"Well," Cam remarked, studying her critically, "I can see why that might affect your ninja powers some."

Tori looked away with a laugh, pushing her hair out of her face automatically. And it was obviously an automatic gesture, because her hair wasn't in her face. It was slicked back by ocean water and the angle at which she'd stood up when the dolphin disappeared.

He thought suddenly, inconsequentially, that Tori probably didn't have his balance problems in transition. She was surrounded by water, after all. It must buoy her when her mass shifted and give her extra seconds to readjust.

"I should have asked you before I agreed," Tori was saying, and she sounded rueful and apologetic and a little hopeful. "The ninja thing didn't even occur to me."

"Okay, hold it right there." Hunter's tone said he didn't expect any argument. "Before you agreed? Wanna explain that?"

Tori rolled her eyes. "Well, it's not like they kidnap people or anything. They asked me if I wanted to come with them, and they asked me if I wanted..." She held her hands out to the sides. "This."

"They?" Cam repeated.

"Dill," she said. "And his friends. They asked if I wanted to be a dolphin, like them. And, okay, I know I should have thought about it a little more, but how often am I going to get this kind of chance?"

Hunter folded his arms, and his tone was just a little too incredulous when he said, "To turn into an animal?"

Cam looked at him. Hunter returned his glance immediately, and Cam raised his eyebrows. There was a second's worth of confusion on his face before his expression cleared. "Which is cool," he said quickly. "It's fine, it's just, why would you choose to... uh--"

Cam frowned at him, and Hunter stopped. "You know what?" he said. "Never mind. Finish your story."

"The whole point of studying at the Wind Academy is to be able to turn into an animal," Tori insisted. "If I wanted to control the weather, I would have gone to your school, but I didn't. So when an encantado asks me if I want to be able to turn into a dolphin whenever I want, what do you think I'm going to say?"

"How about, 'let me think about it'?" Cam suggested. He was weighing the risk of some sort of mind control against Tori's tendency toward impulsiveness, and impulsiveness was winning.

"What if I'd said 'let me think about it' and then I'd never seen him again?" Tori argued. "It was a spur-of-the-moment thing, not a written contract."

"And this was really that important to you?" Cam asked, studying her. He had to admit that her decision cast his own shapeshifting ability in a different light. He hadn't imagined that anyone could envy a situation that left them... less than human.

Thanks a lot, Dad, he added silently. Apparently he never had been completely human, so maybe he hadn't really lost anything. He tried to put his immediate family out of his mind.

"It's the reason I'm a ninja," Tori was saying. Like this was the most obvious thing in her life. "I don't just want to study the elements. I want to be part of them."

"Less deadly at your academy than mine," Hunter muttered.

Tori crossed her arms over her chest, mirroring his position. "Figuratively speaking," she told him. "What do you care, anyway? I can still fight."

"Not as a ninja, apparently," Hunter shot back.

Cam wondered if Hunter was hurt by her implication that he didn't care about Tori outside of her ability to fight. Because Cam thought he was, but Hunter didn't act it, and why would he think that, anyway? What did he know about Hunter, really?

"I didn't know that would happen when I agreed!" Tori was definitely on the defensive, but she didn't see that Hunter was, too.

"It might be temporary," Cam interrupted. He didn't have any reason to think that, but he didn't have any reason not to, either, and as long as he was speaking they weren't. "I know what happened to us isn't exactly comparable, but I had trouble at first too, and I got better."

Actually, he had no idea what had happened to Tori. It didn't sound like it involved Lothor, though, so maybe she'd be all right. And as long as she kept saying it had been her choice, they didn't really have any excuse to hunt Dill down and interrogate him.

Cam was going to do it anyway, of course, but he didn't really have an excuse.

"Do you think so?" Tori looked uncertain. "I guess I should probably tell Sensei."

"You think?" Hunter said dryly. He sounded less confrontational now, but his condescension wasn't helping either.

"I don't," Cam replied. "I mean, you can tell Dad whatever you want, but we're not training today. Maybe if you lay off your ninja powers for a day or so, tomorrow will be different."

"Cam." Hunter was eyeing him skeptically. "She turns into a dolphin. You don't think that's gonna come up at some point?"

"I didn't say you should keep it a secret," Cam countered, exchanging glances with Tori. "I'm just saying... well, he won't find out about it from me. Your news, your time."

"You don't think you should, like, check her out or something?" Hunter demanded.

Cam raised his eyebrows. "For what? Whistling? A sudden desire to eat fish? It's magic, Hunter. What do you want me to look for?"

"Look, I'm just saying," Hunter declared. "You weren't the most stable shapeshifter at first either, okay? What if she starts acting... I dunno, weird, or something?"

Cam didn't know whether to be offended for himself or for Tori. "Weird?" he repeated, with as much disdain as he could manage.

"Yeah," Hunter said defiantly. He was glaring back at Cam. "Weird."

Cam sighed, giving Tori a sideways look. "How do you feel?"

"Um..." She shrugged a little. "Fine?"

"Fine," Cam echoed. "You'll call someone if you start to feel other than fine, right?"

"Yeah, sure," Tori agreed, smiling. She didn't seem to take their argument personally. In fact, she seemed more amused by it than anything, and Cam wasn't sure what to think about that.

"Good. Then we have a lunch date," he said, jerking his head at Hunter. "Watch out for fishing nets."

Tori looked exactly as interested in that as he'd expected. "Emphasis on lunch," she wanted to know, "or on date?"

"Lunch," Hunter said firmly.

At the same time, Cam answered, "Date."

"Really?" Tori stared at them, ignoring Hunter's impatient sigh. "Since when? Should I have known about this?"

Cam glanced at Hunter. "I guess it depends who you ask," he said, silently questioning Hunter's annoyed look.

"Oh, like you advertise anything," Hunter said under his breath. He didn't hold Cam's gaze, and he didn't look at Tori at all.

"Apparently not," Cam told Tori, frowning. Was telling friends somehow different from kissing in public? And how much longer could it stay a secret now that Marah and Kapri had seen them, anyway?

"I feel like we should throw a party or something," Tori mused, like she hadn't even heard. "You guys start going out, and I don't even know about it until... when? Seriously--how long have I been out of the loop?

"Hey," she added, before Cam could answer. "Were we on a double date last night?" She reached out and whacked him on the shoulder. "I can't believe you didn't tell me!"

He couldn't help but smile a little, no matter Hunter's reaction. "You've been a dolphin all day," he pointed out. Reasonably, he thought. "You didn't get around to saying anything until it interfered with your ninja powers."

She opened her mouth, then narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. "Okay," she admitted. "True. But," she said, holding up a finger in warning. "I told you first, and if I find out I was the last to know about this--"

"You're the first to be officially told," Cam promised. He didn't mention that Marah and Kapri had already found out by accident.

"Good." Tori looked satisfied, then surprised. "But Blake knows, right?"

Cam looked at Hunter again, and this time he wasn't going to reply. Hunter could field that one on his own. Partly because Hunter should have to say something, and partly because Cam wasn't completely sure of the answer.

"No," Hunter muttered at last.

"Um... okay?" Tori looked to Cam for help, but he just shrugged. He and Blake were barely on speaking terms as it was. Anything Hunter might or might not have said to him since this morning was really none of his business.

Tori did wish them a good time on their date, but from the thoughtful look on her face, the first person she called after leaving the beach would be Blake. Cam didn't know what would happen, but he figured he'd better know where he stood before then. He hadn't expected Hunter's stony silence just because he'd mentioned dating.

"Do we not talk about this?" Cam demanded, when they were far enough away that Tori wouldn't be able to hear them.

"Huh?" Hunter lifted his gaze from the sand like he'd forgotten Cam was even there. "What?"

"You didn't seem too happy about me telling Tori we were going out," Cam clarified.

Hunter just shrugged. "I don't care."

"Fine." Then Cam frowned. "Just out of curiosity, is Blake going to be... more surprised than Tori?"

Hunter shrugged again, staring out at the horizon as they walked. "Beats me."

Cam was very close to putting it into the simplest words possible: Does Blake know you're gay? But at the last moment he decided to take the hint and keep his mouth shut. Because really, why would Blake know? Hunter himself didn't seem completely convinced. It seemed less and less likely that he would have mentioned it to his brother.

Neither of them said anything for a few minutes. Cam had already eaten, and though he was happy to eat again he wasn't starving. So they walked in silence until Hunter seemed to remember what had started his brooding in the first place and brought up the subject of lunch again.

They ended up downtown, outside a little place that served stews and sandwiches all day long. The food was decent, but its main draw was its location directly across from a park. Even in the middle of the afternoon there were scattered diners lingering on the stone benches and sitting in the grass under the trees. The sounds of the street were loud enough that they had some privacy, though, and Cam figured they could talk about things that mattered without being overheard.

"I was serious about training, you know," he remarked, watching Hunter empty a bag of chips over top of his sandwich. "Fighting other wolves is instinctive. Fighting humans is harder."

Hunter paused, glancing up at him. "As a wolf, you mean."

"Yeah," Cam agreed. Had he forgotten to specify that? "Humans are more fragile. It'd be nice to have some control over how much damage I do."

"Can't wait to help you with that," Hunter said dryly. With a lack of enthusiasm so pronounced it had to be deliberate, he added, "Let's start right now."

Cam had to smile. The subject wasn't funny, but Hunter was. "I was thinking maybe after lunch," he remarked.

"I'm thinking maybe you're crazy," Hunter replied.

Cam stuck the plastic spoon back into his beef stew, trying to ignore the conspicuous gauze wrap on the arm closest to him. "Why?" he asked. "You need to learn to fight wolves as much as I need to learn to fight humans."

This time Hunter sounded more serious when he said, "Not with you."

Cam frowned. "Why not?"

"Straight up?" Hunter glanced sideways at him. "'Cause I don't want to be afraid of you, that's why."

Taken aback, Cam found he didn't know what to say. "Are you afraid of me?" he asked at last.

"No," Hunter snapped. Then he paused, apparently reconsidering. "Look, Cam. I'm gonna learn to fight wolves no matter what, right? Just by hanging out with you. I'd rather not screw up this... the--our trust, by doing it with you."

It sounded so reasonable that he wondered if Hunter had actually convinced himself it was true. "You already don't trust me," he said aloud. "I screwed that up days ago, didn't I."

"Of course I trust you," Hunter said testily. "I'm just saying I'd rather keep it that way, if it's all the same to you."

"Are you going to tell Dad you want to stop training with me?" Cam inquired. "You don't want to spar with me anymore because you might look at me differently?"

"That's different," Hunter said defensively. "Obviously you're not gonna... you're different as a wolf, okay?"

"Obviously I'm not going to hurt you when I'm human." Cam finished the sentence for him. "But you think I might as a wolf, don't you."

"No," Hunter muttered, and Cam didn't have any trouble interpreting that. Yes.

"I'm sorry about your arm," Cam said quietly. In his defense, Hunter hadn't exactly pulled the punch he'd thrown to provoke Cam's reaction, but he knew that wasn't the point. "I could promise that it won't happen again, but I guess if you believed that then I wouldn't have to."

Hunter hesitated, and it was then that Cam realized they weren't alone. "That's not--" Hunter began.

Cam hated to cut him off but some things were more important. He touched Hunter's wrist without looking, his fingers gentle on healing skin, and Hunter froze. He could wish his unexpected touch didn't make Hunter flinch quite so strongly, but he knew it did and he would take advantage of it if he had to.

The woman in the business suit didn't walk past them. She gave a friendly nod when she caught Cam's eye, and he resisted the temptation to look over his shoulder. He knew perfectly well there wasn't anyone behind him. But he didn't know this woman, and he didn't have any idea what she wanted.

"Mr. Watanabe," she said as she came to a halt in front of them. Her eyes flicked to Hunter, and she added, "Mr. Bradley. Good afternoon." But it was Cam to whom she held out her hand.

Cam reached out to shake it automatically, setting his stew aside so he could stand up. "I don't believe we've met," he said slowly, studying her. Behind him, Hunter didn't move.

"Isabelle Johanssen," she replied. She didn't wait for his reaction, just turned to Hunter and offered her hand to him as well.

Hunter squinted up at her. "Should we know you?" he drawled. He didn't take her hand, and she withdrew it without any sign of self-consciousness.

There was something about her that Cam should have already figured out, and his brain was sorting and discarding scenarios faster than he could speak. He should know her, he'd been convinced of that even before she smiled, but how? Where could he possibly have seen this woman that she would know not only him, but Hunter as well?

"Yes," she said, her attention on Cam again. "I'll sit, if you don't mind." Her tone said very clearly that he would not, and that was all it took. Her demeanor was weirdly reminiscent of Hunter--which made several things click into place at once.

It wasn't her attitude. It was his reaction to it. His reaction, and Hunter's, who had bristled the second he noticed her. Isabelle.

"Iza," he blurted out. "You're Iza."

That made Hunter straighten. "What?"

"Yes," she told Cam. She shot a sharp look at Hunter and added, "I've only allocated a few minutes for this meeting, so please don't ask for repetition again unless you can't do without it."

Hunter didn't have a reply for that, and Cam's mouth quirked up at the corner. "We're listening," he told her.

"I don't hold the actions of a single ninja master against the entire community," she informed him. "Some of the pack does, so watch out for that."

She tossed another glance in Hunter's direction. "Some people also feel that humans have no place in the pack, so don't take your position for granted. I acknowledge you as an alpha only nominally, and I won't accept your decisions over his."

Only then did Cam realize how strange it was to have someone from "the pack" talking to him instead of to Hunter. And as personally validating as it might be, at the same time, it felt vaguely... insulting. "Hunter does speak for me," he said reluctantly. "Believe me--I wouldn't let him get away with the alpha act if it wasn't true."

"That's really not my problem," Iza told him. "He's not a wolf, so as far as I'm concerned, your opinion is more valuable than his. That doesn't mean he can't come to pack gatherings," she added, "or that he can't hunt or fight for you if he chooses. It just means that I don't recognize his rank."

Cam frowned, not sure how significant that was, but she was already going on.

"Given your background," Iza said, "you're probably aware that there are a disproportionate number of supernatural dangers in the area. The pack has a guard that patrols the mountains, the rural areas, and parts of the city itself."

She paused for the first time, giving both of them an assessing look. "Depending on your skill and availability, I'd be interested in including you in that guard."

Cam glanced at Hunter and saw blue eyes flicker toward his. Iza's eyes weren't yellow, Cam thought suddenly. Were they? He resisted the impulse to turn and check the moment the thought crossed his mind.

"We'd need to know more about it," Hunter said curtly.

"I'll have someone get in touch with you," Iza replied. She was already standing up when Cam looked back at her, and he realized that she hadn't been kidding about "a few minutes." Apparently a few minutes had included the time it took to walk here.

"Your eyes aren't yellow," he blurted out, because no, they were brown. He wanted to know why, and she didn't seem the type of person he would ever catch at a better time.

"Contacts," she said briefly. Then she smiled at him. "They used to be blue. Unfortunately, it's almost impossible to turn yellow eyes blue and make it look natural."

He nodded slowly. He almost asked why it mattered, but he supposed the natural look avoided questions better left unasked. "I see."

She looked like she was about to leave, but there was one more thing on her mental list. "Akeelah is a friend of mine," she remarked, suddenly including both of them in her stare. "I don't want to hear that her life has been threatened by either of you again."

Cam blinked, then narrowed his eyes. "Tell her not to touch Hunter again and there won't be any problems."

"That's not realistic," Iza informed him. "It's what she does. You might as well try to become a vegetarian."

"I was a vegetarian," Cam snapped, and maybe that was the wrong thing to get upset over but she'd hit a sore point.

"You could still be," she said. "If you never wanted to enjoy your food again. Don't ask Akeelah to suppress her nature just because it makes you uncomfortable.

"Besides," she added, glancing at Hunter. "He is, quite literally, the first person she's failed to seduce, so I don't see that you have anything to worry about."

"Great," Cam muttered before he could stop himself. "So now he becomes a challenge."

"Mr. Watanabe." It was her tone that reminded him who he was talking to. "I prefer that members of the pack do not talk back to me. Leave my girls alone and I'm sure they'll do their best to return the favor."

"Was she kidding about satyrs?" Hunter asked abruptly.

Iza waited until Cam looked away to address Hunter. "Not knowing what she told you," the pack leader said evenly, "I can't answer that question with any certainty."

Cam stiffened, but his gaze slid off of her when he glanced up because she clearly wasn't a person who expected to be challenged. Still... satyrs? He really didn't like the sound of that.

"You'll excuse me," Iza said with finality, "but there are people who need me more right now. Good day, gentlemen."

Hunter leaned back, draping his arm across the back of the bench, and pretended relaxation as they watched her walk away. She didn't look back. Cam waited until he was sure she couldn't hear them and pretty sure she wasn't going to turn around.

"Isabelle Johanssen," he said quietly, for Hunter's ears only. "Looks like I have a new research project."

"You adding her to the list?" Hunter murmured back. "She above or below Tori's friend Dill?"

Cam smiled, and when he turned his head his face was very close to Hunter's. "Am I that obvious?" he wondered aloud.

A faint smirk played on Hunter's mouth. "Sometimes."

"Now?" Cam asked, as his gaze dropped to the almost-smiling mouth.

Hunter's lips twitched. "Yeah," he confirmed, and he was the one who leaned in first. They met cautiously, careful about where they were and what it might mean depending on who saw them.

It was reassuring, if not particularly passionate. It was a connection Cam desperately wanted after yet another surprise from "the pack." It was a reminder that Hunter did want him, despite the craziness that seemed to follow Cam everywhere lately. It was a promise that going public with this--whatever it was--wasn't a deal-breaker.

"You're right," Hunter whispered, when he pulled away. He cleared his throat before he continued, "I'm gonna have to learn to fight wolves."

Cam shifted his stew to the other side so he could lean back against Hunter's arm without worrying about knocking it over. Iza was out of sight now, disappeared down the street or into a car or something that he hadn't been watching closely enough to catch. No one else was paying any attention to them.

"I'm not like I was," he said quietly. "I wouldn't hurt you, Hunter."

"I know that." Hunter said it with more vehemence than he'd expected, and Cam glanced sideways at him. He was frowning at the ground in front of their bench. "I know that," he repeated. "And I do trust you, so don't try to make it about that."

Hunter paused, still staring at the ground. "It's just--that guy at the community center--he hit me pretty hard, right?"

Cam's eyes flicked to Hunter's chest, but he didn't say anything.

"And I hit him back," Hunter continued. "That wasn't... it wasn't about control or skill or anything. It was just self-defense. I didn't think about it--I just did it."

"Exactly what you should have done," Cam agreed carefully. "That's why you train: so you can defend yourself without thinking about it."

"I train with humans, Cam. Not animals." Hunter lifted his sober gaze to Cam's. "That wolf hit me and I thought I was screwed. I threw electricity at him 'cause it was the fastest, hardest thing I could do."

"You defended yourself," Cam repeated. "There's nothing wrong with that."

"There is if it's you," Hunter said, his eyes sliding past Cam and out to the street. "That guy wasn't trying to kill me. He was just trying to put me in my place, and I could have fried him. If you came at me like that..."

Cam was silent, suddenly understanding. Hunter wasn't worried about getting hurt. He was worried about hurting Cam.

"I don't know what I'd do," Hunter said at last.

"I do," Cam said firmly. He wasn't scared of Hunter. "You'd do what you always do--you'd give me the benefit of the doubt. We've been sparring together for almost a year, and I've never seen you lose control in the practice rooms."

"This is different," Hunter insisted, but Cam spoke over him.

"This is exactly the same. It's just practice. It's not a real fight, there's no danger, and we know how not to hurt each other."

Hunter was quiet for a moment. Then he glanced over at Cam, eyebrows raised slightly. "Am I actually arguing safety with you? Am I being the voice of reason while you try to talk me into something reckless and unnecessary?"

Cam considered that. "It's possible," he admitted at last.

The agreement made Hunter grin. "All right," he declared. "You're on."

It seemed like a good idea right up until the moment he was facing off against Hunter on the mats in one of the least used practice rooms. Hunter's training uniform covered the rapidly healing gash on his arm and the claw marks that must still run the length of his chest... And here he was, ready to launch his wolf form at a guy who had as much as admitted he was afraid of it.

Suddenly realizing how much he was asking of Hunter, Cam hesitated. "Maybe this isn't such a good idea."

Hunter snorted. "Oh, now you realize this? Forget it; you're not backing out on me now."

"No, look..." It was only just occurring to Cam how different this would be from a normal sparring session. "There are things I can't slow down. I mean--in wolf form, the first thing I'm going to try to do is knock you down. By leaping at you," he clarified. "I can't do that at anything less than full speed."

Hunter shrugged. "No, but you can warn me, right? Like you just did. You're gonna try to knock me down, so I know I've gotta block you. No problem."

"Well, ideally, you'd get out of the way," Cam said dryly. "But failing that, yes, a block would be good."

Hunter smirked at him, but Cam noticed that he deliberately didn't fold his arms. He wasn't that confident. "Bring it on," Hunter told him.

Cam swallowed. Wasn't this what he wanted? The chance to prove he could neutralize an opponent without hurting them? He could, he was sure of it. He had to be able to. He was no kind of sparring partner if he couldn't control his attack.

He shifted to the wolf before he could change his mind. Hunter's expression didn't change as he paced carefully forward, calculating the exact distance he would want for his jump. He stopped, crouching down. Pausing. He made sure to give Hunter plenty of warning.

Maybe too much, he thought abruptly. Hunter didn't look smug, or confident, or really anything except grim. His cover for nerves. Hunter was nervous, he realized--and he wasn't helping.

Cam sprang forward with a half-hearted push from his hindquarters, enough to get him in the air, barely enough to cover the distance between them. Head back, elbows bent, even his front paws flexed to minimize the impact... It was, quite possibly, the most reluctant jump he'd ever made.

And it never landed. He slammed into something that was definitely not human and bounced. Not hard, not far, but he absorbed enough energy that he didn't just slide to the floor. He was knocked back almost a foot and landed in an undignified sprawl of tail and legs.

"Hey, shit, sorry--" Hunter sounded worried, and Cam saw him hold out his hand before he realized he couldn't exactly help a wolf up off the floor. "Are you--?"

Cam turned human again, lying on his back, blinking up at Hunter. "Okay," he remarked, holding up his hand. "That was effective." Hunter clasped his hand and helped him to his feet, and Cam added, "How come you didn't do that at the community center?"

"I told you," Hunter said with a shrug. "I wasn't thinking." He seemed a little more relaxed, anyway, and Cam figured that alone was worth getting knocked on his back for. "It's not like the guy said, 'hey, I'm about to try and knock you over, so think about blocking.'"

Cam tried not to smile, but he couldn't help it. "Maybe next time," he suggested.

Hunter's mouth quirked in return. "Maybe next time he won't have to," he countered. "If I practice."

"Right," Cam agreed. "So," he added, just to make sure, "you're okay with getting jumped again?"

Hunter's smile widened. "More than you know," he teased, and Cam tried to sigh but he couldn't quite manage it. Because that had probably been some kind of Freudian slip, and it was only fair that he acknowledge it.

"I'll try to restrain myself," Cam told him.

"Or not," Hunter said, shrugging. His smirk didn't fade. "Your call."

Cam rolled his eyes, but it was a token gesture and he was sure Hunter knew it. "I'm going to try and knock you over again," he said.

Hunter's smile vanished. "I'll try the getting out of the way thing this time," he offered, suddenly serious.

Cam nodded, then paused. "Uh... I know this ruins the element of surprise, but which way are you going to go?"

Hunter looked like he hadn't really thought about it. He held out a hand to either side, then dropped the left one. "Right, I guess," he said. "Why?"

"Because I really don't want to scratch you up any more than you already are," Cam said, and this time his sigh was real. "And if I'm going to miss, I want to make sure I miss completely."

Hunter looked down at his uniform in surprise. "You don't think this is enough protection? I mean--yeah, you could bite through it, but..."

Cam held up his hand and looked at it like it could tell him something. He transferred his gaze to Hunter, who shrugged. "Wanna try?"

He hesitated, but it had to be better to find out in as controlled a fashion as possible. So he called up the wolf and sidled over to Hunter. Hunter dropped to the ground immediately, on his knees as he offered his arm to Cam. Their heads were almost level with each other as Cam took a cautious swipe at Hunter's arm.

His left arm, he realized, even as his paw glided over the training uniform without a mark. Which made sense, since no matter how fast Hunter's other arm was healing he probably didn't want to take any extra abuse there. But at the same time--if the training uniform hadn't protected him, he would now have matching scars.

"Seriously, Cam." Hunter sounded amused. "You're not gonna hit me like that in a fight. Even in practice, you're not gonna be like--" Hunter reached out and poked him, ridiculously gently, in the shoulder. "That's not a test."

Cam curled his lip without thinking, but Hunter just grinned. He seemed to understand instinctively that this time the gesture was more of a sigh than a threat. "Come on, at least try to scratch up the leather."

So he did try, but at a standstill and a vertical angle he just didn't have a lot of power. He put one paw on Hunter's leg and caught his eye, but Hunter didn't say anything. So he leaned forward and tried to scratch through the reinforced material on his other leg. He felt Hunter turn his head so they weren't nose to nose, and he stopped abruptly.

He was about to sit back when Hunter asked, "Satisfied?" and he changed his mind. He gave Hunter's cheek an impulsive lick before he drew back. Settling down on his haunches, he studied Hunter's reaction.

"That's still weird," Hunter told him bluntly. But he didn't reach up to wipe his face off, and when he glanced down at his uniform, he smiled. "Hey, check it out. Turns out you're not so big and bad after all--can't even claw through a leather training uniform."

Cam let out his breath in a huff, which Hunter must have interpreted correctly because his smile turned into a grin. "You know, sometimes I think you're easier to understand as a wolf," Hunter informed him.

He stood up and turned away, pacing deliberately to the same distance he'd held before he leapt at Hunter the first time. He turned back, sitting down, and cocked his head. Still easy to understand, he wondered?

"Right, yeah." Hunter got to his feet, shaking his arms out and shifting his weight from one side to the other. "Okay. Bring it."

Cam smiled to himself and gathered his body to spring. Hunter did manage to get out of the way, but his deflection was clumsy and Cam was pretty sure his balance suffered. He resisted the impulse to spin and shove while Hunter was distracted, instead waiting until Hunter nodded to him. "Again."

This time Cam corrected for a right evasion without realizing it--and when Hunter went left, Cam missed him completely and had to scramble to keep his own balance on the landing. Hunter had the nerve to chuckle. "Serves you right for cheating," he declared.

Cam grumbled, the growl low in his throat, and Hunter reached out to muss his fur as he passed. He didn't flinch, surprised but pleased by the spontaneous petting. Maybe he should complain more.

They tried a couple more times. When Hunter finally got the evasion right, Cam swung around and leapt at him again without waiting for the okay. He was met with whatever ninja block Hunter had used on him the first time, but some of the force must have come through because Hunter stumbled back even as Cam went down.

"Damn," Hunter muttered, but his concern was apparently for Cam because he watched worriedly as Cam shifted back to human form. "You okay?"

"Fine," Cam assured him, sitting up. "I was expecting it this time." He reached for Hunter's hand and added, "You know, Dad's not going to like this new habit of yours of swearing in the practice rooms." Or anywhere else, actually, but that hadn't stopped Hunter yet.

"Yeah, well." Hunter let go of his hand once he was on his feet, but he wasn't subtle about checking Cam visually for injuries. "When I start mistaking guinea pigs for wolves, that'll be a problem. In the meantime, I'm pretty sure I can tell you apart quickly enough to know when to watch my language."

Cam smiled briefly. "Well, you can block without warning," he observed. "I guess that's worth a little bit of swearing."

"Yeah..." Hunter was still frowning. "Knocked me off balance, though."

Cam considered that. "Obviously, you want to stay on your feet," he said at last. "But if you're not sure you can, you might want to block a little higher."

Hunter eyed him curiously when he didn't continue. "That the special wolf block?" he suggested.

"Not the ninja block, that thing you're doing that shoves me back," Cam said quickly. Then he paused, adding, "Which I'd really like to learn, by the way."

Hunter's mouth quirked, and he nodded once. "No problem."

"But a regular block, a physical one," Cam continued. "You probably want it to be higher. I'm pretty sure a wolf is going to aim as high as possible... higher is more unbalancing, for one thing, and if he does manage to knock you down--" He shrugged apologetically. "Well, the first thing I'd do is go for your throat."

Hunter paused just long enough for Cam to be sure he wasn't thinking about strategy, and his next words confirmed it. "Like I'd mind if you went for my throat," he said, a faint smile playing on his lips. "But yeah, that's good advice."

"Do you always equate fighting and flirting?" Cam blurted out.

Hunter just snorted. "If I do, I'm at least more predictable than you. Like I ever have any idea what you're gonna do next."

Cam decided that was probably fair, but before he could say so, Hunter added, "Hey, can you use your ninja powers when you're a wolf?"

Cam frowned at that, surprised to realize he wasn't sure. "I don't think so," he said slowly. "I guess I haven't tried."

"So try," Hunter prompted.

He did, with decidedly negative results.

"No," Cam said, changing back. "Apparently it's ninja or wolf, not ninja and wolf."

Hunter shrugged like it didn't really matter. "Well, at least that evens the playing field a little."

"But it doesn't make sense," Cam mused aloud. "Dad's still a ninja master. He's stuck as a guinea pig, but he can still do everything he did before. How come I can't?"

"Maybe it's an alien thing," Hunter said flippantly.

A retort about obvious and completely unhelpful generalizations sprang to mind, and he gritted his teeth to avoid saying it aloud. He hadn't even told Hunter what his dad had said to him. He had no right to expect Hunter to avoid the topic when he hadn't even asked him to.

"Sorry," Hunter said after a moment. "You said you didn't want to talk about it. I should've, y'know. Kept my mouth shut."

Cam shook his head abruptly. "No, it's fine. Want to try that physical block?"

Hunter didn't hesitate. "Sure. Ready when you are."

So the wolf sprang at him again, and this time it was Hunter who landed on his back on the mats. Eventually. It took a couple of tries to get him there, but he went down in stages and Cam didn't let up until Hunter had lifted his block high enough to do him some good. By the time Hunter actually was sprawled on the floor with giant paws pinning him down, Cam was frustrated enough to pretend to go for his throat.

Hunter whacked his muzzle, hard, and Cam let out a yelp that made Hunter go rigid.

"Cam?" he demanded. He reached for Cam's head and Cam jerked away, rolling off of him as he shifted back to human form. "You okay?"

"Ow," Cam gasped, hands going to his face instinctively. "Oh, wow--" His eyes were stinging and he blinked hard, trying to keep from tearing up in response to the blow. "Ow," he repeated, with feeling.

"Oh, fuck," Hunter said in exactly the same tone. "I can't believe I did that--"

"It was my fault," Cam interrupted, speaking fast so that he could breathe in and out carefully around the words. And it was no good, he was going to have to wipe his eyes to keep them dry. "I shouldn't have pushed you, that was totally--" He had to stop to catch his breath again. "Out of line," he finished.

"No, I wasn't even thinking," Hunter said, crouching beside him. "Of course head contact would be the same, wouldn't it. I can't believe I hit you like that. Can I get you an ice pack or something?"

"No--" Cam waved it off. "It was my fault," he repeated. "I'm fine, just let me..." He swallowed, touching his face carefully. "Just give me a second."

Hunter was watching him worriedly, and Cam closed his eyes in order to concentrate. "You could have kicked me," he said, reviewing their scuffle in his mind. "When I first slammed into you, you could have kicked me in the stomach. Or kneed me, depending on how close you let me get and how good your balance is."

"If you think getting slapped in the face was bad," Hunter began, and his skepticism was obvious.

"I'm not saying you should do it," Cam interrupted. "I'm just saying you could. That would knock me back, give you some breathing room."

Opening his eyes, he added, "You have a height advantage with wolves, and they'll try to take it away by knocking you down. If you have to strike first to keep that from happening, do it."

"Is that what that is?" Hunter asked, still keeping a careful eye on him. "Trying to knock me down, that's just to get me on their level?"

"I don't know," Cam admitted slowly. "I don't think so. I mean, I think that's part of it, but I think... mostly wolves prefer to fight close up. It's more like grappling than sparring. They want you on their level, yes, but I'm pretty sure I'd try to knock down another wolf, too."

He was still thinking about it when Hunter opened his mouth to speak, and it came to him all of a sudden. "So I could use my hind legs," Cam said aloud. "Wolves don't have fists. If I can get someone on the ground, I can use my muzzle and my back legs at the same time."

"I may regret saying this," Hunter muttered. He looked speculative and wary at the same time. "But can you show me?"

"Can you keep from hitting me in the face?" Cam countered. Then he winced. "Sorry. That wasn't fair."

"Nah," Hunter said, shaking his head. "It probably was."

Cam opened his mouth to deny it, but Hunter cut him off. "You're right, you know," he said abruptly. "I guess I am a little scared of you."

Whatever he'd meant to say vanished, and Hunter added, "I know it's still you, but... I'm just not used to having a mouthful of teeth right there. In my face. Y'know?"

"Yeah," Cam said with a sigh. "I know. I'm sure I'd be scared of me too."

"Hey, I'll get over it," Hunter promised. "I think this training stuff is a good idea after all. I mean, if the best thing it does is get me more used to you, it's totally worth it."

Pleased, reassured, too honest, Cam blurted out, "Thanks," before he could think about it. Then, in an effort not to sound so grateful, he added quickly, "I think."

Hunter, who had definitely started to smile, frowned abruptly. "You think?"

Caught trying to pull back from something he didn't really want to let go, Cam surrendered with a barely audible sigh. "I think that's probably the best thing I've heard all day," he admitted.

Hunter's smile returned. "Cool," he said. And with Hunter, if "cool" was what he said, then "cool" was what he meant. "So, uh... this fighting thing," he continued. "You gonna show me what you've got?"

Cam's lips quirked, and if the left side of his face still felt too warm and maybe stiff enough to indicate minor swelling, well, it was a warning to go slower next time. "Unless you want to get knocked over again," he advised, "lie down. I'll give you a slow motion demo."

Hunter raised his eyebrows, giving him an appreciative look. "Did you try to make that sound dirty?"

There wasn't much he could say to that, so he ignored it. He settled into his wolf form and stood, waiting for Hunter to decide. Cam was pretty sure he wouldn't roll over for just anyone... but Hunter had asked.

Hunter's hesitation was palpable. He did it, though, and without any further comment. Only when Hunter was on his back did Cam really understand the power he'd relinquished by doing as he was told. That wasn't just a submissive position. It was a completely vulnerable one.

Hunter wasn't the alpha now, and the wolf in him was a little too happy about it.

He made sure to keep his head and tail down as he sauntered over, trying to look as non-threatening as possible. He nosed Hunter's shoulder, silently apologizing for his own thoughts. Thoughts of superiority, of dominance--thoughts of asserting his own power when he was only supposed to be doing what Hunter had asked.

Hunter had the audacity to grin up at him. "Yeah, I know what you're thinking," he teased. "Just remember, you don't want me 'cause I'm the alpha. I'm the alpha 'cause you want me."

Cam blinked, startled to hear his own words repeated back to him. Still true, he decided, putting one paw on Hunter's chest. But he was starting to wonder if some of the things that made Hunter a good alpha were part of what had drawn him to Hunter in the first place. It was annoyingly circular when he tried to sort it out.

"I get the slow motion part," Hunter added, watching him through half-closed eyes. Meant to convey his lack of concern, no doubt, when his whole body gave the lie to the look with its tension. "Still waiting for the demo."

It was silly to worry about hurting Hunter with his weight when he was no heavier as a wolf than he was as a human. Especially when he'd knocked him down, landed on him repeatedly, and all he was doing now was climbing on top of the man's unresisting form. Cam stepped up, front paws on Hunter's chest and back feet scrabbling for purchase on his legs.

It wasn't easy to balance like that for any length of time, he realized. In a fight, they moved too fast to worry about it, but there was a difference between coming down on top of someone and actually standing on them. He let one of his back feet slide off to gain solid footing on the floor and transferred most of his weight off of the other one. It was enough for demonstration purposes.

Hunter's lazy expression had melted away, eyes fixed on Cam as his breathing changed under Cam's paws. Cam could feel it, obviously controlled, shallower than before. Afraid.

Hunter didn't say anything when Cam bared his teeth, but Cam felt his invisible flinch through the tension in his muscles. He lowered his muzzle to Hunter's neck slowly, cautiously, alert to signs of panic, but Hunter held perfectly still. Teeth laid gently against skin, he clenched his back feet, pressing a hard warning of the damage he could do to Hunter's leg.

Or to his stomach. In a real fight, the closer his hind legs were to his body the more power he would have. With enough purchase, he could probably rip Hunter's midsection open.

Cam swallowed hard. It was enough to make his teeth move against the skin, and Hunter's control frayed around the edges. "Okay, cut it out," he said sharply.

Cam drew back quickly, carefully, his other foot sliding to the ground as the wolf vanished and he was back in his training uniform, straddling Hunter's hips with both hands braced against his chest. It wasn't an uncomfortable position. He stayed where he was, waiting on Hunter's reaction.

"That's fucking creepy," Hunter snapped, staring up at him with wide eyes that belied his anger and breath that was still coming a little too fast. It was fear that made him lash out, and Cam was sorry now that he had acceded to Hunter's request.

He started to pull away, but he couldn't move his arms. Hunter's hands had wrapped around his wrists and held them firmly in place. "I didn't mean it," he said evenly. He took a deep breath, then contradicted himself. "I mean, I did. It's creepy. But I don't... just give me a minute."

He flashed an unsteady grin at Cam and added, "Stay human."

Cam nodded once, relaxing a little, and Hunter's grip loosened. His breathing didn't change, but Cam could feel him calming slightly, slowly, muscles losing their hard edge as his brain gradually became convinced that it was a human sitting on top of him now, not a wolf. Hunter might not be scared of him, but he hadn't unlearned an instinctive reaction in a matter of days.

Some days, Cam hadn't given him much reason to.

"Okay," Hunter said at last, a smile playing on his face as he stared up at Cam. "Hi. I like this part," he added.

There just didn't seem to be anything that could make Hunter walk away. He kept trying, forgiving, reaching out. So Cam reached out in return, touching Hunter's face, letting his fingers trail across his lips. His hand dropped to Hunter's neck, touching the skin his teeth had grazed and making room for his mouth when he lowered his head for a kiss.

The lights went out, and Cam froze.

"Tell me you did that," Hunter whispered, his breath warm in Cam's mouth.

Cam kissed him, because he couldn't not, and the emergency lighting cut through the darkness a few seconds later. That made him sit up, because if they were on backup generators it meant the mains weren't coming back. He was still staring down at Hunter as the implications of a power loss that CyberCam didn't--or couldn't--see fit to warn him about raced through his mind.

"I wish I could," he said at last. Pushing himself awkwardly to his feet, he held out his hand for Hunter and hauled him up, holding on a little too long after they were both standing. Because at this rate, it could be... well, tomorrow before he got a chance like that again.

"Really," Cam said with a rueful sigh. "You don't know how much I wish I could."