Devil Dawg Donnelly

Devil Dawg Donnelly's Standard disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to people or actual events is purely coincidental.

You may contact the author at ulfr57@gmail.com All comments, suggestions and/or observations are welcome if presented respectfully.

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Part Thirty Three:

The morning light was just breaking over the hills of the Devil Dawg compound to find Carl McGregor walking down the path from the ceremonial grounds after spending the night running through the compounds forested grounds; he had run until every muscle in his legs ached from the exertion, and then he ran some more, he ran to clear his head, and for the sheer joy of it, he ran until he felt free again or at least as free as he could be.

As he slowly lumbered back toward the main parking lot, his thoughts still lingered on the memories of his youth, and the life he had shared thus far alongside Max Donnelly.

All night long he had relived his past, weighing the good and the bad. He recalled their childhood together, where it all began, and how inseparable they quickly became, laughing, playing, and challenging each other, how their fathers teased them, dubbing them the dynamic troublesome duo and laughing at the memory, knowing how true that description had been.

There was no mischief they didn't get up to, no secret they didn't share, up to and including when they hit puberty when they both realized that they were more than just mere friends or brothers.

Carl remembered that warm, fateful summer day most of all, when they were just fourteen, and had snuck away avoiding their chores once again to go skinny dipping in the Flint river in their own private special place that they never shared with anyone else, and never spoke of except in code, and to each other.

He remembered in vivid detail how they had come out of the water and wrestled like they had done a thousand times before, ending as it almost always did, with Max on top of him pinning him down until Carl acknowledged his victory. But on that day it didn't end with Carl's submission, it ended when Max grew still, his full weight on top of him, their body's still wet from their swim, their chest heaving from the exertion of their physical struggle, and Max just lay there on top of him, staring down into his eyes as they panted for breath.

It was then that he felt Max's cock begin to grow and harden between them, and how that made his own response in kind. As Max continued to lock eyes with him, and their mutual gaze burned into each other ending only when Max lowered his head until their foreheads touched, their noses rubbed together, and kissed him for the first time; their lips barely, and tentatively touching before their mouths tried to devour each other.

They did little more than kiss that day and touch each others body's in a way they had never done before, concluding in their mutual masturbation of each other, followed by even more kissing.

Carl remembered fondly how in subsequent days, and many near sleepless nights, they soon learned how to please each other in a number of different ways, and how that led to the growing feelings they had always shared, and spoke to each other in hushed whispers, swearing they would never let anything or anyone ever come between them.

For years that bond grew between them, until that dreadful night when Danal Cornelius showed up, not to instruct him as Marcus had told him, but to whisk him away, far from Max and the only home he had known since his own father's death during a training mission in 1997 when he was only fifteen years old and Marcus had taken him in, having promised Carl's father he would care for him should anything ever happen to him.

Carl had never known true loneliness until that day, and for four months he could do little more than pine for Max, and wonder what he had done that was so bad that Marcus would punish him like that.

He didn't know back then what Max went through, not until Danal told him a couple of weeks ago, almost on the very spot he was now walking.

He did remember however, the day Danal took him back, how elated, and overjoyed he was at the thought of finally being reunited with Max, and how his gaze sought for a mere glimpse of him when they arrived, and Danal escorted him into Marcus's study on the Donnelly estate, leaving him there alone with him after Marcus asked Danal to wait for him in the lounge.

He stood there almost trembling at the thought of being in his lover's arms, his mind subsumed with the desire to feel his touch, and the warmth of his body next to his own.

They were eighteen, both having been through their Heritage ceremony, Carl's more recent than Max's by almost three months; Carl knew who Max was, and what he had become and he could barely contain himself at the thought of what he could now come to be for Max, and he couldn't think of anything he wanted more than that... to be Max's mate, and to share the rest of his life with the man he loved more than life itself, but little did he know, that Marcus had other plans, and upon Danal's exit, he laid those plans out to him, presenting the short term future for his son, and revealing that the death of someone named Bannor Griffen had forced him to reconsider Max's future, and subsequently his own.

Almost overnight Max had become the only viable candidate as heir to the Southern Devil Dawg District, and Max needed to be prepared for that eventuality upon Marcus's retirement.

It was then that Marcus revealed some hard truths for Carl to take, first and foremost Max would be expected to join the Marines as all others who lead had done before him, and that just as importantly, Max would have to find, and select a woman to become his wife, and Max would have to sire the next generation of Donnelly's, a union that would hopefully produce an heir to replace Max when his time came.

Carl recalled how his heart sank with each new revelation from Marcus, concluding with Marcus taking his hand, and forcing him to look him eye to eye, his tone growing more gentle but still firm and resolute.

Marcus acknowledged Carl's feelings for Max but asked him to try and understand what was at stake, and to put what Max needed above his own wants and desires.

He explained what he believed about the Heritage, and how Max may hold the key to help so many in the future if he could just remain focused, that Max was potentially stronger than any leader he had ever known before, and that with Carl's co-operation, and help, Max could advance their cause further than any had ever done before.

It was on that day, Carl had made his vow to Marcus that he would do his best, that being the concession he had to make to be reunited with Max, thinking that at least he could always be there with him, that they could still be together, and even though he had to marry, and sire children of his own, there was nothing preventing Max from one day taking Carl as his mate, and if he was just patient enough and supportive of all that he needed to achieve, that he could eventually secure his place by Max's side, the only place he had ever wanted to be.

Carl had made that vow back then, secure in his heart that ultimately Max wanted the same thing he did, but as Carl entered the parking lot of the Devil Dawg compound, and after more than twenty years of hoping that one day Max would take him as his mate, Carl was now convinced that that day would never come and that though he had sworn to Marcus he would do his best to assist Max in achieving his goals to help those displaced within the Heritage, he had never vowed he would always share his bed.

As Carl made his way through the parking lot and approached the path to the cabin, he noticed Danal standing by the fire at the bivouac where Atticus, and his men had made their camp. Two young Marines busied themselves beside him, the wafting scent of bacon filling the air as they prepared breakfast for their unit.

Carl could feel Danal's eyes on him as he approached, he shot him a stern look as he took several steps toward him.

Danal stopped in his tracks, a solemn grimace contorting his face as he resumed his spot between the two Marines, but not taking his eyes off of Carl as he passed them by.

Within moments, Carl found himself on the front porch of the cabin, and while he hoped he could just slip in and complete his task without waking the occupants, his hand had no sooner twisted the doorknob than the strong smell of coffee filled his nostrils.

"So much for that idea" he murmured to himself as he opened the door and entered the main room of the cabin.

Instantly he saw them, Max and Elizabeth standing at the island in front of the kitchen, Liz on the far end, in what appeared to be a dressing gown, and Max behind it, fully dressed, sipping a cup of coffee.

"You must have gotten up really early, you were gone when I got up," Max stated, breaking the silence as Carl walked toward them, noticing that JD was still fast asleep on the couch in front of the fireplace.

"So were you when I got up at 11:30 last night." Carl retorted, his face purposefully expressionless, his voice calm and controlled.

Carl half expected his comment to garner at least some reaction from Max, but he didn't get one, instead, Max just gave him a casual, assessing glance and took another sip of his coffee; Elizabeth, however, did appear to become more agitated, pulling the top of her housecoat closer around her neck, as she began fidgeting with the cup in front of her, darting furtive glances at him before looking nervously aside as JD stirred and stretched on the couch.

"Perhaps I should go get dressed and leave you two to talk" Elizabeth murmured softly, glancing first at Max and then cautiously at Carl.

"Don't leave on my account..." Carl said simply, adding: "We're all adults here."

The look of guilt on Elizabeth's face was as apparent as Max's scent all over her as she looked nervously at Max for help or direction but getting neither.

Max was a stone wall, unreadable, his mannerisms casual, as he took yet another sip of his coffee before turning to Carl: "I told Liz you're fairly decent at whipping up a hearty breakfast, I can't speak for everyone, but I for one am fairly famished."

Having said that, Max's eyes leveled on Carl's locking stares with him as he expectantly awaited a response.

If Max was expecting any kind of emotional outburst from his not so subtle goading, he wasn't going to get one: "As I said we're all adults here, if you're hungry maybe Elizabeth could whip you both up something, I'm only here to collect a few things and make sure JD gets up and joins his brother and the others for breakfast back at the camp."

Carl didn't wait for a response from Max, he turned and moved toward JD, who was already making moves toward rousing himself: "Get it in gear sleepy head, I've got a lot to do today, and wrangling you for breakfast is first on the list."

JD grumbled slightly, sitting up on the couch rubbing the sleep from his eyes: "Okay Mom, I'm up!" he taunted as Carl reached over and rustled the hair on top of his head.

Carl watched as Elizabeth stepped away from the kitchen island and headed toward the steps of the loft across the room: "I'm actually not that hungry and I need to get down to the camp to check on Jason." she said as she scampered up the ladder steps to the loft.

When he was sure that JD was indeed fully awake and heading out the door toward the camp, Carl turned and climbed the step to the loft where he and Max had shared a bed.

As he gathered up his duffel bag and began carefully stuffing it with the clothing he had brought and put away in the dresser along with Max's, he noticed Max had joined him and now sat watching him from the foot of the bed.

"Going somewhere?" Max queried, both his manner and tonal inflection deliberately nonchalant.

Carl didn't look at him, instead, he continued to pack the last of his things neatly into the sack on top of the dresser before zipping it closed and hoisting it over his shoulder before turning to Max: "No, I'm not leaving just securing different sleeping arrangements."

Max just stared blankly back at him, responding a bit too blithely for Carl to take seriously: "Why would you do that, is there some problem I'm unaware of that you might want to discuss?"

Carl just shook his head and suppressed a laugh as he made his way toward the steps: "Nice one Max, you're a laugh riot..." Carl thought to leave it there, but quickly added as he began descending the stairs: "The only problem I've ever had, I just took care of."

He had expected to feel more as Max faded from his view and his feet hit the floor, but each step toward the exit of the cabin made him feel freer than he had ever felt before, and as he finally stood there, in the doorway, he turned back to take one more look around, he saw Max standing at the top of the ladder to the loft looking down on him, a somber expression on his face as Carl closed the door and made his way back toward the camp.

Danal Cornelious was furious with Max, he had suspected last night, when Carl showed up at the ceremonial grounds, and seeing the pain in his eyes before he veered off, and ran into the woods, that it had to have had something to do with Max, it always did.

His confirmation came by way of seeing Carl stomping away from the cabin that morning, after being there for only a short time, carrying his duffel bag, which Danal watched him dump in the back of his truck before joining Billy, JD, and the others for breakfast.

His immediate thought had been to pull Car aside and discuss what was troubling him, but Carl repeatedly rebuked his efforts, informing him he had better things to do.

At the time, Danal didn't yet know the reason, but that final piece to the puzzle presented itself in the form of Elizabeth Dunne, as she joined her son for breakfast; Max's scent was all over her, she reeked of their intimacy.

He had noted how Max had been treating her, but he had convinced himself it was just Max supporting her and her son through an emotionally difficult time, but apparently, his assumptions were incorrect and for the life of him, he couldn't grasp why Max would do such a thing, especially with Carl so close at hand, but as he hurriedly made his way toward the cabin, he was determined to know why Max would so wantonly and willfully set out to hurt Carl, especially today of all days, when the fruition of all that they had labored for, now came down to the last few hours before they finally knew if what they suspected about Billy was true or not.

He has known Max his entire life, both man and boy, and he was never surer of anything in his entire life, than that of Max's love for Carl McGregor.

Danal didn't even bother to knock, entering the cabin with every intention of having it out with Max and finding him standing by the twin French doors to the far right side where the large table they usually sat around for a beer, cards, and conversation in the evenings, just staring out over the lake barely even taking note of Danal's presence: "I assume with an entrance like that, you have something you want to get off your chest Councilor?" Max queried, his voice soft, low, and distant, his eyes still focused across the still waters of the lake.

"Let's not play games Max, you know damn well why I'm here." Danal was in no mood to mince words or exchange pleasantries at the moment

Max turned to face him, walking around the table to take a seat on the large leather couch a few feet away in front of the fireplace, where he sat leaning forward with his forearms on his knees and his hands locked together as he thumped his two thumbs together: "How is Carl by the way?" he asked, his voice still sounding distant and methodical as his eyes remained cast down as if to stare a hole in the floor.

Danal huffed: "Surprisingly calm considering, or maybe he's just gotten so use to being disappointed by you, that he's become inured to it."

Danal wasn't done making his point though: "I'm sure it's not as easy as he's making it out to be since that woman still reeks of you and everyone back at the camp can smell it..." he paused for a second as he moved in front of the kitchen island to lean his ass against it as he continued to glower at Max before adding: "Then again, you still stink of her so I guess there is that to also help remind him and drive home whatever point you were trying to make with your little performance last night huh?"

Max's eyes shot up to meet Danal's in a dark scowl denoting his dislike of Danal's tone and choice of wording: "Be careful Councilor, I am not some child you have leave to scold at will."

Despite his show of bravado, Danal wasn't backing down: "Then stop acting like one and explain why you would do that to him!" He demanded, his eyes locked on Max's, his stance never wavering.

Max's eyes flashed for a second, an action denoting a momentary lack of self-control as he blurted gruffly: "You tread on thin ice Councilor, my reasons are my own, I am not answerable to you!"

Danal leaned forward slightly, a sardonic grin spreading across his face: "So there is a reason then and not just you lusting after the mother of your youngest son's playmate!"

Max leaned back on the couch, his scowl dissipating as he fought to regain his composure: "I did what I had to do, just like always." he murmured, his vision going distant again, like someone recalling past transgressions.

Danal didn't know if he meant to or not, but he just picked up on something he hadn't considered before or had ever heard Max admit too: "What do you mean by just like always?" he asked, his synapses firing now in full force, more determined than ever to get to the bottom of all this drama, once and for all.

Max just grew silent, his face expressionless and unreadable, which only confirmed to Danal that he was hiding something and judging by the sheer amount of times he had had to help Carl come to terms with something Max had done to upset him over the years, he was beginning to see a pattern to it all.

"Well..."Danal stated, as he turned and made his way back toward the door, feeling Max's eyes glued to him as he traversed the short distance: "If you're not going to answer that question maybe I'm just asking the wrong person, maybe Carl has the answers I seek."

Danal opened the door and moved to exit when he heard Max's faint "Don't."

That one word contained more emotion than he had heard from Max in a very long time, its timbre forlorn and somber all at the same time and as Danal turned back to face him, shutting the door behind him, he could see the effect of its utterance had on him; his shoulder was now sagging, his head hung and he looked like a man who bore the weight of the world upon his shoulders.

"Please Danal, I'm asking you to drop this, if not for me, then for Carl," Max muttered, his voice thick and almost pleading, barely making eye contact.

"No Max, I can't, this has been going on for far too long, and time and time again you have left me to pick up the pieces and talk Carl down, but this time..." Danal paused, crossing the distance between then to take a seat beside him: "I can't fix this one Max, he has completely shut me out."

Max turned to stare at him: "Don't you get it?" He stammered: "I don't want you to fix it!"

Danal couldn't believe what he was hearing, didn't he understand what he was saying, that if he didn't take action now, he could lose Carl for good this time.

"You can't possibly mean that Max, this isn't you, it doesn't even sound like you, if I didn't know better I would swear I was talking to your fa..."

A light suddenly went off in Danal's head, while his mind raced backward in time, reliving the pivotal events of both Max's and Carl's lives together and a repeating pattern began to take form and come together like pieces to a puzzle, all the way back to the day Marcus called him and told him to bring Carl back, that he had changed his mind and decided to let the two of them see each other again.

He remembered how odd he thought that Marcus would change his mind so abruptly, after months of keeping them apart, even going as far as to sedate and chain Max to keep him from finding Carl, only to suddenly relent, out of the blue, or was it?

He looked at Max with newly formed insight, he now saw what had been long kept from him and worse, he had failed to notice, because he was so relieved for both Max and Carl he couldn't see the forest for all the trees.

"Oh Max you poor bastard, what the hell did Marcus make you promise?!"

Max didn't even look at him, he just sat there shaking his head back and forth: "It doesn't matter, he was right, my love for Carl makes me weak."

Hearing those words come from Max's mouth infuriated Danal, not only at Max, but most of all at his father Marcus for putting them in his head in the first place.

"How can you say that let alone believe it after all this time?" It was Danal that was pleading this time, trying to appeal to Max's sense of reason.

Max shot to his feet, his face contorted in anger: "I'll tell you how Danal, let me count the ways shall I?!"

"Carl knew I had to take a wife, I had to honor the Codex and my father by producing an heir, after Bannor's death it left me no option but to fill the void his death left for our district..." Max began to pace back and forth as he laid it all bare: "And the entire time I dated and sought Monaca's hand in marriage, doing what I had to do, there was Carl, sad and forlorn, his distress a constant reminder of how he felt I was betraying him."

Danal watched him ramble on, reliving the day of his marriage and Carl spending the entire day looking like a jilted bride.

Max let it all out, from how hard he had tried to make both Carl and Monaca happy, only to end in him feeling like he had failed them both until it got even worse after Monaca got pregnant, that he was forced to move Carl out just to maintain some semblance of peace and failing at even that,

He explained how miserable he felt every time he went to see Carl or tried to spend any time alone with him, it became nothing more than a constant reminder of how much he was hurting and failing him.

Danal stopped him, having heard this all before and knowing that there was one thing he could have done that would have put Carl at ease, would have made the time more bearable for both him and Max and Danal began to see it all clearly now, growing ever more certain with each passing moment what Marcus had made Max promise him before he would allow the two of them to be together again and the thought of it made him so furious he couldn't bear not knowing if it were true or not, wishing more than anything that Marcus couldn't have been so cruel: "Marcus made you promise not to take Carl as your mate didn't he?"

The words came out softly, but their impact was almost like a physical blow to Max as he dropped back onto the couch covering his face with his hands before letting them drop to his lap with a sigh of resignation: "When we were in Europe, right before Carl and I joined the Marine Corps, my father went to see an old gypsy seer who told him many things, all of which came true, all but one, that his son's seed would produce a leader that would surpass the Progenitor and unite the Heritage as no other had ever done before."

That wasn't all, Max added as Danal looked at him quizzically: "The seer said to make that happen, I had to walk the path of the Heritage alone until I saw him through his own Heritage or it would never happen and any person who I took to walk my path with me would most assuredly die that night along with him."

Max turned to lock eyes with Danal, his face a dower grimace, full of purpose: "That's why I never took Carl to be my mate and it's why he can't stand with me tonight as Billy comes into his Heritage."

"I don't think there's a single part of me that doesn't ache right now." Gavin Hollis moaned as he attempted to squat down on the log next to Billy Donnelly, who just smiled sympathetically at the dusty-haired youth.

"By the way, Happy Birthday dude!" Gavin added, handing Billy a small gift-wrapped package no bigger than the palm of his hand.

"Thanks, little buddy" Billy beamed back at him, the broad grin on his face, dimpling his cheeks, making Billy look even more adorable to Gavin than he normally did.

Billy ripped the gift-wrapped package open and pulled the lid off the small white box, pouring its contents into his left hand, then lifted up the strand of macramé and beaded crystals to look at it quizzically.

Gavin took it from him and grabbed his right wrist, and after opening the small metal clasp on the one end, secured it around Billy's right wrist: "this doesn't mean we're going steady or anything like that.." Gavin paused to look into Billy's eyes, giving him a playful wink: "It's a friendship bracelet and just my small little way of saying thanks for ...well... just being a friend when I needed one."

Billy held his wrist up to look at it in closer detail as Gavin explained the color of the three green crystals: "The green beads represent Alexandrite which is your birthstone color, I could have chosen pearls, but somehow I didn't think that suited you as much."

"No, you're right, this is perfect Gavin, thanks" Billy chuffed, throwing his left arm around Gavin's shoulders, pulling him in for a quick hug, when his phone, that was sitting next to him, dinged with a message alert.

Billy picked it up, wondering who would be messaging him this early until he saw who it was from, his face practically exploding with the width and breadth of the toothy smile that permeated his facial expressions as he hit play on the video file just sent to him.

Instantly Baxter and his mom's image appeared on his screen holding a cupcake with a single lit candle as they began singing Happy Birthday to him, concluding with Baxter's smiling face, telling him he really missed him before frowning and saying how sorry he was that he couldn't be there with him on his Birthday, but was looking forward to seeing him later that weekend when he and his mom got back home: "See'ya when I see'ya bro...later's" the message concluded, going blank.

It was a few seconds before Billy realized it was over, staring almost absentmindedly at the now dark screen and it wasn't until that moment that he suddenly remembered how much he really missed his lifelong best friend and now wishing more than anything else, that he could be there with him right now.

As he felt a familiar arm go around his shoulder, he turned his head to look directly into the bright green eyes of his Uncle Carl: "You really miss him don't you?" Carl murmured softly to him and Billy just bowing his head and nodding slowly in agreement.

"It's okay to admit that you know, I'm betting he'd love to hear that you missed him as much as he obviously misses you." He added, patting Billy's back and shooting him a half-grin, before turning away to leave Billy alone with his thoughts for a moment.

The rest of the morning went pretty much like that, with plenty of birthday best wishes and playful quips and jabs from his brother, Jake, and Jason and even a very wet smooch on the cheek from Timmy that made him blush several shades of red.

Through it all, he noticed the absence of two people, his Dad, and Danal, the latter of which, finally making an appearance later that morning, right after Atticus had announced that Max had suspended the usual training for the day in celebration of the occasion, to the cheers of everyone in the camp.

Shortly after joining them, Danal had made his way over to him, adding his best wishes amongst the many others that morning, before imparting to him that his Dad had instructed him to tell Billy to come and meet with him right after breakfast.

It wasn't long after that, Billy found himself at the front door of the cabin with a small degree of timidity and hesitation.

Usually, his birthday mornings consisted of his brothers, Baxter and his Dad enjoying a large waffle breakfast served with strawberries and whipped cream with a side of sausage (Billy's favorite breakfast) prepared by his uncle Carl, followed by a day of family fun usually consisting of swimming and canoeing at the compound.

This break in tradition seemed more than a bit out of place and a little unexpected as Billy opened the door and entered the cabin while announcing his arrival. "Over here kiddo" he heard his father say as he emerged from the kitchen, holding a cup of coffee.

Billy smiled, wishing his Dad good morning and being slightly surprised when his Dad set down his coffee and embraced him heartily, hugging him close.

Though his Dad was not prone to such displays of affection, Billy didn't feel it that out of place considering the circumstances and just hugged his father back, enjoying the warm comfort his embrace offered.

"Danal said you wanted to speak to me?" Billy said as they separated from their hug, his Father doing what he usually did, ruffling his hair and stroking the back of his neck before responding: "I did indeed kiddo, we have a few things we need to discuss before the ceremony tonight."

Billy noted the dichotomy of the warm, visually apparent smile and lightheartedness of his tone, but noting that underlying it was this almost somber otherness to his demeanor, which seemed to denote to Billy that there was something he was trying to suppress, something that troubled him.

"Is there something wrong Dad?" Billy asked timidly, wondering whether he was reading more into the situation than was actually there, but every one of his senses telling him there was.

His Dad just gave him a fainthearted smile: "There's nothing that should concern you son, today is a day of celebration and I just wanted to kick it off with telling you how proud I am of you."

Billy didn't know whether it was the fact his Father had then leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead, something he hadn't done since the days from his early youth when he would tuck him in bed at night or the fact he could smell the familiar scent of Elizabeth Dunne underlying the coffee on his fathers breath, but the feeling that he was missing something, nagged at his consciousness.

Before he could summon the courage to query his Dad further about it, Max turned away from him and pointed to the island countertop: "I have a couple of gifts for you, to help mark the occasion." His Dad smiled again, as Billy's eyes traced the direction his hand indicated.

Walking over to the counter and picking up the large set of keys sitting there, and recognizing that it was his Fathers key ring that held the keys to both the trailer and his truck, Billy turned a questioning eye back at his Father, Max's smile broadened before declaring: "That's right, those were my keys, now they're yours."

Billy's questioning grimace spurred his Dad to explain further: "You're eighteen, a young man and this is my way of recognizing that." Billy's speechlessness seemed to amuse his Dad, as he clapped his arm around his shoulder, hugging him close again as he explained further: "The trailer and the truck are yours, and while I will continue to pay the insurance on both and the utilities on the trailer, I do so under the provision that you use them responsibly and you keep your grades up until you graduate."

As the weight of what his Father was saying sank in, questions formulated in his head: "What about you and JD will you still be there too?"

He could feel his Fathers hand on the small of his back urging him toward the cabin door as he spoke: "Don't worry about JD and me, I've made other arrangements, you'll be on your own at the trailer."

As his father opened the cabin door and gently pushed him over the threshold: "Take it for what it is kiddo, independence, responsibility, and a start on a future you can shape for yourself."

Before closing the door on him, his Dad issued two instructions to him, one was to relax and enjoy the day and the second was to meet him back at the cabin at eight PM and to come alone.

He didn't explain further and by the urgency of his dismissal, Billy didn't get the chance to question his Father any further and as he walked away testing the weight of the keys in his hand before shoving them into the pocket of his board shorts, he couldn't help but wonder if the rest of the day was going to go as strangely as his encounter with his Dad just had.

The rest of the morning went pretty much as Billy expected. He watched as Carl and Atticus orchestrated and supervised the group into building four large fires near the bivouac, setting up spits over the hot coals with four large pigs skewered upon them.

Billy still wondered why they would possibly need that much meat for his birthday meal until roughly about noon, as vehicles began to arrive, more times than not, loaded with men he didn't know or had only met in passing over the course of his lifetime.

There were familiar faces as well, none more so than the elderly, white-haired Corwin Lakatos and his son Paul Lakatos, who was accompanied by a smarmy looking, hawk-nosed Cajun sounding man named Remy Deveaux and a mountain of a man whose size and musculature rivaled that of Jake Bauers. named Dalton Becker.

Billy, Gavin, Jason, and JD took a lot of jovial pleasure watching Timmy Anderson as he walked up to the sandy-haired Becker until he stood mere inches in front of him, before looking straight up into his questioning eyes and cooed: "Whoa, your a big boy" and began flirting outrageously with the stolid, mostly expressionless giant, who after an hour or so of that, began to look more and more like a cornered animal looking desperately for a way to escape.

Billy and the others also couldn't help but notice how the tension mounted upon their arrival, most notably coming from the furtive and often hostile glances of Carl, Atticus, Danal, Marshal, and Merrick Griffen.

But the best surprise of all for Billy, came around about one o'clock PM when a white Jeep Wrangler pulled into the already half-full parking lot and his brother Mike and his best friend, and Jake's older brother Kent got out, dressed to the nines in their dress "D" Marine Corps uniforms.

It had been a little over two years since the last time they had physically seen each other and both Billy and JD were beside themselves with excitement at their elder sibling's arrival.

Both Mike and Kent had filled out considerably since the last time they had seen them, their uniforms tight with the rippling muscles barely contained beneath the fabric of their uniforms.

Mike, of course, looked more handsome than ever, his high cheekbones and squared jawline framing his near-perfect pug like nose and full pouty lips, spreading jovially to reveal his bright flawless white teeth upon laying eyes on his younger brothers, his arms spread wide to encircle them as they both ran into his arms to hug him close.

Billy couldn't help noticing, in his peripheral vision, a similar response by Jake and Kent, with the exception of Jake lifting his smaller but older brother off his feet and swinging him in the air as he nearly squeezed the breath out of him in his exuberance.

As all five of them slowly and reluctantly disentangled themselves, they quickly fell into their old normal habit of exchanging barbs and digs in joyful brotherly banter.

"I can't get over how much you've grown Runt." Mike mused to Billy as he walked arm over shoulders between his two siblings as they headed toward the bivouac to join all the others gathered there, Billy anxiously wanting to introduce his older brother to his friends and comrades: "You to Pip" he added mussing JD's hair; pip being short for pipsqueak and the pet name he had often used to refer to his youngest sibling, a nickname JD had always taken exception to but didn't seem to mind at the moment as his broad grin and hearty laughter attested too.

The only break in their otherwise genial reunion came by way of Carl and Danal, both only offering the slightest of nods in Mike's direction as they approached the bivouac arm and arm and Mike rather tartly acknowledging their presence with a somber nod of his own as the pair glowered back at him as he passed them by to meet Billy and JD's friends and comrades.

Billy caught the way Danal's nose sniffed the air when they drew near and his stoic deadpan expression changed to a studious grimace laced with a rather daunting, steely-eyed glare at both Mike and Kent, noting how quickly Danal pivoted away from them and once again headed rather hurriedly toward the cabin.

Billy didn't have to guess the reason, he knew Danal was on his way to report to his Father of the latest arrivals and he began wondering if it had been a good idea on his part not to mention to his Dad that he had invited Mike and Kent to his birthday celebration and began to slightly dread not having done so and the possible ramifications, knowing full well the rift between his father and his oldest brother had still gone unresolved.

Carl thankfully kept his distance but was quickly joined by Hank Bauers and Billy silently observed the duo as they continually observed the two arrivals and talking in hushed whispers to each other, never taking their eyes off the pair.

It didn't escape either JD's or Jake's attention that Hank and Kent seemed to avoid one another, Jake merely grunting as a way of an acknowledgment as JD queried Jake about it, who offered no further explanation other than to shortly thereafter to pull away from the group to join his Father and Carl in what appeared to be a rather heated discussion, ending only in all three staring ominously at the duo.

As odd as Billy found their behavior to be toward his older brother, the real low point of the afternoon came a short while later when the raised, heated voices of Paul Lakatos and Marshal Griffen could be heard over the din of the more jovial banter of the crowd that had been ever-increasing in size as the afternoon wore on.

Corwin Lakatos, Paul's father seemed to ineffectually try to calm his ever-increasingly louder and hostile son as he railed against Marshal Griffen, who stood his ground defiantly putting himself between Paul and his grandson Jason and Jason's mother Elizabeth Dunne.

JD quickly maneuvered himself to stand by Jason's side in a show of support but remained cautiously and uncharacteristically calm as he attempted to assuage the building tension clearly visible behind Jason's eyes as Paul got louder and louder, railing menacingly about Jason's grandfather trying to defraud him from his rightful claim.

It all came to a head despite repeated attempts by Paul's father to calm him down, that Paul's actions went from beyond heated discussion to physical confrontation as he suddenly shoved Jason, who had, up to that point, merely stood there silently fuming, growing angrier by the moment, as Paul continued to spiral out of control.

It took Marshal, Merrick, Elizabeth, and JD wedging themselves between the two, to stop Jason from striking back at Paul, whose own father was pulling at his son's arm as he continued to rage at Marshal and Jason, and as if to make matters worse, Billy watched as Paul's two companions, pushed their way to Paul's side, past his father, in a show of force and support.

Just as it seemed the whole situation was about to erupt into uncontrolled violence and chaos, his father Max Donnelly's booming, growling voice could be heard above the myriad array of angry shouts and bellowing accusations: "SILENCE!" was all he said, but the impact of that command and the sheer force of will behind it, instantly centered everyone's attention on his ominous countenance.

From Billy's perspective, his Dad had never seemed more frightening than he did at that moment, everyone, including the Griffen's and the Lakatos's parted as he made his way between them, only to turn slightly to approach a glowering, red-faced Paul Lakatos.

As Billy observed, with bated breath, he saw the mountainous and near inhumanly muscular Dalton Becker step between his Father and Paul, his chest heaving as if he had just undergone some great physical exertion, his massive fist clenching and unclenching by his side, his head slightly bowed as the iris's of his eyes burned like two golden brown flames beneath his heavy, twitching eyelids.

Undaunted, his Father moved inexorably to a position directly in front of the towering six-foot-eight giant, before lifting his head slowly to stare point-blank into the young, brutish-looking Marines glowing eyes.

An all-consuming hush fell over the entire compound and everyone in it, everyone's gaze transfixed completely and solely on Max as he squared off against the lumbering giant standing between him and Paul Lakatos. He didn't speak a word, but as the air around Billy grew denser with the mounting waves of force emanating from his Father, Billy watched the beads of sweat that rapidly formed on Dalton's brow and began to drip in rivulets down his face.

Slowly, as the pressure continued to build between the two men, Billy stood in open-mouthed aw as Dalton's gaze lowered, and his body began to shake and tremble nervously.

For the first time in his entire life, Billy knew what fear smelled like as the massive Marine dropped to his knees at his father's feet, his body quaking, his arms slowly moving backward leaving his torso open as his head slung upward, turning sideways until his neck was fully exposed, the fire in his eyes now extinguished as everyone silently held their breath in trepidation of Max's next move.

"I think you owe my guest an apology..." Max's calm, deep voice began as his gaze snapped directly to the man standing directly behind the kneeling Marine in front of him, leveling full force on Paul Lakatos's glowering visage.

For a split second, there was something deep within Billy that made the corner of his lips curl into a smile as he found himself almost wishing the handsome, strawberry blond man he knew as Paul Lakatos would say or do the one thing that moved his Father to action, Billy's senses reeled in elation at the foregone conclusion of such an act of defiance, but instead, his heart sank when Paul suddenly bowed his head slightly: "Of course Max, I offer my apologies to the guest of honor." Paul's voice a far more controlled, and sedate baritone now flowing like molasses from his ample lips: "Now is not the time and place for such discussions which can wait until the festivities are concluded."

Billy felt Paul's gaze fall upon him, as he spoke and Billy responded by ignoring him completely, his own eyes now glued to his Father, who stared somberly back at him for a second before raising his arms, a stoic grin spreading across his face: "Then let the celebration continue by giving my son William a few rounds of Devil Dawg cheers."

Billy's face flushed with embarrassment as almost everyone in the compound, both people he knew and the ones he didn't, chanted several oorahs in his direction, concluding with his brother Mike throwing his arm around his shoulder and slapping him on the chest with his free hand: "Looks like the ol' man got at least one thing right don't it Runt?" Mike chuckled, but Billy detected more behind his brothers smile and sudden bravado, he couldn't quite put his finger on it, but for the first time in his life he found himself suddenly having questioning thoughts about his brother's real intentions, wondering if maybe he was here for more than just a show of support for his eighteenth birthday celebration, but just as quickly suppressing those thoughts as JD and the others joined them again, laughing, smiling as the previous jocular banter subsumed his troubled thoughts.

As the rest of the afternoon faded into the early evening hours, and more and more people arrived, Billy grew slightly more nervous, wondering why so many people, most of whom he barely knew or didn't know at all, would be so interested in his birthday and this Heritage ceremony his Dad, Danal and Carl had told him about.

He knew it was a rite of passage all the men in his family, dating back untold generations, underwent on their eighteenth birthday, but he had never truly understood the scope and magnitude of the event until now.

The parking lot had filled well before early afternoon with vehicles and each of those vehicles came loaded with men as varied in age as they were in size; noting most, if not all currently had some sort of military background or had served in the military in some capacity or another, but what was really strange to him, they all seemed to know who he was and each and every one of them greeted both him and his Father with deference and reverent respect, all of which, Billy tried to take in stride.

As the sun began to dip below the hilltops and the large crowd had almost completely decimated the four roasted pigs and the various other foods provided, his uncle Hank and a couple of Atticus's men rolled out a few kegs, and the beer began to flow like water to the hundred-plus men attending the festivities.

Gavin and Billy made their way toward the closest of the kegs hoping to at least get one or two cups for themselves, but were stopped by Carl: "Hold up guys..." he stated flatly, gripping Billy by his right shoulder: "Gavin, you can have one cup, but I'm afraid you Mr. Donnelly must remain completely sober, at least until after your ceremony." Carl winked at him and pushed an envelope into his hand: "This is for you, I know what Max gave you so I thought I'd give you something that would complement his gifts."

Billy opened the envelope as Gavin veered off to get him a beer and to let him and Carl have a moment alone.

Inside the envelope, Billy found a rather lighthearted but sentimental birthday card acknowledging his eighteenth birthday, but inside that, he found a debit card.

The questioning look on his face motivated Carl to explain: "The card is for your use only, and to be used for essential items like food and gas, but only for as long as you go to school and keep your grade point average up."

The generosity of the gift nearly brought Billy to tears as he threw his arms around him and hugged him close, promising he wouldn't use it for anything else unless he got permission first.

It was about that time, as he and Carl continued to discuss the day's events that Gavin and Danal approached them, Gavin's hands carrying two cups full of beer, one he kept for himself and the other he handed to Carl.

"The hour is approaching that we must all make our way to the ceremonial grounds to begin the rituals for your passage from boyhood into the Heritage young William," Danal said, the tone of his voice serious and official but his facial expressions ones that Billy could only best describe as joyful and contented.

Those expressions changed as he turned to Carl and Gavin, taking on a more somber appearance as he addressed them: "Carl, I know it was your wish to attend William during the ceremony..." Danal paused, his hand coming up to grip his shoulder reassuringly, a pensive look permeating his visage: "But Max has decided you will stay at the cabin to guard over JD, Jason, Gavin, Timmy, Brock, and Elizabeth and that Atticus will stand in your stead."

The look in Danal's eyes denoted his reluctance at being the bearer of that news and even Billy could see the way he steeled himself for Carl's response.

Billy could feel the tension build between the two as Carl just stared at him, his face an unreadable mask, but the sudden wetness in his eyes belied otherwise.

Though he didn't fully understand the situation that now played out before him, Billy had always expected that Carl would be there at his Heritage ceremony, that other than his own Father, the man that he had grown to feel as much a part of his family as anyone else, was now, for some reason, being excluded in participating.

Billy was just about to object and intercede on his behalf when Carl suddenly did an about-face, and without a word, walked away from Danal, ordering Gavin to follow as he did so.

Billy could only shrug as Gavin shot him a questioning look before shrugging his own shoulders, and jaunted away to catch up to Carl.

"Why would my Dad do that to him?!" Billy demanded, turning to face Danal head-on, his mood suddenly shifting from the ethereal and lighthearted to agitated and slightly perturbed.

"A question best asked by yourself while you now go join him back at the cabin where he awaits you to prepare you for your ceremony," Danal responded flatly, as his hand shifted from his shoulder to Billy's back as he nudged him in the direction of the cabin.

Billy shot Danal a stern look back over his shoulder as he marched purposefully toward the cabin, noting to himself as he drew nearer, that his father had been acting rather strangely all week, roughly about the same time Jason and his mother had made an appearance in their lives; he had kept his mouth shut about it, deciding it best to keep the peace between him and his younger brother, but it also didn't go unnoticed by Gavin and himself the amount of time and attention he was giving the two.

He still didn't fully understand the full nature of the relationship between Carl and his Dad but knew enough to know that it was more than them just being best friends. Whatever was going on, it was more than obvious it was coming between the two of them, even his brother Mike had noted how the two seemed to be avoiding each other all day and making several snide comments about it.

As he made his way to the cabin and opened the door, Billy had decided he would discuss it with his Dad, at the very least to determine the reason why his father didn't want Carl at his ceremony, or at least a better one than Danal had given him.

Though it was only roughly a little after eight in the evening, it had grown dark enough that the cabin was all lit up with the soft glow of the oil lamps mounted in various spots on the wall all over the large main room.

Billy looked around for his Dad before noticing that one of the twin french doors was open to the back deck of the cabin. Billy approached cautiously to peer out the open door where he found his father leaning butt ass naked over one of the railings on either side of the open area that led down the steps to the stone path that went to the small dock and shore behind the cabin.

Before Billy could even speak, and without so much as looking in his direction, he heard his Dad's deep, calm voice: "Get undressed Kiddo and meet me down by the lake."

Billy stood there in the doorway for a minute, watching as his Dad walked down the path into the twilight, to the sounds of crickets and bullfrogs everywhere.

Silently muttering under his breath, knocking himself for not seizing the moment, Billy quickly stripped off his t-shirt, shorts, shoes, and socks and followed in his Fathers footsteps down the path to the lake.

Once at the shoreline, Billy found his Dad already waist-deep in the cool dark waters, motioning for him to join him with one hand as he held a small bottle in the other.

Obediently, Billy waded into the water until he stood a foot or two away from him to stare his Father in the eyes, his lips already poised to ask the questions that he sought answers to that were foremost on his mind, only to have his Dad bring a finger up to his lips to silence him: "There will be time for questions later William." his Dad said as his hands grasped either side of his shoulders to twist him around until his back was to him: "Lean back into my arms son and close your eyes"

The soothing sound of his father's voice filled him with a sense of solemn trust as he did as instructed, sensing that this was all part of his Heritage ceremony and whatever questions he had had, could wait until later to ask.

Billy felt the strong grip of his father's hands and the strength of his arms lower him into the cool crystal clear water until he was fully submerged.

His Dad held him there for a few seconds before raising him back up and motioning for him to move toward the shoreline until they both stood fully naked and exposed to each other as the shallow shoreline waters licked at their ankles in gentle rhythmic waves.

He watched as his father flipped the top to the small bottle in his hand and began pouring the contents out onto Billy's skin, both front and back, making his skin tingle as the milky, syrup-like gelatinous liquid slowly dripped down his body, Billy noting how the viscous liquid smelled like his father.

His Dad's rough callused hands began massaging the goop into his back as he spread it out in ever-widening circles to encompass every square inch of his back and waistline, until he knelt to do the same to the back of his thighs and calves, ending up right below his buttocks before his strong thick fingers began to grope and massage the twin muscular mounds.

Without a word, his Dad stood and flipped him around and began doing the same to his front, following the same procedure until his hands stroked the tops of his thighs right next to his cock and balls.

Billy had never been one for being self-conscious about being naked in front of others and he had seen his Dad naked many times before this, he had even wrestled naked with his brothers, Baxter, Carl, and even his Dad while growing up, but this time it felt different, his father's hands on him, gliding over his skin, smearing the lotion like substance over every square inch of his body began to illicit a response he had never thought himself capable of during any of those other times...his cock began to erect.

Even though he felt slightly embarrassed at its sudden, slow but steady growth as his father's large hands began to stroke in small circles around his lower abs and over the protruding cheeks of his muscular bubble butt, at no time did he feel it was a sexual thing that was now transpiring between them, even when his father moved beside him to stroke both his front and back simultaneously, not even as he felt his father's thick digits slip between his butt cheeks and the tip of his index finger swirled against his virgin pucker nor when his other hand slipped through his pubic bush to firmly grasp the base of his now rigid cock, did he have a single sexual thought toward his father or the situation.

It wasn't until he slipped behind him, his powerful, strong arms completely encircling him, pulling him tightly against his own hairy torso as one hand firmly gripped the base of his swollen cock and the other cupped, then clasp his large testicles in his other hand, pulling them down tightly in his grasp as he tugged them gently and began stroking his cock, that he felt the raw sexual energy surge within him.

Billy could feel his father's warm breath on his neck as he whispered softly in his ear: "Let it go, son, give into it, show me how my boy has now become a man..."

His father's grip grew tighter around his cock, his grip on his balls tugged harder as he pumped his phallus faster and faster until Billy didn't know where his father's hand ended and his cock began, the two seemed to become one as the ever-mounting pressure in his balls began to scream for release.

Billy melted into his father's warm furry body, the stench of sex, sweat, and masculine musk assailed his nostrils adding to the ever-increasing flood boiling in his nutsack.

He couldn't fight it anymore, he didn't want to, his father's flailing fist was a pistoning blur on his turgid pole, his tight, bloated balls ached from the tight clutching grip of his father's jerking hand.

With a snarling primal howl from between his clenched bare teeth, Billy's cock erupted in a hail of spewing strands of seething molten cock snot, shooting eight to ten feet straight into the air, rope after thick rope of testicular juices shot upward into the dark evening sky to land unceremoniously across both of them, until they were both drenched in his thick, viscous manly juices.

Billy collapsed into his father's arms as his orgasm slowly subsided, his father's grip on his cock and balls released so his meaty, sticky hands and fingers could stroke his sons sweat and spunk drenched body: "I think we can safely say you pass the fertility portion of your ceremony" his Dad's thick voice chuckled softly in his ear as Billy struggled to catch his own breath.

He felt his father spin him slowly around to face him, their eyes locking together, a huge smile dominating his Dad's face: "Let's say we clean up and head back into the cabin for a while, we have a few minutes to kill before they are ready for us."

Billy could only nod his head in agreement as he continued to catch his breath and recover from what had just happened as they both dove into the water.

After a short time bathing in the lake, Billy found himself alone with his Dad for the second time that day in the cabin.

His Dad handed him a cold soda before he sat down sidesaddle on the large leather couch. They were both still naked and as Billy took a large pull from the ice-cold soda his father handed him, he watched as he now patted the open spot between his spread legs indicating Billy to take a seat between them.

At first, Billy bulked at the idea but remembered how he and his brothers, as kids, use to jockey for that sweet cuddle spot as the others would be left to sit on the floor waiting their turn to snuggle with their Dad.

As he sat down he felt his Dad's arms encircle him again and pull him back until he lay there in the warm comfort of his father's embrace.

It had been years since his Dad had held him like this and he was surprised at how much he had missed it, the sense of security he had felt as a boy came rushing back to him as he relived those moments from his life as a boy growing up in the Donnelly household.

"You don't mind doing this do you?" He heard his Dad whisper as his arms hugged him slightly tighter.

Billy just sighed his contentment as a small grin spread across his face: "Good his Dad cooed, I just wanted one more cuddle with my little boy before he begins his final journey into becoming the man he was meant to be."

Billy chuckled: "I think that ship sailed a few years back Dad."

His father responded by mussing his hair, then stroking it gently: "No matter how big or old you get son, whenever I see you, there will always be that part of you that will always be my baby boy, you'll understand one day when you hold a son of your own in your arms for the first time."

Billy didn't know whether it was the moment or the culmination of the day's events but he felt as if he could not only hear the sincerity of the words his father spoke, but he could feel them through their skin to skin contact, his senses felt so expanded he swore he could even smell the veracity of his father's words and they moved him to ask the one question that had burned within him since he saw that forlorn look in Carl's eyes after being told he couldn't attend his ceremony, he knew not to question one of his decisions, that never turned out well, so he asked the one question, that he and his younger brother had been wondering for quite some time: "Dad, do you love Carl?"

He felt the sudden intake of air, heard it as it sucked through his teeth, felt it in the sudden tension that swept through his body. For a moment Billy didn't think he would answer, he even feared he had crossed a line he shouldn't have, but then his father bowed his head and kissed the top of his head and answered in only one word: "Always."

Like everything else that had transpired between them that night, every one of Billy's senses told him that what his Father had just said was the unmitigated and unassailable truth and while he didn't understand the current circumstances behind whatever troubles they were having at the moment, he was just as sure his Dad meant what he said with every fiber of his being.

It was for that reason and that alone, Billy decided to let it go, at least for now or until he had more of a reason to bring it up again.

For the next few minutes, they just lay there together in their own thoughts until his Dad urged him up, indicating it was time to go.

There was a loud knock at the cabin door and his Dad rushed to answer it, Carl stood there facing him: "It's time" was all he said as he stepped back, allowing Billy and his Dad to exit the cabin, never once looking either of them in the eye as he ushered JD and the others into the cabin and shut the door.

"Well, kiddo, the moment of truth is at hand..." His Dad said, throwing his arm around his shoulder as he guided them off the porch into the cool evening breeze, still naked as the day they were born: "Just remember one thing son..." he said with a look of pride subsuming his bright blue eyes: "No matter what happens tonight, I couldn't be any more proud of you than I am right now."

Billy smiled nervously back at his father: "Just one thing Dad, is this gonna hurt?"

Max smiled back at him, squeezing his shoulder tightly: "Like a son-of-a-bitch"

"Oh great" Billy groaned: "I was afraid of that."

His Dad chuckled, patting him on the back as they walked down the path together: "If it's any consolation, it's been ages since anyone's died from it."

Billy didn't know whether his Dad was joking or not and even less sure if he wanted to know the truth for certain, so he just allowed his Dad to lead him quietly down the path to the ceremonial grounds, lost in his own thoughts and wishing more than ever that Baxter was here with him right now, doing what he did best, making Billy feel like he could do anything with him by his side.

As they drew closer to the ceremonial grounds, Billy could see the bright flames of a huge bonfire through the dense foliage of the surrounding trees and underbrush, he knew it had to have been built in the center of the grounds amphitheater and was probably lighting the entire surroundings.

He could also begin to hear the low, guttural rumble of a rhythmic chant accentuated by grunts and a synchronized thumping sound. He could not make out the words to the repetitive chant but recognized it enough to know it was Latin, a language he had heard Danal, his Dad, and Carl use many times, and one Carl had assured him he would be learning after his Heritage ceremony.

When pressed for an explanation, Carl had finally ceded to acknowledge that those of the Heritage studied their long history through a book that was entirely written in Latin and passed down from generation to generation known only as the Codex; it was all Carl or his Dad would say about it, but this Codex was often the topic of great discussion amongst his Dad and his friends and one that held a great deal of mystery to both Billy, Baxter and his little brother JD.

It was apparent, from the way their father and his friends spoke of this book, that they didn't necessarily agree with everything in it.

Billy tried to push such thoughts from his mind as he and his father made the final turn in the winding stone path and the full scope of the amphitheater finally came into view; Billy found the sight mesmerizing.

Directly before them, at least fifty feet away, was a huge wood bonfire whose flames shot at least twenty feet into the air and whose flames cast an almost eerie orange glow on everything around it.

On either side of the paths ending, was the semi-circular, four-step stone amphitheater which faced juxtaposed to the large stone dais and the Reliquary. Around the stone step seats of the amphitheater, was a throng of men, numbering at least a hundred by Billy's calculations, each of them as naked as Billy and his father and all of them chanting, in a deep, droning and guttural monotone the words "In Bestia Dimittere" emphasizing each syllable with a resounding drumming thump of their chest with their right fist and forearms.

As Billy and his father stepped into the semicircle, all heads turned in their direction and Billy could feel all their eyes upon him as the sound of their chant increased and reverberated throughout the valley, amplified as the cacophonous din bounced off the hillside and boomed throughout the entire valley.

As they approached the steps of the dais, Billy looked up to see a now festooned Danal in all his Green father regalia; the antler headdress, the flowing leaf cape, the animal fur skinned loincloth, and the rams headed staff, which he thumped in cadence to the beat of the chant on the stone surface of the top tier of the dais, standing between the twin two-foot wide, four-sided stone obelisk which had flaming torches attached to both the front and the back, near the top of both.

Billy followed his father up the stone steps, his anticipation building as his imagination kicked into overdrive, fueling his expectations and driving him inexorably forward to meet his destiny.

He had thought, that when the moment arrived, he would feel more trepidation, imagined he would somehow break under the pressure due to nervousness, but now, as he mounted the last step of the dais and moved between the obelisk where his father indicated and turned to face the drumming, chanting throng, he didn't feel any of those things, there was no fear, or self-doubt, not even the slightest bit of embarrassment or angst, what he truly felt at that moment was a deep sense of pride, not for himself, but for the long line of Donnelly's who had stood here, just like himself, generation after generation, to do what he was going to do right now.

Billy took a moment to look around, first to the familiar faces of his Uncle Hank, Jake, and his team leader Atticus Walker and Danal, as they waited on either side of the stone obelisk, just in front of them, they nodded their heads in his direction as his eyes moved from each of them.

Head held high, Billy looked out over the sea of faces, trying to take in each and everyone, when he realized something and began earnestly scanning the droning crowd for the now-familiar faces of the men he had been training with all week, but not finding one of them amongst them,

He mentally conjured up their faces, from the stalwart and stoic Scott Taylor and the goofy, funny Austin Davis to the stolid and determined Rex Wilson and the grounded, down to Earth Texan Barin Young, but none of their faces were among those gathered.

Billy leaned his head toward his father, who was standing there beside him, and whispered: "Where are the Marines I've been training with Dad?"

His Dad cocked his head slightly and winked at him, giving him a lopsided half-grin: "They're doing what they were brought here to do son, what they've been training for, don't let it concern you."

Before Billy could respond, Danal moved to stand directly in front of him and asked if he was ready to claim his Heritage.

Billy just nodded his head yes, though the absence of his teammates still perplexed him.

Danal whipped around to face those gathered and raised his arms above his head, the ram-headed staff clasped in both hands.

Instantly the crowd grew silent, every pair of eyes now locked on Danal, the crackling sound of the bonfire flames and the warm summer evening sounds of crickets and croaking bullfrogs filled the still night air.

"Salve Fratres" Danal's voice boomed loudly across the valley.

"Salevete" echoed the response by all assembled.

Danal lowered his staff, gripping it in one hand throwing his arms wide, and shouted: "Et nos incipere Canem Diaboli?"

Billy knew he had just asked a question, but the only two words he recognized were Canem Diaboli, his Dad had that inscribed across the two swords that were affixed to the wall nearest the inside door of the cabin; as a kid, Carl had explained to him it was Latin for Devil Dog.

Softly at first, but steadily growing in volume, those gathered began chanting "In bestia dimittere" in response to Danal's query.

As Billy watched, Danal joined his Dad and the two of them stood directly in front of him, his Dad stepped forward, placing his large hands on his shoulder: "For this part son, we have to lock you in chains."

His father had no sooner said that than Atticus and Jake stepped to the side and produced a large chest, which they opened and withdrew large metal chains and a couple of pairs of cast iron metal clasp with a large metal ring affixed to the side and began threading the chain through them.

Billy's grimace must have given his Dad cause to add: "It's for your and our safety son, please don't resist."

He held his doubts at bay as he watched the duo carefully seal the metal ringed clasp to his wrist and ankles before threading them through the eyelet rings and stretching them to the four large cast iron rings on the inside surface of the twin obelisk.

Faster than he would have thought possible, Billy found himself splayed and stretched out, his legs slightly more than shoulder-width apart and his arms stretched tautly and slightly above his head height at a forty-five-degree angle and completely immobile, which he tested by gripping the large steel chains and pulling at them as hard as he could, testing their strength.

After he was secured Jake and Atticus took their respective places on either side of the obelisk, his father, Hank and Danal stood directly in front of him, about four feet back and facing toward him, their backs to the gathered crowd.

Danal stepped forward, first moving slightly to the side to retrieve an oblong metal box Billy estimated to be about six inches wide and twelve inches long, and roughly about four inches deep.

On top of the box was a pair of brown leather gloves, which Danal handed to his father, who slide them over his hands and moved with Danal to stand directly in front of him with barely two feet between them and Danal off to his Fathers side facing him instead of Billy, holding out the oblong box waiting patiently.

His Dad cleared his throat, his expression suddenly somber, his eyes sharp and alert as he looked into Billy's eyes: "There are no more words to be spoken William, what will be will be, but please understand this, I will always be your Father and I will always want what's best for you no matter what."

He didn't need to interpret his Dad's other senses, the look in his eyes said it all, and having heard his father's words, he held his chin up high, sighed, and gave his Dad a quick nod: "I'm ready when you are sir." was all he could think to say, after all, he didn't know what to expect next anyway, he just knew that after all this fuss, his Dad and all these others thought it to be important, so who was he to second guess: "Just go with the flow" he muttered to himself over and over, a phrase he had grown accustomed to hearing Baxter say to him whenever he felt overwhelmed by something and finding it now apropos in a cathartic way, that despite his absence by his side at the moment, he had still found a way to be here, at least in Billy's mind's eye, in vivid memory if not physically.

Billy looked out into the gathered crowd until he found his brother Mike and his friend Kent's faces; the somber, glowering expression on Mike's faded as he locked eyes with him, a faint smile dimpled his cheeks as he nodded his approval and gave him a thumbs up.

As an odd sense of calm settled within him at the memory of Baxter's stalwart smiling face, and his brother's apparent approval, Billy observed as Danal lifted the lid to the oblong metal box to reveal, what appeared to be a thick chained silver necklace with a three-inch circumference, medallion which appeared to also to be made of silver.

As his Dad reached over and carefully lifted the necklace by the chain out of the box, Billy could see how old the medallion looked; the surface had, what he was sure was once, intricate carvings on it, faded now with age and worn around the edges.

Billy couldn't make out the details of it, but it looked no thicker than a normal silver dollar but just bigger in size.

His Dad turned to face him again, their gaze locking once again as he lifted it over Billy's head and began lowering it around his neck.

As he did this, Billy could see the faint outline of the full moon, that had risen above the distant hills where they had trained all week, the moon was obscured by incoming clouds, and off beyond the hilltops, Billy could discern the flashes of distant lightning as the faint smell of rain hung in the slight breeze blowing against his fully exposed skin.

Billy's final thought, as his father let the deceptively heavy medallion fall to rest on his bare chest, was that a storm was brewing in the distance, and would probably be upon them in less than an hour.

Soon though, his thoughts began to shift from the approaching storm to the warm tingling sensation emanating and centering around the area where the silver medallion made contact against his skin.

At first, it was slight, but as the chanting grew louder and the slight breeze increased to a mild, but steady blowing wind, the heat began to increase in intensity and the slight heat turned to uncomfortable burning.

The tingling increased as well, spreading further and further across his upper torso; subconsciously his body began to twitch in discomfort and Billy found himself beginning to pull against the chains that restrained him, responding almost instinctively to reach over to his chest and pull the medallion off as it grew increasingly uncomfortable.

Within minutes the heat turned into outright burning and the tingling began to feel like an electrical current passing through the metal of the medallion, spreading outward throughout his torso into his extremities, up to his neck, and into his skull.

Discomfort gave way to outright pain and Billy found himself beginning to panic and began really pulling at the chains restraining him in earnest.

The metal of the medallion felt so hot, Billy looked down his chest in wide-eyed consternation to see if it was indeed searing into his flesh, the once cool metal had a slight faint reddish glow where it touched his skin and Billy was certain he could see his flesh begin to smoke and smolder around and underneath its touch as tendrils of electrical anguish began to pulsate out from where ever it made contact.

Billy began an almost macabre dance, like a disjointed puppet on strings pulled in jerky intervals by an epileptic puppeteer, the pain began to subsume his consciousness as the soaring agony pushed him toward madness and rage.

His father had moved forward and firmly clasped his shoulder, trying to steady him, the rising rush of his blood through his veins and the ever-increasing loudness of his own heartbeat thumped so loudly in his head and ears, he could barely make out the words he saw forming on his father's lips, all the while the escalating din of the throngs chant grew to a near symphonic cacophony of tempestuous fury adding to his confusion and anguish, but he tried through it all to hear his father's words: "William, don't fight it, let it flow through you!" he finally heard him shout, his face a contorted mask of concern, but his eyes were two steady, azure pools of stolid concentration as they boar into his own.

Through the frenzied turbulence that boiled within him, Billy could feel his body began to expand and contort all at the same time, from deep within his brain a synaptic discordance exploded in turbulent waves. ceasing reason and summoning a primordial force so deeply buried within the darkest recesses of his brain's reptilian stem, where animalistic instinct and self-preservation collided.

It was then he felt it, like a distant white pulse at first, a ghostly glimmer consumed by the darkness and the anguish of insurmountable pain as quickly as it had formed, but it was followed by another and another, each coming faster than the one before it, each building to a crescendo, before it finally erupted within his head, spreading throughout his body, causing it to stiffen them bulge as his muscles expanded and thickened, increasing in density and tensile strength.

It was then he felt and heard the rending of gristle within his joints and the sharp crackle of splintering bone until he felt like his entire body was attacking itself, muscles are so drawn they snapped his bones and shred his cartilage.

Billy discerned in dismay as the hair on his chest and belly and down his legs thickened, as his muscles expanded and strained against the taut thinning skin to bulge obscenely in striated conformity and definition, his eyes veered to the right to gawk in dismay as the palm of his hand distended and his fingers grew in length and girth as thick talons sprouted from where once his fingernails had been, the muscles of his arms expanded as well, especially up and through his shoulders, all fueled by the flames of primal rage, unimaginable pain and bestial passion that raged within him.

Throughout all the physical changes occurring, Billy felt his senses expanding as well, his hearing grew more acute, his vision sharper and most notably his ability to see in the dark, which now made it almost as clear as day, shapes once lost in darkness, now as visible as they were in the mid-day sun.

Not least of those expanding senses was his sense of smell, and it was that sense that was now picking up something that seemed out of place, not part of what was transpiring here, something that didn't belong; it was vile and corrupted and reeked of malice and as Billy's newly sharpened perceptions scanned for the fading odor of this foul stench, he realized it had centered from where his brother Mike and Kent had been standing, there within the assemblage. His sight zeroed in on that spot and discovered them now missing, he scanned the crowd for them but all he could detect was the fading scent of their trail as it leads back down the path, toward the compound.

It was this perceived wrongness that now fueled Billy's growing angst and increased his urgent need to free himself from the bondage he was constrained by.

Once again, Billy pulled at the chain securing his right arm, he focused all his concentration and effort into the burgeoning muscles and fibrous sinew interwoven and traversing its length willing it to contract and exert enough force to free his arm.

His father and Danal must have recognized the potential of his actions, having grabbed both his arms and his shoulders, attempting to hold him secure as his Dad pleaded for him to stop struggling.

Billy tried to focus on their faces and watched as their features began to shift, he watched in awed wonder as the hair sprouted on his father's face and his brow thicken and extended, he viewed the metamorphosis of his body as it thickened and his corded muscles popped and bulged to new extremes.

His father's neck muscles broadened as veins popped to the surface as hair began to consume his features, sprouting from his skin to cover his neck, shoulders, arms, and torso.

The face he had known since birth, contorted into an animalistic mask as his nose turned upward and protruded from the center of his face as his jaw expanded and his lips thinned into a more rudimentary canine aesthetic, the words issuing through his mouth became deeper and more like snarls, grunts, and growls; his teeth seemed to sharpen and extend beyond his gums as his canines enlarged and lengthened, adding to the overall bestial imagery, but the thing that caught his attention the most was the blazing azure iris's of his eyes.

Blue fire seemed to burn behind his gaze, mirrored by Danal's as they continued to struggle to hold him fast and it was during that moment he saw the dark figures in the distance, leaving the hidden cover of the forest.

From this range, he could only make out that they were fully dressed in black from head to toe, and wore a dark mask and conforming headgear that molded to their scalps with built-in goggles that obscured their eyes. They moved stealthily carrying what Billy could only guess were assault rifles and he could see the bright reddish beams of sight tracers mounted below the guns scopes.

Billy tried to warn them about what he saw, but the shifting shape of his facial construction had altered so much, that his newly sprouted fangs prevented him from articulating words as he had grown accustomed to, making the sounds coming from his mouth and throat more like guttural emissions and snarling grunts than actual words.

In his frustration, Billy visually searched the chanting crowd who also had begun to shift and change, distorting into various half-human, half-bestial shapes.

Almost a hundred pair of glowing iris's, in a myriad of colors, ranging from bright green to amber and gold, to shades of red and orange and a few that burned like his father's and Danal's blue and brilliant azure, still stared at him, but none could see the danger that was approaching from off to the side and behind them.

Billy howled in frustration, a sound so fierce the chanting stopped as all eyes glared in shocked surprise at the ferocity of the sound, and with a flick of his right shoulder, Billy shrugged his father's grip away, casting him several feet back as he brought the full force of his ever-increasing rage and strength to bear against the chain securing his right arm.

For a few seconds, the metal resisted, holding him fast, but then he felt it start to give way, he could feel it twist and rend the iron ringed eyelet that was threaded with the stainless steel chain and with one more bone-jarring tug of his contracting muscles, the weaker metal of the clasps eyelet tore then shattered freeing his arm.

Instantly, Billy's freed arm shoved a still struggling Danal away, throwing him backward through the air, he looked down at his father, who began to rise from the ground and stare at him in dismay as four points of light began to dance on his torso.

For a second Billy watched them move across his skin, he could literally smell the ozone as the charged ions of the infrared beams traced along his body until three of the dots centered shakily on his chest as a fourth worked its way up his body and his neck to the middle of his forehead.

Before he could react, the massive shape of his father soared through the air and encircled his body knocking him back just as the sharp, staccato sounds of gunfire reverberated throughout the valley of the Devil Dawg compound...

This ends book one of the Devil Dawg saga.