"Don't be jealous," Dex teased, scratching Seb behind his ear. Seb loved a good ear scratch. "All right, let's get you two in the back of the BearCat before the news crews get wind of this." He held the door open, and Seb dashed outside. Hudson sped out, running circles around him, howling and bouncing. He wanted to play.
Seb chuffed and pounced, swatting at him, his claws sheathed. Hudson ducked and dodged, releasing a series of barking-howls as Seb sat up on his haunches, front paws up in the air. Hudson ran and tackled him. They both fell over, wrestling and nipping playfully.
"All right, you two," Sloane said with a chuckle. "In the truck."
Seb got up as Hudson stilled. He sniffed the air and let out a low, mournful wail of a howl that had Seb moaning from the pain it caused his heart. Everyone stilled, their compassionate gazes on Hudson. Therians might not always be able to understand each other when in their Therian forms, but even in their Human forms they understood the sound of anger, pain, loss.... His Therian friends could feel the heartache in Hudson's howl. When Hudson was done, he hung his head, and Seb quickly joined him, licking his muzzle before rubbing his face against Hudson's fur, offering comfort. His Lobito's soft whines broke Seb's heart.
The doors to the BearCat opened, and Seb nudged Hudson. Reluctantly, Hudson padded over to the truck. He hopped up with ease, and Seb followed, then plopped his huge tiger butt beside the bench where the team sat. Hudson curled up between Seb's front paws, as close to Seb as he could get, his paws covering his head, and his tail hiding what his paws couldn't.
"What's wrong with him?" Dex asked worriedly.
Nina crouched beside Hudson and gently stroked his fur. "I don't know, but I think it has something to do with what made him go feral."
"He was sniffing the air just now," Cael said. "Do you think it's whatever he smelled?"
Hudson lifted his head and howled mournfully.
"I guess that's a yes," Sloane murmured. "But there has to be more to it. We don't go feral just from a scent. Something else happened." He turned to Ethan. "Why don't you help your brother shift back and give him PSTC after Nina helps Hudson."
Hudson stood, turning his head to poke his tongue out and lick Seb's muzzle before he slinked off after Nina. The screen dropped, and Seb raised his head to look at his baby brother. He chuffed, and Ethan smiled. He kneeled in front of Seb before throwing his arms around Seb's neck. His sweet little brother.
Seb closed his eyes, content as Ethan held him and ruffled his fur. He exhaled a purr and was rewarded with a scratch behind the ears. Hudson's painful howl caused Seb's ears to flatten and his tail to twitch. He moaned and groaned, feeling his mate's pain as he shifted back to Human form. When Hudson was done and dressed, Nina helped him around the screen, and he stopped in front of Seb, his touch gentle as he brushed his fingers through Seb's fur. Nina helped him sit, and Seb got up and put his head in Hudson's lap with a chuff. Hudson smiled, but he was sad. It coursed through him, and therefore through Seb. He moaned, and Hudson placed a kiss to the top of Seb's head.
Ethan tapped his leg, and Seb reluctantly left his Lobito. He followed Ethan behind the screen, turning his focus from his mate to shifting his form. He willed his body to change, releasing a roar as the transformation began, bones popping, stretching, muscles contorting under his skin, his fur drawing in along with his claws and fangs. The pain was blinding, and Seb shut his eyes tight, his jaw clenched as his mass morphed from tiger to man. When it was done, he trembled. He was cold and only strong enough to stand with Ethan's help. His brother tapped his shoulder, and Seb gripped him tightly, holding on as Ethan held his boxer briefs out for Seb to step into.
PSTC was generally reserved for partners, family, and lovers, and although most Therians didn't thi
nk anything of being naked in front of strangers--considering it was a prerequisite to shifting--Post Shift Trauma Care was different. It was an intimate act, though by no means a sexual one. Shifting to Human form left a Therian at their most vulnerable, a difficult position for any Therian to be in, which was why most Therians preferred someone they trusted to see them this way and to perform PSTC. Ethan helped Seb back into his uniform, doing up his buttons for him, his expression one of concentration. Once Ethan tied Seb's shoelaces, he straightened and smiled that crooked, boyish grin before kissing Seb's cheek. Seb chuckled, throwing his arm around Ethan's shoulders and heading back out to join the others.
They'd need to pick up some meat on their way back to HQ, but for now the Gatorade and protein bars would have to do. His strength slowly returned, and Seb crouched beside Hudson, who sat lost in thought.
"What happened back there, Lobito?"
Hudson looked up at him, blinking as if he'd just woken from a trance. "Seb?"
"Yes, sweetheart." Seb took Hudson's hands, noting how Hudson's whole body was racked with shivers.
"I think... I think I'm losing my mind."
Seb ran a hand over Hudson's hair, brushing his bangs away from his face. It was growing long, the front falling over his brow. "Tell me what happened," he said gently. "Why did you go feral?"
"I swear I thought it was his scent." Hudson's voice broke when he spoke. "And it's not the first time, but it's... not possible. It couldn't be him."
"Who?"
Hudson gazed at him with wide eyes. "Alfie. It was his scent."
The truck fell into silence, broken when Ash spoke up. "Someone wanna tell me who that is?"
Hudson sniffed. "Alfie was my brother."
"Was?" Cael asked softly.
Seb rubbed circles around Hudson's back, wishing he knew what the hell was going on. Hudson was right, this wasn't possible, but his sense of smell was extraordinary and rarely off its mark. Wolf Therians were exceptional trackers, with the ability to sniff out things others might miss. That skill, along with their keen eye for detail, was why so many of them worked in the medical profession. They also made up a good portion of Unit Alpha's Therian Recon agents, along with cheetah Therians.
"He died years ago," Hudson replied with a shuddering sigh. "It's why I was shunned from my pack, my family. They blamed me for his death. It was an accident." Hudson told them the story of his beloved brother's death and how his body had been discovered. Seb had heard it years ago, and it broke his heart hearing it a second time, mostly because of how much it still pained Hudson.
"You sure it was him on the table?" Ash asked. Seb glared at him, and Ash returned his glare. "Hey, I know what it's like to lose a brother, okay, so fuck off. It's a shitty question, but it has to be asked. You gotta admit, when this team is involved, shit has a way of turning all kinds of weird and fucked-up. I swear this team is fucking cursed."