'Tis The Season [Blake]

Snow was falling from the sky. The clouds littered the white powder over everything so gently. Kenai had been awake since the sun had come up from its slumber. But now being mid day, the winds had died down and the new snow was so peaceful. Kenai lunged out of his den, tumbling to his belly as he splashed into the powder. If there were three things he loved more than anything, it was food, water, and snow. Being that he did not have to pretend to be a real bear anymore, he could enjoy the luxuries of winter. Snow was so much fun he could never imagine why he and the other real bears would want to sleep right through it. The snow clung to the tips of his fur, making it look as if he had been rolling in it for hours. But Kenai did not care. The weather had not bothered him at all. His coat was so thick he could even do the polar bear plunge, as was called by the humans during this time. Those it made little sense to him, as polar bears had layers upon layers of warmth, while humans jumped in naked. Their traditions had been so funny to Kenai, but he never spoke ill of them. He let them have their fun and even joined in, though he pretended to be as cold as them. Acting classes in high school really paid off. On this day there were many people he could think of wanting to be around, but only one truly stuck out in his mind. Blake. She had been so nervous around him and afraid to shift into her human shell. Kenai just wanted a friend, and so he decided he would invite her out to enjoy the snow. Of all the things he had heard of the lion lands, they had no snow. Had Blake ever seen snow? Or had she even heard of it? These questions made Kenai think fully on the subject. Moving to stand on his hind legs, he trudged slowly through the snow. His ears were perked up on his head, alert and listening for any noises. It was then he recalled Blake had mentioned she did not have a den here. So where did she sleep during the winter? Looking around the woods, he searched for her within the pack center. "Blake! Blake where are you?!" he bellowed out in a roar.

After having finally spoken with Eden on a whim of fate, the house at Monet Quarter was finally underway. Having bean aired out, dusted, swept and in general, cleaned, she'd moved on to repairs. So far she'd fixed a cracked window, filled in the holes in the walls and finally redone the staircase. Upstairs was actually much larger than it had been on her first inspection. The canaries still flitted in and out of the window there, joining her in song while she worked away. She definitely wanted that skylight in her living area, it would just brighten the place that little bit more. The next job was going to be the kitchen renovation. It was a big job and rather costly, but she thought she could handle it. Rather than tearing out the entire unit and starting from scratch, she was saving money by reworking and redesigning the pre-existing set up. She'd risen early to get a head start, taking the broken old cabinets down and cleaning the granite island bench. Finally, after the sun had begun rising she wiped her hands on her knees and looked around at the space. It was completely trashed. Deep breaths Blake, deep breaths. She took one. The thought of the finished product kept her going. But before she could set to putting up the new cabinets, she could have sworn she heard her name being called. Leaving her supplies she stood and walked outside into the snow. Snow. She'd not seen it very often. Down south it didn't snow very often and in the city the trucks often cleared it away before the masses began to stir. She walked out into the forest that surrounded Monet Quarter. There was a voice out there calling for her. For all she knew it was a distress call.

Without hesitation the Mender flew into action. Falling forward she shifted into her lioness form, pounding away the distance between her paws. The sound had come from an area deep in the trees, one she hadn't visited yet. Possibly the Timberlands Kenai had mentioned. She still couldn't bring herself to take up residence there. She wasn't entirely confident enough to sleep out in the open in her primal form. But her inhibitions weren't there at this time, all she could think about was the voice that had called out for her. If someone was in trouble it was her duty to help them. Even if she didn't know how, she had to find a way. Behind her was a train of large feline paw prints. But finally she saw a figure up ahead. A familiar figure of a bear. Mid-stride she shifted. In healing practises, opposable thumbs were much more useful. Fortunately her outfit was a warm one, with thanks to the mysterious shifter magic - or science. She wasn't quite sure. In her boots she skid to a halt before the large grizzly, coat flapping in the wintry air, brown hair tousled beneath her beanie from the run. Blue eyes searched his body for sign of injury. "Is everything ok? I heard you call..." She trailed, unsure of where his ailment lay.

As the snow continued the fall, his voice echoed among the trees. Kenai waited in his bear form, his ears forward as he listened for any sound of her approaching his way. Dashing through the snow, came a whirlwind of a pup. Pandora raced to her master, hearing the emergency in his voice. When she saw the large bear, she jumped to him and landed before his body. Her tail curled over her spine naturally as it normally had. Her ears were perked and alert. Shifting from his bear form, he reached down and stroked her head gently. "Good girl Pan. But I did not call you, crazy thing.." He joked as he pet her more. It was not long until the two of them were joined by a beautiful girl. It was strange for the bear, seeing a human running towards him ad he almost felt on edge. Had he been in his bear form, he would have surely stood on his hind legs and roared. But as she neared, he could smell the sweet scent he had smelled not too long ago. Blake. Was she really in her human form? This was astounding to him and took the Bellator completely by surprise. Pandora stood by her master, watching as the female came close. She pinned her ears to her head and stood before Kenai. But the boy paid no attention to the husky. Instead his eyes were stuck on Blake. "Wow, you clean up real nice.." he joked with a smile. "I didn't mean to make it sound like I was on fire, but I really didn't know where to look for you at. So I kinda just used these awesome bear vocals and called out for you. I am sorry if I have alarmed you for no particular reason."If his skin had not been so dark, he probably would have been blushing. In the silence, he thought of what he should say, and how he could make it up to her. But Pandora, was not one for silence. Instead she rushed up to the female, sniffed her shoes and then her leg. Her tail wagged as she did so, excited to meet a new Shifter. "Oh geez, where are my manners? Blake, this is my main girl, Pandora. She's a Siberian Husky and quite the handful." He smiled as he looked to his dog and the Mender. She really was pretty and Kenai couldn't fathom why she had not wanted to shift for him before. She was pretty as a picture. As the two females got to know one another, he took the opportunity to bend down and grab some snow in his hands. He balled it up and when the moment was right, he tossed it at Blake, hoping to his her shoulder. Whether it hit her or not, he would still chuckle. "Well, since you are out here... Do you want to build a snowman?"

Blake looked around slightly confused when she saw the bear in his human form. There were no injuries, there was no blood. She looked down. Nope, the dog was fine, apparently nervous, but otherwise fine. She wanted nothing more than to crouch down and start playing with the dog, but she knew it was impolite to do so without permission. So she returned her gaze to the man whose voice had brought her here, smiling slightly. Then she blushed as he complimented her. That was when she realised her folly. The last time they'd met she was a lioness, refusing to shift and stand on two legs. Now, in her haste, she had forgotten to keep her identity a secret and now he knew what both of her forms looked like. For all she knew he could be an informant, it was highly unlikely but a paranoid mind could come up with any number of excuses not to trust someone. "Oh, um, it's ok I guess. Was there anything you needed from me?" But finally he seemed to catch on and introduced his lovely little companion. "She's gorgeous. May I?" At his indication the Mender crouched to inspect the canine. She looked to be in excellent condition and extremely friendly. Kenai was obviously a very good owner. She ran her fingers through the husky's fur, petting her excitedly. "You're a beautiful girl, aren't you? Aren't you? You wanna come play?" She'd intended to rise and start running with the dog hot on her heels. Instead as she rose a great big snowball smacked into her shoulder, shattering against her coat. She let out a surprised "Oh!" before returning to a crouch. The woman gathered up her own pile of snow, balling it between her hands, the cold snow stinging her fingers. Standing, she hurled it back at the bear-in-human-form, intending a solid hit to either the chest or forehead. She wasn't sure which, she hadn't made much of an effort to aim. Then she stood straight with a smile and her eyebrows raised slightly. "Isn't that a line from an old kids movie?" She tilted her head slightly to the side, watching his with her blue eyes. "But sure. It'll be fun."

As the vivacious mender approached the pair, Kenai smiled gently to her. It was good to see his dog enjoying the company of another. Pandora was quick on her paws almost jumping up onto Blake as she knelt down. Her tail wagged side to side over her spine a mile a minute. Her ears pinned against her head in a greeting of respect. Kenai crossed his arms over his chest and watched the pair. "If you don't pay attention to her, she is a complaining baby.. So please, do pet her and get to know her." As he spoke of her behavior, Pandora licked Blake's cheek gently just three times. She was truly a sweet dog, but loved all the attention. As the two got to spending time together, it was then it seemed Kenai had gotten jealous. In a bit of fun, he tossed the snowball and hit her right on the shoulder. Playfully, he covered his mouth with his hands, to act as if it had been an accident. He chuckled behind his hands and watched her with his silver stare. When she threw it back, the snow exploded on his chest, spreading over his coat. He could not help but to laugh just then. When she asked if the line had been from a movie, he shrugged his shoulders and knelt down to the ground. With the attention no longer n Pandora, she started to whine and lick Blake's hand. She nuzzled it with the top of her head, trying to force the girl to pet her. Meanwhile, Kenai started to work on the base of the snowman, laying the foundation of a large ball. Pandora watched her master from the side and she knew what she must do. She waited for him to become involved with the snowman and moved from Blake. As Kenai was almost finished with the base of the snowman, Pandora came charging up behind him and jumped on his back. The force of her weight caused him to lose balance and fall right into the base of the snowman. With victory in her stance, she raised her ears and pranced back to Blake with pride. She barked playfully at her master as Kenai sat himself up from the snow. He smiled to Blake and joked, "you girls planned this... Didn't you?" he asked with a sly grin. Whether it was true or not, he did not mind. "I will get you back for this Pandora... You just wait.." He smiled to Blake as he stood and dusted the snow from his clothes. "Do you think we should try again?"

She giggled softly when her snowball hit its mark with a thump. Taking a moment she wiped the dog slobber off her cheek with the sleeve of her coat. The moment she dropped her hand back at her side, Pandora had whined and started licking her hand for attention. The Mender watched the Bellator artfully build the base of a snowman, crouching beside the grey canine, running her slender fingers through the soft fur. "You know, if she's forcing attention you can train it out of her." She grinned watching the base take shape. She leaned over to the dog, whispering in her ear. "Go on, go get him." She gave the husky's shoulder a quick squeeze before lightly slapping the dogs rump to set her off. Slowly at first, the dog crept towards Kenai, breaking into a sprint and launching onto his back. He had been so consumed by his snowman that the force of his pets jump spooked him, sending him face first into the sizeable ball of snow. Blake clutched her sides, giggling where the dog was barking. Had she been in lion form she might have let off a soft roar in jubilance. Her ribs ached from the laughter, but finally she managed to make herself stand straight. The Mender gave him an exaggerated grin, "Nooooo. I don't know what you're talking about." She snickered before approaching, laying a hand on his shoulder. "I think we could give it another go." She bent down, starting to gather her own pile of snow for her snowman. As she worked she first wondered where the dog had gotten to, being quiet as she was. Then she tried to think what they could dress their snowman with. She had her scarf, but he would need a nose. And buttons. Maybe a hat too. Where would she find them?

Pandora was overly proud of what she had done. It was apparent across her smiling face. Her features were bright as she wagged her tail wildly over her spine. But once her act was finished, she moved away from the pair. Off chasing a rabbit or something else which had caught her attention for the moment in time. Kenai continued to dust the snow off of him. It had felt as though an avalanche had fallen over his form and was just now covering the major portions of his body. He watched Blake as she started to continue on the snowman. He moved to sit across from her, helping with the foundation. "I know you girls were in on it together, but it's alright. I will get you back." As he continued to help her, they finally got the base done. He started on the second ball for the chest. "So, Blake, tell me... What goes on in the life of the adorable Mender? What's new with you?" he smiled to her as he gathered the snow and compacted it together. He tried to push it together as much as he could to make it stable. It would really suck if he had done all the work and it just feel over. Though the thought of moving the next ball and the next on top of the base sounded like it would fall. He would have to be very careful with these things.

Blake watched a little sadly as the dog ran off to do her own thing. But it brought her joy to see Pandora so happy and excited, chasing some small rodent - a squirrel perhaps? She continued to pile snow, making the base of the snowman larger and larger. Every so often she would stop and pat down the snow, compacting it until the surface was smooth. It helped give her a better idea of how the base was progressing. The Mender looked up, smiling at the Bellator when he sat across from her, working from the other side. Many hands make light work. She shifted from her knees to sit cross-legged. It was nice to be out just doing something for fun, no worries, no wondering what came next. Normally she would be worrying for the moment he brought up the commonly asked question: 'So what's your primal form?" But, by circumstance and accident, he had already seen both, so she could relax a little more. Her only worry was that he might keep his mouth shut about her primal form. She still didn't feel entirely safe. Even telling Wesley was a silly idea on her part. But she trusted Wes, he would've found out sooner or later. She patted down the surface one final time, satisfied that the base was both tall and wide enough to support the other two, smaller, balls. She got on her knees, walking on them to kneel beside Kenai, starting on the smaller ball for the head. "Nothing too exciting I'm afraid. I've been renovating a house in Monet Quarter, turning it into a General Practise. I figured we needed a place where all the shifters could find me if they needed me for something." She shrugged, returning her eyes to her work.

"Oh, that sounds like a cool idea. Do you need help renovating or anything. I am good with tools and I have an exquisite eye for art... aka painting walls.." he chuckled as he helped her with the snow man. As he patted the snow, he smiled to her, "seriously though, utilize my strength if you need to. And since we're on the topic of that... Do you know a lot about the spine? See I have this kink in my back and I haven't been able to get it out. It hurts and when I try to rub it out against the trunk of a tree, it seems to make it worse. When I played football, we used to have a chiromatron-person-thing... I don't know what it was called, but they always made my back feel perfect once again. Even for a bear, wearing all those pads really tear you down." He smiled to her and finally they had finished what they could for the snow creature. It had most of the features and everything. Kenai backed away from the structure and forced his hands each into an L shape. As he did this, he formed them to make the shape of a deformed box of sorts, closing an eye he examined their handy work. "Oh yeah, that's art right there..." He chuckled as he continued to step back, not paying attention. As he did, his shoe got caught on a tree root and he fell backwards. As he landed, his head hit the trunk of a tree. He leaned forward slightly and started to rub his head. "Shit that hurt.." He looked to Blake with a slight smile. "Do you know what it means if I see little tiny stars running before my eyes?"

She nodded, still forming the oversized snowball between her hands. "It's mostly under control. I've patched up most of the holes in the walls and fixed the cracked windows, cleaned and dusted. This morning I was working on the kitchen cabinets. I'm doing most of the manual labour myself. The Regina gave me a few names and numbers of plumbers and electricians we can trust, so I've got them coming in later in the week. I'm going furniture shopping on the weekend and hopefully they'll be in by mid-next week. If you like you could give me a hand with that? I could use some strong arms to help carry the lounges. After that all that's left will be the painting, but I haven't even begun to think about that yet." She knew she was beginning to ramble, but this project was her baby. It kept her busy and away from everyone. She got to just be alone and be herself. There was no worrying about her identity or her scars. No fear of the Regina. No pretending to be entirely human. No one to judge her or annoy her. It was actually kind of fun. She'd found an old stereo when she was cleaning out the house. She was able to plug her phone into it and play her own music - dancing around the house, singing along with all the songs. But when the canaries came around she didn't play music. She didn't need it. Their voices were beautiful enough for her - plus they weren't fans of some of her songs.

Blake stood, clutching the snowmans head in her hands. Very carefully she placed it atop the other two, completing the basic outline of their creation. Taking a step back, she observed it. He needs arms, she thought. Walking over to a tree, she found a couple twigs she thought would do. Plucking them, the Mender returned to the snowman and gave him his new appendages. A thump had her spin around, looking at the fallen man. She grinned and offered him a hand, "Don't worry, it's just your occipital lobe coping with being bumped. It'll pass." After he'd gotten himself back up, she dusted the snow off her very cold hands, sticking them in the pockets on her coat to try and warm them. She looked to the half-done snowman, "I think he needs a nose..." she thought aloud.

While keeping his attention to her, he smiled and nodded his head. "Use me for the heavy lifting, I can do that. And as for painting, I have heard this thing a lot of women like... it's called an accent wall. Basically you have your three walls that you paint one color, but the fourth wall is actually like something to accentuate the room. It can bring out the color in your furniture and really make the room 'pop', so to speak." As he finished speaking, he had realized that the way he spoke about it and the excitement might make him come off as being homosexual. What men did he know that liked this sort of thing? None, absolutely none. Bradley would make so much fun of him if he had still been alive. The male knew he needed to silence himself, and thought it over in his mind. But it needed to be said. "I just want you to know Blake.. I'm not gay... I mean I've got nothing wrong with them or against them.. I just don't lie dudes in that way... But if someone I knew was gay, I would totally support their decision... I'm just not... you know?" His rambling had caused him such turmoil. Had he just silenced himself, then there would be nothing to dig himself deeper. This hole was getting larger and larger. He gently rubbed the back of his head and looked to her. He grabbed her hand, though he did not need her to get up. He allowed the help. She spoke some medical terms to him, which only made his head pound even more trying to figure out what they meant. For now, he would try to let it pass. Not thinking about it should be helpful to him, if not then would hope it would pass soon enough. He watched as she stared to the snowman they had made. It was missing a nose and he got a brilliant and adorable idea. He walked over to her and quickly placed his index finger and middle finger on each side of her nose. He quickly pretended to pull it off and place it right smack in the center of the snowman's face. Though it was only an indent, he chuckled and smiled to Blake. "Now he's got your nose..." he playfully nudged her arm with his own as he laughed.

She nodded. "If I get in over my head and need a hand with the furniture, I'll be sure to give you a call." She smiled. "I don't care if you're gay, or bi or anything else. But I'm sure there are plenty of guys that have a little guilty pleasure towards interior design." She offered him a reassuring smile to show she understood. She balled her fists inside her coat pockets, clenching and releasing to stimulate the blood flow and hopefully promote some warmth. She knotted her eyebrows together in confusion as his middle and index fingers curled on either side of her nose. When he pulled away he'd slotted his thumb between them to replace her nose. An odd gesture, she'd seen old men tease youngsters in a similar way a few times. With his fingers perched this way he poked his thumb into the centre of the snowmans faceless head. Blake bent, picking up two small pebbles and placed them just a little above the hole where she thought his eyes would be. Stepping back she observed their work. "Not the most attractive nose... don't snowmen traditionally have a carrot for a nose?" She'd remembered one year making a snowman with her brother when they were children. It had been nowhere near as well constructed as this one. It had been an awkward misshapen pile of snow, mildly resembling the form of a grotesque, gangly, lumpy child. But she laughed with him anyway and nudged him back. It was then the sudden realisation struck her. She was human. He knew her for the white lioness who refused to shift. It had been sitting in her mind this whole time, but now it smacked her in the face like a snowball from a sexy person. She turned to him worriedly. She hadn't intended for anyone to know both her forms but already too many knew. "Kenai, can you promise me something..?" She took a deep breath, the air she exhaled coming out in a little cloud of mist. "Could you please not tell anyone about my true form? It'd really mean a lot if you could." She hoped he wouldn't ask too many difficult questions. She wasn't ready to answer them just yet.