esses out of those two roll away beds in your closet for them," request Richy.

Cougar nods, "No problem."

"So how long are you four kids going to stand there and gawk at your Uncle Mist," Richy ask his four little second cousins.

"Well, children," ask Wildcat, "are you going to say good-night or what?"

Richy's four little second cousins look at Wildcat, then at Richy and then at each other not sure what to do or what to think.

The youngest Shell takes a step closer and questions, "Uncle Mist?"

"Yeah," Richy answers.

"Are you mad," ask Shell.

"Do I smell mad," ask Richy.

"No," answers Shell. "But if you're not mad, then why did you change?"

"I'm trying to encourage your Aunt Talia to do the same and change. Because if she did, she'ld get better faster," explains Richy.

Wildcat sits on the edge of the bed, takes Richy's hand and tells the children, "Look here, he's still your Uncle Mist. He's not going to hurt you. He would never hurt you. He has always kept you safe here. Now, either come say good-night or go on with ya."

Shell being the youngest and most curious climbs onto the foot of the bed. Richy puts out his hand and Shell takes it. Then he pulls her up onto his chest and kisses her tiny nose.

Shell giggles, "Hi, Uncle Mist." She looks back at the other three children smiling and informs them, "its Uncle Mist."

Then the other three children clamber onto the bed. Wildcat gets up out of the way to give them room and gives Cougar a hand while Richy's small cousins crawl over him, hug him and kiss him.

"Okay guys," Richy says with his oversized hand on Beaver's head, "carefully give Aunt Talia a kiss good-night and I'll see you in the morning."

After giving Talia a kiss, Richy's small cousins run out of the room past Cougar and Wildcat as they're leaving the room. Richy hears the two men exchange a quick greeting with Uncle Bob.

Uncle Bob pauses in the doorway for a moment to stare at Richy. "Forgive me son, there's knowing something exist and then there's finally seeing it with your own eyes. I feel like a kid who actually caught Santa Claus putting gifts under the Christmas tree."

Richy shrugs it off as Uncle Bob steps up to Talia's side of the bed and sits on the edge. He tilts his head as he looks at Talia sleeping peacefully. Uncle Bob says, "She looks different. Her, but a little cattish."

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"She turned it up a couple of notches," explains Richy as he cuddles closer to Talia. "I'ld say the equivalent of being about a quarter guardian."

Uncle Bob nods his understanding as he strokes back the braids from Talia's forehead. Then he leans over and kisses her forehead, "Sleep well."

"Night Uncle Bob," bids Richy. Uncle Bob pause at the door and smiles as he gives a little good-night wave. Then he steps out into the hall where he opens his arms wide for Roar, and tells him, the boys, Zenith and Squirrel good-night.

Talia's two nephews rush in carrying their bedrolls and start to set themselves up on the rollaway bed mattresses. Zenith and Squirrel step into the room followed by Roar. None of them gives Richy a funny look as the two women step up by Talia's bedside one at a time. Zenith closes her eyes as she rest her cheek against Talia's forehead for a moment, then she kisses her forehead and steps out of the way for Squirrel, who basically does the same thing and steps out of Roar's way.

Roar sits on the edge of the bed looking at his only sibling as he speaks to Richy, "I didn't know you were a guardian."

"Neither did I," admits Richy. "Apparently it was a dormant ability. Cougar thinks Talia woke it up."

"Seems possible," responds Roar glancing at Richy for a moment. "I'm sorry I over reacted when I got here and got so emotional. I'm her elder brother and we have no other siblings, just each other."

"Normally, I wouldn't have been so testy," Richy shares with Roar, "but I had a situation at work that kept me away all day and left me in a foul mood. She's overly sensitive to the emotions of the children. If they get upset, she gets upset."

"She's overdue for motherhood," states Zenith.

"I'm working on that," responds Richy.

"I came across the hunters on our way here," shares Roar. "I kind of threatened them. The one who shot her, thought he was firing at a deer. They should be finding their way out of tribe territory by morning."

"They don't have any business hunting in tribe territory," states Richy as he looks at Talia's heat signature.

Roar's not happy about it, but responds, "Most hunters are in and out without doing any harm. And we try to encourage camping and hiking. We get to meet new people that way, potential mates, people to trade with etc. Talia's own grandfather was a hunter. But he was the first to admit, they were doing more beer drinking than hunting. They were all pretty drunk and most were passed out when a group of adolescent females happened upon them.

Talia's grandmother, Panther, wasn't the biggest or the oldest of the young women, but she was the most dominant and what she saw pissed her off: a bunch of young men lying around half unconscious with a mess of beer cans and food wraps around them. She marched into their camp, grabbed one by the shirt pulling him up to face her and said, 'You best not leave dis mess here.' To which young Reynold Devonshire responded, 'My stones, you're beautiful.'

He was the first man to ever tell her she was beautiful and she was so shocked, she dropped him. He rolled to one side, vomited, rolled back, hugged her legs and begged her not to leave him. He promised that if she wasn't a figment of his imagination, he'ld never get that drunk again."

Roar smiles as he watches his baby sister sleep next to her mate, a mate that at this point in her life, even he had doubted she would ever have. "Panther felt trapped. She wanted to kick him aside and walk away, but her heart wouldn't let her do it. Next thing Reynold remembered was waking up holding onto the most beautiful woman he'ld ever laid eyes on. He and his companions, most of whom were still past out, were surrounded by what must have been at least half the tribe. Everyone seemed thoroughly amused except for the beautiful young woman he was clinging to.

An amused tribesmen asked him, 'My daughter, Panther, good pillow, yes?' Reynold looked at the petite young woman he was holding on to and said, 'yes,' which produced a roar of laughter from the tribe's people.

Panther finally ordered, 'Let me go.'

Reynold still very hung over with his brain still not working properly asked, 'Why?'

Panther answered, 'Cause I need to pee.'

Reynold was reluctant to release her and asked, 'Oh, but you'll be right back?'

Panther sighed frustrated but answered, 'Yes.'

'Promise,' asked Reynold.

'Promise, yes,' answered Panther embarrassed.

'Ok,' responded Reynold and he slowly released his hold on her. Panther hopped up angry and embarrassed, dusted herself off and stomped into the forest to relieve herself. Reynold dug out a water bottle and took two tablets for his headache. He grabbed Panther's father by the hand and shook it as he asked, 'Your daughter, Panther, you said. My stones, she's the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on. Is she spoken for?'

'Panther speaks for herself,' her father told him.

Reynold clarified himself, 'I mean does she have a husband, fiancé or boyfriend.' He was hurriedly brushing his teeth.

'No mate,' her father shrugged, 'no virgin either, but no mate yet.'

Reynold relieved himself on a tree with his back to everyone as he responded, 'No mate, good. Explains why no one has beaten the shit out of me for manhandling their woman. Sir, she's your daughter. Why haven't you beaten the shit out of me?'

'Panther usually does ok at that by herself. If you truly offend her, she will beat shit out of you herself,' explained her father.

At that time, Reynold couldn't imagine petite little panther beating the shit out of anybody. He pulled out a comb and started to comb his hair when he realized, 'Criminy, I reek.'

Then Panther grabbed the comb from his hand and took over combing his hair as she informed him, 'You need washing. You have clean clothes and washing soap?'

'Yes, I do,' answered Reynold as he looked down into her beautiful face.

'Get dem,' ordered Panther and Reynold complied. She then grabbed him by the arm and ordered, 'Come.' Reynold said she could have dragged him straight into hell itself and he would have followed her willingly. But she led him to a waterfall. And when he fell on his ass taking off a boot, she proceeded to undress him.

'I can undress myself, woman,' Reynold insisted.

Panther wasn't deterred, 'You still sick from too much alcohol drink. You need help.' Then she took off her top and Reynold went very still. She smiled, 'If women went topless all time, men would be too transfixed to make war.'

It was the first time he saw her smile, and he said it was the most blinding smile he'd ever seen. He said he didn't see much else as she stripped him and herself naked. And when he slipped stepping into the river, she steadied him. Then she proceeded to wash him down like he was a child. And when he tried to protest, she dunked him under water. He wasn't happy about the unexpected dunking and she was laughing.

He asked her, 'What was that for?'

Panther told him, 'You embarrass me in front of my fawder, my uncle and nearly half my tribe.'

Reynold responded, 'I didn't do it on purpose. What did I do?'

Panther informed him, 'You been holdin' onto me all night sayin' I'm beautiful, beggin' me not to leave you. Dey tease me for most de morning.'

Reynold apologized sincerely, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you.'

Panther asked him, 'Did ya mean what ya say 'bout me being beautiful? Do ya really t'ink dat?'

He lifted her chin and saw tears in her eyes. He asked, 'How does a drop dead gorgeous woman like yourself, not know you're beautiful? Yes, I mean it. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my whole life.'

She stepped close to him, pushed up onto her toes as she slowly pulled him down by his neck and kissed him. Then they made love for the first time by that waterfall. Reynold said from that moment on, he worshipped Panther. But when he started talking about coming back to see her, she told him, 'Don't make promises ya may not keep.'

Reynold responded, 'What do you mean? I'm a man of my word.'

Panther explained, 'I know a girl in anodder tribe. She meet a man out here hikin'. She luv him very much and dey all sure him luv her same. But him stop comin' to see her while she pregnant wit deir daughter. Just not come back like he promise.'

Reynold responded, 'But we don't know his side of the story. Maybe he was in an accident.'

Panther informed him, 'Oh, he just accidently marry him a supermodel. My friend got family in town. She point him out on the TV to her cousin. Dey was showin' him wit his new fancy supermodel bride.'

He assured her, 'Panther, I'm coming back.' And he did, again and again. By the time he learned Panther was only sixteen, she was already pregnant with their first child, a son they named Hunter."

"Talia hasn't mentioned an Uncle Hunter yet," Richy tells Roar.

Roar explains, "That's because we never knew him. He was killed by a mountain lion when he was three. When a predator is wounded or sick, that's often when it's at its most dangerous. Panther was on her way with the boy to meet Reynold. She had been carrying him on her hip. But he was excited about seeing his daddy, knowing his daddy was on his was to see him and Mommy, he didn't want to be held. Panther finally put him down on the path knowing Reynold was approaching up the path from the opposite direction. Hunter ran ahead just a short ways and the mountain lion pounced on him. It took off running with the boy's neck in its mouth. Reynold heard Panther scream and ran. When he got to them, Panther was in her guardian form. She had killed the mountain lion, but the mountain lion had nearly decapitated Hunter. He couldn't be saved. Panther was cradling Hunter to her chest and sobbing uncontrollably.

Reynold watched as she shrunk back to her normal self and dropped to his knees beside her, pulled her and their son into his arms and sobbed with her. He stayed a full month with Panther and the tribe mourning their son with his domesticated family and friends calling him, telling him he was missing work to which he replied, 'My son is dead and my woman is a mess. I don't have time for that shit right now.'

When he finally left to return to domestic life, Panther was with him and he had a tribal tattoo. He bought a huge piece of property on the edge of tribe territory and built the estate that sits there now. Our tribe has spent the worst winters there."

"That's why the main house is so big," Richy realizes, "He didn't just build it for her, he built it for the whole tribe."

Roar tells Richy, "I don't like when hunters come into our territory. But if Reynold Devonshire hadn't come on that hunting trip with his buddies, Panther wouldn't have ever met her true-mate, they wouldn't of had children together, and consequently, the woman lying next to you, Talia Devonshire, would never of been born."

Richy hugs Talia tighter to him. After all, his own father had been out camping with college friends when he met his mother. He glances over at Talia's nephews and they're sleeping. Roar's mate, Zenith, is sitting on the chair next to the nightstand with a hand resting on her swollen belly. The other woman, Squirrel, is sitting on the floor by the boys, her eyes shiny with tears.

"Good-night, my brother," Roar bids Richy and then kisses Talia's forehead. Squirrel gets up and leaves the room to find a place to bed-down for the night as Roar takes Zenith's hand.

Zenith tells Roar, "You tell that story well. You made Squirrel cry."

"I don't tell it as well as Grandma and Grandpa did," admits Roar. "To hear it from them personally was a real experience," he tells Zenith as they leave the room.