone is going to know” Small tendrils of vines started to crawl up Walts' legs, almost as if trying to protect him from his embarrassment, small pink flowers start to open up through the vines the same pink as Walts' cheeks.Chuckling Pappy draped a long arm over Walts' shoulders “It's not that bad, you know Tim would never embarrass you like that” Pappy rumbled and rubbed his head against Walts spiky hair.Walt let out a defeated sigh “That is the other problem guys, why do you wolves have to be so touchy feely all the time, I mean it's nice and all but I don’t want just any wolf or vampire thinking they can get all handsy”Mike felt for Walt he really did “look, kid,, wolves by nature are an affectionate group, but there is another important part of the touch and scenting , you boys are part of our pack, by knowing your scent we can find you if things were to go to shit, also we are a possessive bunch and we want the Weres in other platoons to know you Bravo boys belong to our pack and no one fucks with our pack”“So your possessive bunch of handsy freaks “ Walt grinned as he spoke as he elbowed Pappy in the ribsMike had to laugh at Walts succinct assessment “That’s about the gist of it yeah”“But listen Puppy, I know you did not have much to do with others supernaturals growing up and this is all a bit new , but anyone be they Recon, human or super makes you feel uncomfortable or anything you tell me, and if the scenting makes you feel strange to tell the boys to back the fuck off Right”Mike wanted to make sure Walt knew that he under no circumstance had to put up with someone touching him,Walt nodded emphatically Mike was under no illusion when it came to some of the marines and a sweet-natured Dryad like Walt would be seen as easy pickings by some.A loud cawing and a flurry of black feathers broke up their impromptu meeting a large Raven landed close to them, a shimmer and a pop and Gunny Barrett stood where the Raven was.“Captain got you hunting for Skittles again Rich?”“No thank god, I pretty much brought out the PX so I have enough hidden once we head off, Byan says they help with the magic Mojo, that's bull the man just has a damn sweet tooth, but that's not why I wanted to find you, the New Lieutenant has arrived ““Fick?”“Yup that is his name, Captain wants you to come meet the man before he is subjected to the rest of these miscreants “ Rich laughed at the offended look both Pappy and Walt threw him“Watch it Rich, don’t piss off a dryad or next branch you decide to perch it may end up flinging you across the camp”Barrett let out a deep laugh then was off flapping across the camp, “Swear that man is most happy when he is a bird” Mike shook his head and made took his leave. Better go find this new Lt and introduce himself they were going to be spending a lot of time together by the sounds of things. 000 “So Mike Wynn is the Gunnery Sergeant you will be teamed with Nate, he is a lifer like Colbert, I’m sure you have had your sources give you the relevant information” Patterson smiled, Nate felt an instant liking and kinship with the man, he exuded confidence and care in his men.“Yes I have Sir, only good things I can assure you”“Mike is Alpha to a number of the Werewolves in Recon, he has his hands full with some of them but he is doing a damn fine job, Trust his Judgment Nate and he will see you through” as Patterson spoke a large Raven flew in and settled on his shoulder making soft cawing sounds as Patterson stroked its blue-black plumageSeeing Nates look, Patterson, smiled “Ah this fine Covian, is my Gunny and Familiar Rich Barrett “ The Raven gave a loud angry squawk and pecked Patterson on the neck “umm and Husband,” the last part said in a softer voiceNate had to bite back a smile at the nervous look on Patterson's face, while DATD was still problematic , it was hard to enforce with the Supernaturals, same-sex couples , and polygamous relationships were normal amongst the Wolves and vampires and the Military found it smarter to just ignore this than risk full-scale mutiny and distention.“From what I have heard Sir you and Gunny Barrett make a formidable team, and one worthy of respect and admiration” Nate smiled trying to convey he held no ill feelings towards the men. Barrett puffed up tilting his beak up towards the air“Now you have gone and done it, he is going to be insufferable now” Patterson sighed fondly stroking the Raven softly“Sir is there many married/mated pairs in Recon?”“Not really, Reys and Patrick, you know Rey's already, good warlock , excellent Marine , his mate is sniper / team leader Pappy Patrick who is one of Wynns Betas he and Corpsman Tim Bryan are second in the pack hierarchy of the Bravo wolves under Wynn” Paterson scratched his neck thinking on Nates question,“Colbert and Person no one is sure about that one, Sargent Colbert and Sergeant Antonio 'Poke' Espera are the Masters vamps of most of the Vampires we have in Recon, never asked their ages seemed kind of rude, but from stories both men have to be at least 300 yrs old so a lot of experience from both men “Patterson continued filling in Nate they stood looking over the parade ground Paterson occasionally pointing out a Marine, Nate felt the hairs on the back of his neck stir, looking over Patterson's shoulder he watched a Marine walk towards them. .Slightly shorter than himself the man carried himself with an unselfconscious ease , Not overtly muscular like Rudy but powerful nonetheless, Nate found himself staring at the other man he could make out a low growl looking harder he could see the man's eyes had gone from there tranquil amber to Alpha red, and then quickly back againHe had to fight the urge to bear his neck as the other man approached, what the hell, werewolves had never prompted this reaction from him, even the Alphas he had met,“Lieutenant Nate Fick let me introduce yourself to Gunnery Sergeant Mike Wynn, you two are going to have to shoulder a lot of shit in the coming invasion,” Patterson said this apologeticallyMike chuckled under his breath “ it is a gunny's lot in life, stop the dumb decisions before they cost us too much” Barrett Squaked in agreement from his perch on Patterson's shoulder.Nate came to the decision quickly that he was going to like working with Gunny Wynn, the man had was not what he expected when he heard he was the Bravos werewolf Alpha, most alphas he knew were full of their own self-importance and tended tow overplay the whole Top Dog thing, making it hard to work with them in his capacity as superior officer, he did not get this vibe form, Wynn, He carried himself with a calm assurance for sure but , he was deferential when both Nate and Patterson spoke, adding often insightful and wise comments.His eyes kept finding Mikes as they spoke, and at each one of the other mans small smiles or chuckles he felt a pool of warmth flood his gut.Holding his hands behind his back while they spoke his fingers kept tracing the bite mark on the palm of his other hand.Mike sniffed the air subtly and gave Nate a long questioning look, Nate wanted to either respond to the look with stiff formality or more unerringly bear his neck and beg for the Alphas praise.Nate glanced at the two men “Well I think now is a good a time as any to meet the rest of my men, would you do the honours Gunny”Mike tilted his head back and Howled, it could be heard from one corner of the base to the other, The Bravo Wolves responded back with their own calls and even some of the humans and Vamps tried, Rays yodelling howl the most painful and comical.“Let's head over to the Hanger the boys should all be gathered there” Mike motioned for Nate to walk ahead of him, again Mike took a not so subtle sniff of the air.“Something wrong Gunny, you keep sniffing the air like you have gotten wind of trouble,” Nate noticed a slight tint of red creep up above Mike's collar“Nothing of import Sir, let's find the men” Mike started walking towards the hanger where the rest of Bravo had gathered.The gathered Marines all sprung to attention when Nate walked in, he noted the worn out looking Humvees they had been working on and sighed internally, Mike had already spoken on how the men had put there own money and time into making these death traps at least serviceable , Nate had already suggested he would make supplying paint for them as part of his contribution.The introductions went smoothly the men were attentive to what Nate had to say but was not afraid to speak their own concerns about the coming mission. Nate felt their honesty with him was good but they needed to temper it, not all would take their banter and appraisals with the good grace Nate had.Poke, Colbert and Pappy stayed to talk with Nate while the others went about finishing up their tasks, Poke spoke up a look of surly acceptance across his features, “You know Lt back in the old days been a Vampire meant something, it was a badge of honour, but these days were just another group of immortal assholes trying to get by, Here I am a Vampire in his prime babysitting a bunch of baby vamps who get a Fang boner every time a nice bit of neck gets flashed”Brad snorted an inelegant sound “You make it sound like this will be the real death of you Poke, when In fact it's a chance for you to instil all that wisdom you so freely share with the rest of us”Nate watched the two men talk, both were Marines of the highest order and Nate was more than thankful to have them on his team , they were also Vampire masters of no small fame , Vampires like the rest of the supernaturals were still not fully trusted by the human world but Vamps like Colbert and Poke had fought long and hard to be seen as valuable additions to the USMC .Like all supernaturals they were forced to live under strict rules and guidelines, the corps gave them a little more leeway and freedom as saw their talents as valuable.“Your saying Dawg being trapped in one of these tin death traps with Person is not going to try that Iceman patience of yours , your not going to make it out of Pendleton without wanting to stake him yourself “ Poke gave Brad a meaningful glance looking over to where Ray was trying to harass Walt flopping over the poor Dryad as he tried to work.“You forget Poke I have been stuck with Person for the last 80 years and let's not forget he is the best Damn RTO in the business, while he may try to mount you like a horny puppy and his eating etiquette is sadly missing we would be a damn sight poorer off without him”Brads pale blue eyes shone with unnatural light as he looked over to Ray, he would never admit it even under pain of real death but Ray was his anchor, Rays quick tongue and agile mind were what kept Brad from turning his back on the world, Ray for all his caustic comments on the state of mankind still loved it with all his undead heart. And Brad for all his cynicism and belief that there was no such thing as happily ever after could let himself believe in it a little if it involved Ray.“Damn Dawg you got that look in your eye again, why don't you tell that inbred mother fucker how you feel about him”“The way I may or may not feel about my RTO has no bearing on our mission, and I would greatly appreciate it Poke if you kept your mouth shut” Brad snappedPoke sighed “there you go, White man, telling a brown man what to do again”Brads raised eyebrow indicated that Poke was clearly full of shit. “Now if you have finished your assessment on my life lets get on with briefing the Lt about these death traps command have saddled us with”Nate was relieved when the topic returned to matters he could comment on and add suggestions too. The three got their heads together, hopping between them they could outfit the Humvees to a degree that they would get them through whatever they were about to face. 000 Mike strode over to the far side of the hanger, needing to talk to his beta, if anyone could calm him down and give him rational advice it would be Pappy, God he hoped so.“Hey Rudy can I steal away your TL for a moment” Rudy looked up from where he was holding up a tarp to acknowledge Mike“Sure Gunny anything wrong” Rudy looked at Mike askance“Nah just some pack stuff got to sort out” Mike lied smoothlyPappy stood, not before rubbing his cheek against Rudy’s “Try and see if you can do anything with those gun mounts, they are seizing up we don't need that happening once were out in the shit”Mike walked away from the Humvees and the number of nosey parkers the platoon had.“Mike whats up “ Pappy could smell the waves of confusion and something else coming from Mike“Met the new LT” Mike ventured Mike studiously avoided looking over to the other side of the hanger where the said Lieutenant was standing talking to Poke and Colbert“Yeah and,” Pappy asked, sometimes getting Mike to talk was like was like pulling teeth, especially when it was something personal." Fucking wolf nearly took over when I got close to the man” Mike whisperedPappy’s eyes went wide Mikes control of his wolf side was legendary he had ironclad control “What why”“I think He's my goddamn Mate, could smell it all over him” Mike hissed his ears going red in embarrassment“OH FUCK!” Pappy gapped at the admission quickly looking to make sure no one noticed the outburst.“Oh fuck is right, managed to get control but not before he saw my eyes ““What happened” Pappy remembered clearly the day he met Rudy and the feelings that had flooded him, mate, home, a possessive need to mark and scent the man, Rudy thankfully was aware of the bond and was more than happy to oblige. But the New Lt shit that was going to be a problem and a half.“Well, for a minute there thought he was going to bear his neck to me but luckily common sense took over “ Mike sighed his claws accidentally slipping out, proving how much this had rattled Mike for him to let his control slip“Shit, what are you going to do Mike”“Nothing, not a damn thing”“Going to be a long damn war for you then”“To make matters worse the Man is no mundane, smelt magic all over him,”“Huh really, what kind”“ Not sure but Kitsune maybe smelled fox all over him”“Fuck,”“Yup you can say that again, don't think the LT realises it even, I saw him rubbing a bite on his hand, looks fresh maybe a week old”“You're going to have to talk to him about it Mike”“Fuck this is not what I need, not now” Mike looked skyward wondering if the gods were having fun at his expense ++++++++A week had passed since Nate had joined, everyone slotting into their designated roles, smoothly, he had found working with Mike to be a joy, they meshed on a level Nate had never felt before, ideas shared and melded, they balanced out each other.They had disagreed with a training order that Schewtji had made, a harsh cross-country run, that two days before deployment served no purpose other than to push the men to a breaking point, Nate had argued that it was foolhardy to risk the men injuring themselves this close to departure.Their reward for arguing with the Captain was to finish filing all the requisition orders of the battalion. Looking over the pages of manifests Mike let out a frustrated growl, grabbing a pile of the pages and glaring at them like they were a snake, “Pages of crap we have to take, yet half the shit we need not in sight”Nates eyebrow shot up “You were expecting something different Mike”Nate had to stifle a laugh at Mikes dramatic eye roll“I don’t know what I was thinking Nate ““You want to take a break, Mike”Nate watched as Mike ran a hand through his ginger stubble “What I could really use is a nice run along the beach”“That's settled then, I'll go change into my pt gear and meet you at the gates to the beach in say 15 minutes,” Nate said already getting to his feet and doing his capMike looked like he was about to say something but then shrugged moving to stand, “All right then, see if your skinny ass can keep up with me “ Mike chuckled at the dark look Nate threw him“My ass is not skinny”“No Sir I stand corrected its fine “ Mike gave that infuriating private smirk of his,Nate had already found in the last week the need to get Mike to smirk or laugh was on top of his things that Make Nate happy list. 000 The path to the beach was set back a bit from the main road leading to the base, Nate could see Mike's truck already parked in the car park but no sign of Mike. Nate followed the sandy path the fine sand squeaking under his sneakers and the smell of the ocean filling his nose, It was a cool night but not too cold, a run was going to be good. Maybe wear himself out enough to sleep the night through.Ever since he got back from England he had been feeling wound up, he was finding it difficult to sleep at night, and when he did he was having dreams that were disconcerting, to say the least. He had been dreaming more and more of a large Wolf, at first, it had scared him but now with each passing night he found he went to sleep hoping the Wolf would come visit in his sleep, The fox bite on his hand had not seemed to want to heal properly the skin around it feeling itchy and hot, he probably should have gotten it checked when it happened but at the time it did not seem that bad at the time,The path through the dunes open up and Nate could see in the early evening light a large Russet wolf sitting staring out into the ocean at the sound of Nate moving through the sandy ground its head turned and a pair of bright amber eyes pinned him. Getting up from its haunches it made its way towards Nate, who for an instant felt the urge to run, but he remembered his Babushkas stories about wolves, don't run was always the warning.The Wolf is huge, it's large shaggy head coming close to Nate’s chest as it stood before him, The wolfs fluffy tail was swinging slowly back and forth and its head tilted appraising Nate, backing up a bit from Nate it sat down and gave what Nate could only think of was a wolfy grin, tongue hanging out to one side, impressive sharp canines , really really sharp canines that small mammalian side of Nates brain supplied.Sometimes Nate’s mouth worked on autopilot and it seemed this was going to be one of those times “OH what big teeth you have Mr Wolf, “The wolf huffed standing and turning to walk to the beach when Nate did not follow it stopped and fixed him with a long look, its amber eyes flashed red and it huffed in a tone that Nate could only describe as bemused“Mike?” Nate was flabbergasted he had again been told in stories by his maternal grandmother about Alphas who could do a full shift but those stories like the ones about true mates and all the other werewolf stories she told, he had always thought that they were just that stories.The Wolf, Mike looked skyward as if questioning his life, walking back over to Nate the large wolf nudged at Nates legs then ran off ahead kicking sand up as it speeds down to the shoreline,“OK I get it we were going for a run, You know Mike you have an unfair advantage here” Nate set off stretching his legs he ran, the pull and stretch of muscles feeling wonderful after being stuck in the cramped office, Supply orders and requests vanishing from his head as his legs ate up the distance.Looking to his right he sees Mike running with fluid grace, his legs splashing through the water tail held high, running ahead Mike turned towards the dunes dropping down to his haunches at the start of the sand dunes that back onto Pendleton's airfieldNate dropped down alongside the wolf, he thought he must be breathing as hard as the wolf, they had run fast and hard, the lactic acid burn in his muscle starts to ease ,Mike rolled onto his back wiggling into the sand making happy wolfy sounds that had Nate laughing hard, once the laughter started Nate could not stop, he could not tell you what made the sight of his gunny in wolf form wiggling and grunting with an itchy back made it so funny to him.Wiping tears from his eyes once his laughter had settled he looked over at the perturbed wolf “Sorry, not sure what got into me, “ he was surprised when the wolf crept closer finally resting his head on Nate’s outstretched legs , tentatively he ran a hand through Mikes fur, it was soft and thick, Nate felt more relaxed and at home than he had in months.Mike flicked his amber eyes up to Nate, he felt more than heard the words “Pack home ours” and most strongly of all “Mine”Nate looked searchingly at the wolf “you think of me as part of the pack already ?”Mikes head shot up if a wolf could look shocked then Mike did, Nate reached out a hand hoping Mike would not bite trying to calm the agitated wolf down, “I take it I was not supposed to hear those thoughts or whatever they were.”Mike pressed his head into Nates palm whining softly “Tell you what I will drop it for now, just so you know I am honored that you think of me as pack already” Nate thought it would be best to avoid mentioning the other thoughts that he had heard, Mike still looked ready to bolt, all Nate knew was everything about being near Mike made him feel calmer and more centered than he had ever felt, he was not going to over analyze it for now .Mike turned his head to sniff at the bite mark on Nates palm growling softly while he inhaled deeply, his breath tickling Nates palm, Nate sucked in a breath when he felt the warm wet tongue lick the wound, his palm tangledTurning his palm up he looked at the Wolf, “This happens a few weeks ago, I had a stopover in England for a week, went for a trip to the moors, wanted to see the land of Heathcliff and Wuthering Heights “Mike snorted sounding vaguely like a chuckle Nate rolled his eyes “Well I was wet and miserable which from what I have been told was the norm , and found myself further out than I should have , I heard this screaming ,, I found a young fox it was caught in one of those nasty wire leg traps, must have been there a while” Mike let out a growl at the word trap, “Well I could not leave the poor thing to suffer so I managed to get its leg out of the trap, and in thanks the little horror bit me”Mike huffed, and then looked at Nate his eyes flashing alpha red as Mike thought “Not Fox, Kitsune”“A what,” The word seemed familiar, another one of Babuskas stories maybe.“Like me but fox” Mikes thoughts answered“So what it's given me lycanthropy” Nate knew he had felt different since the bite. sounds and smells were affecting him stronger than normal, plus this feeling of wanting to be near the Alpha.“No Nate already kitsune, bite just woke it” Mike supplied resting his head on Nates lap again whining softly,“How do you mean ?” “Born not made, you're like me” Mikes mind supplied images of wolf pups and fox kits tumbling and playingNate thought about it, he was surprised how nonplussed he was by this revelation, he had always had suspicions about his Babushka and his parents were always careful and guarded when they spoke about his mother's side of the family.“So am I going to change soon, you know the whole moon thing, time of the month “ Nate ran a hand through Mikes fur, no longer surprised at how this action help settles his mind.“Next full moon” Mike answered the image of a Full moon and a wolf and fox running together had Nate smiling.“Your going to have to help me with this “ Nate sighed already deciding that freaking out was not going to solve anything, may as well be prepared.The return journey to the cars was slower, Mike still in wolf form would answer what questions he could regarding Nates new found life change, it was still strange feeling to have Mikes voice inside his head while looking at the large wolf walking alongside, sometimes words sometimes images.Nate was mulling a question over, “Is it true you can smell how a person is feeling, or if they are lying?”“True, but not all weres are good at it “ Mikes mind threw the image of Jacks up with a wolfy snort“How about this thing, the way you are communicating with me? could we do this when your not in Alpha form” It would make communication between the two during the coming invasion a lot simpler Nate looked down at Mike who had stopped and was looking out at the surf?“Umm not sure it's something that normally happens between Alpha pairs or mates” Nate could swear that Mike was holding something back, but before he could ask Mike took off running through the waves his paws kicking up water as he ran, Nate sighed and took off after him, “just so you know when I can finally change form I am going to run circles around you Mike”Nate thought of an image of a fox running and bouncing leaping over a large wolf and was pleased when he heard Gunny’s wolfy laugh.
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Camp Mathilda Kuwait Three days later
The training run had been good, the team worked well together Nate was pleased with the free flow of ideas between the Team leaders and himself and Mike. They had run through maneuvers with the team, working out kinks and learning to work with the Humvees.It felt wrong to be cooped up inside these metal boxes but this was what they were given and Nate was going to make sure that they were going to get through this invasion smoothly and professionally to be a credit to the Corps.Nate had felt the thrumming of excitement through the camp all day, a restlessness of the men, at first he put it down to the imminent deployment of the men, soon they would be driving across this ancient landscape, leading an invasion force into Mesopotamia, he felt like Alexander the great only with fewer mommy issues and a Squad full of Vampires, Werewolves and numerous other supernatural creatures.Staring up into the vast sky it dawned on him, tonight was the Full Moon, he had felt the pull off in his bones, the wolves had been fractious and even Mike had snapped at one of the younger Weres from delta, warranted the corporal had been sniffing around and making unwelcome overtures to Walt.Rudy had come to him earlier in the day fresh love bites dotting his neck sighing when Nate rose a brow in question the man actually blushed “The full moon has Pappy all possessive and horny, he had to show everyone I belong to him”Nate smirked “I take it you don’t really mind” Nate smiled at Rudy’, it would be an amazing thing to have that sort of connection with someone, his thoughts sobered though when he saw Sixta stalking the grounds is face fixed in its perpetual scowl, “Keep those hickeys covered up unless you want to catch holy hell from Sixta though”Rudy fastened his scarf around his neck grinning “”Got it covered Lt, knew what being a mate to a werewolf was going to be, went in with open eyes, it's intense the connection we have, but I would not have it any other way”Rudy turned his head and smiled ahh Paps is looking for me better go, the aforementioned Sergeant stuck his head out from the tent as Rudy spoke“How did you know that” Nate was intrigued he had noticed that Rudy and Pappy seemed to work on an almost psychic level, he had thought it was to do with Pappy and Rudy being a sniper team or Rudy’s magicRudy shrugged his broad shoulders and smiled flashing perfect white teeth at Nate “It's a Mate thing, you'll find out” with that Rudy jogged off to his Team leader.Nate shook his head and wandered off to find Mike, they had a briefing to discuss and a lie to agree on Rays injury resulting from a spill of Rudy’s cauldron happened in the tent, Nate had watched as Brad had fumed at his RTO being burned by the mixture of Wolfsbane and colloidal Silver Rudy had been preparing , It should have been done outside the tent, but the gusting wind and constant movements of the marines in camp Rudy had moved it inside the tent, a total breach in regs, but Nate would lie to protect his men, a small lie in the scheme of things but one that would show those below him he was willing to protect his pack.After the meeting he was thankful for the fact that Godfather and the others did not have the Werewolves canny ability to smell a lie, Mike had smirked and noted that Nate had lied so well even he had found it difficult to tell. The day dragged on and thoughts of tonight had him more nervous than the pending invasion, three nights ago Mike had told him about what the fox bite would do to him, hard to believe only three nights ago he was running on the warm sand of a California beach, so far and removed from the sandy waste that was Kuwaiti., Mike when not dealing with the battalion issues had been trying to fill in gaps in Nates knowledge of Werewolf life and culture, trying to prepare Nate for what was going to happen tonight. Nate would be lying if he said he felt confident about it that there was not a small amount of fear and trepidation, but Mike had assured him that he and the other Bravo Weres would be with him.Mike and the other Werewolves had kept up a constant stream of praise and pride in Nate, often breaking protocol to rub a cheek against Nates, he knew this was about bonding about making Nate feel like pack, but it did not stop the small shiver of pleasure each time Mike would lay a hand on his arm or rub his face against Nates a happy pool of warmth would settle in his gut after each one of these touches.Nate had spoken to his TL’s about his change in circumstance, they had all proven to be supportive each with their own advice and wisdom, Brad smiled and said that is was disappointing that he was not bitten by a Vamp, Nate suspected it was more to get a rise out of Mike than any real disappointment.Command knew and had given permission for the Bravo Wolves to leave the confines of camp that evening , the USMC had no say over full moon shifts but it was polite to let them know it would be occurring, Sixta had grumbled of course sighting numerous infractions of code, but had quietly wished Nate good luck on his first change, the grumpy Wendigo was a strange bird but Nate took Sixtas good luck wishes with good grace.A few miles outside of camp, sheltered from sight by a high dune, the gathered men stripped down, Nate fought the urge to blush as he too stripped out of his uniform, making sure it was folded neatly and his socks rolled and placed in his boots.He flushed slightly when he caught an appraising look from Mike, who just smirked and continued to strip down himself,Once they were all stripped down Mike stood nearest Nate, he could feel Mikes naturally high body heat rolling off him, and Mike's cinnamon and woodsmoke scent was even stronger, Nate wondered if it was his fox or him that craved to get closer and have that scent around him, the feelings he was having for the other man were confusing but not unpleasant, Nate just wanted to know what was driving it.“Nate you're going to do just fine, just remember your anchor, OK, it's your first shift so it may feel unpleasant but that will pass quickly”Mikes' hand came up to rub Nates bareback, the gun calloused fingers lightly stroking his skin,His anchor thought Nate with a small private smile, that which kept him tied to his human side, Nate had thought about it when Mike had brought it up, family, friends, his loyalty to the corps all had been rejected in his mind when he thought of what his anchor, each time his mind threw up one face, and the feelings that face inspired in him. Mike had become Nates anchor from the day they met, keeping Nate calm when he wanted to yell and scream at the ineptness of command, Hugging him when he finally broke down last night at the realisation that this was real, he was no longer human , the cold email he had received from his parents, the cold dispassionate terms they used when telling him they would rather not see him when he returned from deployment.Mike had stood holding Nate to his chest promising him that he had a family, a pack who would be there for him and that one day his parents would get over their xenophobia and welcome Nate back, but if they did not he would always have Mike.So it came as no shock that his mind was made up Mike was his anchor, Mike who in a few short weeks had become more to Nate than just his Gunny.Roused from his remembrance he smiled at Mike "I've got this Gunny"Stepping away from Nate, Mike started to change first to his hulking Beta form wicked claws and elongated canines, took place of human hands and teeth, hair covered his chest and shoulders his face taking on a more wolf-like cast.Nate internally mused if there was something wrong with him when his mind told him how hot Mike looked all wolfed out,The sound of tendons and bones popping Made Nate cringe as he continued to watch Mike transform, making him momentarily fear how it was going to feel as he changed. The sounds of shifting around him made him remember the other Werewolves of Bravo were here turning he looked on in awe as the men around him started transforming, Snouts equipped with deadly fangs replaced human mouths and noses, glinting amber eyes shone with unnatural light, heads tipped back they howled in unison.Mike had transformed again and stood in the centre, in his Alpha form, the large wolf that Nate had first met on the beach three nights ago.They all expectantly watched Nate waiting to see what would happen The Moon had reached its zenith and Nate felt the strange pull from within himself, a pain tore through his head ripping out a scream that sounded more fox than human, he screamed again the sound ricocheting about the empty dunes , the wolves all howled in sympathy and brotherhood. Nates vision hazed out for what seemed like hours but was no more than a few minutes.He became aware of a hot wet tongue licking his ears, that felt weird and realised that everything looked wrong, why was he so low to the ground, looking down his body he noted the red fur , he twisted trying to get a better look at himself falling onto his back, when he tied to grab the fluffy red tail that was waving temptingly behind him“OMG, The Lieutenant is adorable “ The voice was muffled by fangs but Nate could tell instantly it was Manimal.“Shut it Jacks,” Nate growled, what actually came out of Nate's mouth was a series of yips and snarls,Doc Bryan smirked and leaned down “Straight to full shift LT, no half measures for you” Docs voice was harsh sounding through the fangs but still recognisable as the corpsman, Nate became aware of soft squeaking coming from Jacks, noticing that hanging from the fur that covered his chest were two bats One a large white ghost bat the other a small brown bumblebee bat,Nate heard Mike's voice in his head “Brad and Ray wanted to join the celebration, Poke stayed back to keep an eye on the boys with Walt” Mike pressed his nose to Nate's smaller one “Welcome to the pack”Nate breathed deeply of Mikes scent even more intoxicating in this form and playfully went to nip at the larger wolf's jaws , Mike backed of with a wolfy grin and let Tim come in to scent Nate, in turn, each of Bravos wolves bent down so Nate could memorise their scent and they his, a feeling of completeness taking hold.The flapping of wings announced that Rich too had joined the celebrations, he jaunty walked up and poked Nate gently with his beak. Cawing loudly and hopping about the Raven looked as excited as Nate felt.His new form thrummed with energy he wanted to run, hunt maybe pounce that seemed like a fun thing to do, ooh could he catch the Raven, Nate dropped down to a crouch trying to sneak up on Rich who was busy preening his plumage , Nates tail twitching with anticipation whiskers quivering he readied to pounce that was until a strong set of jaws held him still and the Alpha growled softly ,Mikes warm honey chuckle filling his head “Unless you want your bedroll covered in Bird crap I would rethink what your planning Nate”Nate wriggled out of Mikes jaws and yipped apologetically, not sure what to do with all this energy he now felt or the instincts that were kicking in.He darted off between the werewolves legs running and yipping daring Mike to chase him, out of the corner of his eye he could see the small brown shape of Ray flying alongside, joining in the fun. Mike sighed and looked at Tim huffing “We better let him run out this energy, you know what the first Moon does to new shifters “Tim huffed out a laugh watching their lieutenant trying to catch the low flying bat Brad still hung from his perch on Jacks' chest clearly too proud to join in the anticsA large desert cricket had caught both Nates and Rays attention and the bat and fox were squabbling loudly over who got the prize.“Think your right Tim, better let the Lt run off some of that energy before he and Ray end up in bloodshed, that would be a hard one to explain to Godfather” Nate currently had the small bat pinned to the sand and was making yips and growls while also licking the poor vampire, Ray for his part was making small indignant squeaks,Pappy interceded reaching a claw out with delicacy and allowing the annoyed bat to cling to it chittering angrily as he was lifted away from the fox “I know, I know, you're a big strong Vampire Ray but when your in this shape your easy pickings, Yes Ray I know the Lt was being mean to you I am sure he will apologize” Pappy kept up the chatter while trying to sooth the young vampires ruffled ego, Nate for his part did not look unrepentant at all bouncing off to attack Mikes swishing tail.Mike tipped his head back and howled the other werewolves joining in the chorus, Nate stopped his playing to try to howl, it felt strange and sounded small compared to the wolves, but it also felt right to do it and feeling swept through them all in his head he heard Mike’s command“We Run”As a pack, they headed out Nate darting about the legs of the Weres until he was running alongside Mike the bats and Raven flying overhead.A few hours before dawn the pack returned to there dune most of the men changing back into there human shape, dressing quietly and heading back for a few hours sleep, Nate was still running high, the shift and full moon working like a shot of adrenaline to his system, Mike still in wolf form dropped onto the sand tongue lolling out the side of his mouth watching while Nate scampered and scurried trying to catch a scorpion that had, unfortunately, got his attention.“Careful Nate those things pack a punch, you have faster healing now but it will still hurt like hell, “Nate gave a shrug, he was a hunter, he was a Lieutenant in the USMC and no scorpion was going to get the better of him.Blinding pain lanced through his delicate nose and he screamed out yipping in annoyance at the scorpion that scurried off, he brushed at his nose with his small paws trying to make the pain go awayBlinking he saw Mike standing over him “Now is not the time to say I told you so” Nate growled bearing small sharp teeth at the larger Alpha, Mike looks down unimpressed and uses his large paw to pin the smaller fox to the ground,Mike licks the sting on Nates nose with a broad sweep of his tongue Nate yipped in indignation, but then the stinging of his nose became less, further licks and the pain had dulled down to be just a slight sting, “how did you do that “ Nate wrinkled his black nose testing it and feeling no residual damage from the scorpion sting ,“Werewolf healing mojo, can take the pain away and sometimes help heal wounds” Mike spoke like it was nothing important.Mike laid back down and Nate scooted closer the warmth of Wolf's body, it was nice especially on a cold desert night,“You going to head back to camp Mike”Nate found he wanted to stay in fox form a little longer maybe even take a nap out on the dunes the crowded loud camp did not hold much appeal for him at the moment, Nate settled against Mikes side curling up into a small red ball , he sighed when he felt Mike wrap his larger tail around him.“Hmm thought I would keep you company until your ready to head back, we have a couple of hours, Rest Nate I'll keep watch” and surprisingly Nate did, lulled to sleep by the warmth of his Gunny beside him he drifted off. 000 Patterson woke to the flurry of wings, rolling over he watched as his husband resumed his human form, rubbing the sleep from his eyes he sat up as Rich sat on the side of Pattersons cot, “So how did it go”Rich stripped down to his boxers and Tee and Made Bryan move over, technically Rich was bunking in the NCO’s tent with Mike and the other senior men but right now he just wanted some time with his husband, for weeks it had been crazy not enough time to catch a breath let alone have a quiet moment with his husband.Rich rested his head on Bryan's chest and sighed “It went off without a hitch, Nate shifted straight to full fox form “Byan smiled softly as he ran his hands down his husbands back “Clever boy, heard his scream but thought you would have come got me if anything went awry”“He did try to pounce on me right off the bat though, little shit” Rich huffedByan snorted back a chuckle “ First shift for newly turned is always a fight between natural instincts and human reserve“Yeah well our bright young Lieutenant embraced his fox and ran with it, Mike had to put his paw down at one point, and the suspicion you had about that situation, I think you may be right” Rich mused while Bryan massaged the kinks out of Rich’s back“Mm, how so?”“There is a mating bond their, unacknowledged but it's there, it's only going to make things harder for them I fear, Encino and Kasem already have it out for Nate “Byan made no comment about Rich using the nicknames the men had already given the other Captain and Gunny“ and they both have made their feelings in regards to Werewolves abundantly clear”Byan pulled Rich closer to him, murmuring into his hair “ I have a feeling things are going to get worse before they get better, all we can do is try to keep them and the guys whole, get through this deployment, do our jobs and then if the spirits see fit get home”Rich sighed and settled against Byan, not sure when the next time they could lay like this would be, “Get some sleep, Godfather wants an early meeting need to be on the ball tomorrow” 000 Bravos wolves crept back into the tents before dawn, Brad was already sitting on his bunk laptop going reviewing maps, Ray was sulking in the corner sipping from at a Capri blood box still miffed at being taken down by a fox.Tims bunk lay near where Walt was stretched out reading, the fresh grass had somehow sprung up around the young Dryad making the area smell like a spring field, looking up to see Tim Walt smiled “How did the Lt do?”Tim dropped down to his bedroll sighing “Really good, not that Ray would agree”Walt looked over at the sulking vampire and then back to Tim, “Ok spill what happened “Tim rolled to his side so he could look at Walt, noticing that Walts grass patch was starting to edge towards Tims bedroll, “The Lt and Ray got into a fight over a cricket and the LT won”Ray overhearing this let out a wail, “He had an unfair advantage, If I was not a bat I would have kicked his ass”“But you were a bat Ray and you decided to challenge the Lt for a Cricket, a Cricket Ray you are a disappointment to Vampires everywhere” Brad spoke drolly from where he was looking at his laptop.Ray took an extra long slurp of his blood box, making sure to be as loud and obnoxious as he can, pulling a face at the stale taste of the blood, no matter how they market it, it's still not as good as fresh.From where he is sitting he has a good view of the other guys most are still asleep, the wolves dropping onto there bedrolls and comatose within minutes of coming in from their moon run.Ray knows he should at least attempt to rest even being an undead bloodsucking badass motherfucker does not mean his undead body can go forever without regular rest but he is too keyed up the run was fun, Even his tussle with the Lt was actually fun, not that Ray would tell anyone, the run made Ray think of some of the stories Brad would tell of the old days. , when wolves and vamps hunted together, it was not often that Brad would open up but sometimes if put in a way that made Brad think he was imparting some warrior wisdom he could be convinced to tell tales of the Old World.Ray looked over to where Walt and Tim's bedrolls were it had gone quiet on that side of the tent, he cracked a grin at what he saw “Brad” he whispered“Ray get some rest big day tomorrow” Brad spoke without even looking up from his laptop“Braaad look at the puppy and the flower child” Ray whinedBrad closed his laptop with a loud sigh looking in the direction of Walt and Tim, the dryad had unknowingly let his earth magic seep into the ground they slept on both asleep facing one another, grass and small white flowers carpeted the hard packed ground around them.“We need a picture of this, then they cannot deny it, they are in puppy loooove” Ray crooned“Ray as your Sargent I forbid you to take a photo, as your maker and friend I am more inclined to let you” Brad sighed, the corpsman and dryad had been circling this thing between them neither willing to step over the line, it was painfully obvious to any who saw them together they were made for each other, Brad glowered at the thought, falling in love and letting emotions get in the way of good sense was a sure fire way to fuck up a good thing.Turning his head he looked to where Poke lay, emotions and fancy thoughts of love had nearly ruined his friendship with Poke, but that was years ago, they had moved on, Brad had learned, but really had he? looking to where Ray lay sprawled on the floor a small kernel of doubt in his ability to keep remote and detached festered.Let the invasion start soon, less time to think of things that he was unwilling and unable to accept, Let his warrior take over that he could do, no thought just action always the best and safest path.