The Homestead / Kodiak - Book 2 - Part 1

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The Homestead / Kodiak

by: Anon Allsop
Book Two- Part 1

This story takes place just after Kodiak escorted Samantha down from his mountain where she would eventually meet and marry Quin. This story is Kodiak’s story.

Chapter 1

The short beady-eyed man reached back under the decking of the porch and dragged me out. "Let go of me, you asshole!" I hissed and swung at him. He pulled me up onto the steps and with a firm grasp of my hair and hauled me inside his saloon.

As we passed the bartender, he spoke as though it was any other day, "Snuff out the candle that this street rat had lit under my porch, I don't want this little shit causing a fire!"

Forcibly, I was thrown into a small room, knocking over a single chair. Behind me I heard the door slam shut and lock, with a very audible click.

I slowly rose up into a sitting position, and then gradually came to my feet. The room was very dark, but for the single shaft of light emanating from beneath the door. I quickly crossed the distance, grabbed the knob, and tried to open it, but the door was locked and tightly closed. I pounded the surface with the flat of my hand, "Open this up and let me out of here!" I shouted. Again I banged against the door and shouted, "You can't keep me in here, I didn't do anything wrong!"

Suddenly, a sharp rap sounded from the opposite side of the door. "Shut your mouth or I'll have to come in there and beat the shit out of you!" The voice sounded rough, like he meant business.

"Come on, let me out! I'll make it worth your while! I don't have much money, but I can make a trade!" I lied, in a futile attempt to try and get them to open the door.

"Nice try, kid." I heard him laugh. "You can pay me later, after the boss is done with you!"

I stepped back and frowned, "What the heck is that supposed to mean?" I muttered to myself.

I began to look around the room, soft light was eking out from a thin crack just under the door. It appeared that it could be a long room, because after about ten feet, the light gradually gave way to inky blackness, which engulfed the entire back half. I sighed and felt along the wall to see if anything was beyond my view, but only cool plaster met my touch. I sadly returned to the chair, and raised it back up, taking a seat as I waited for my captor to return.

I felt the draft long before I could actually see anyone enter; a quick glance toward where the door had been, indicated that it was well into the evening. In front of me loomed three silhouettes; two appeared to be very large, one was much smaller. I felt something fall near my feet, and it was soft to the touch.

Suddenly, the shorter one of them became illuminated by a single match. The light glowed against the face...a face I was able to recognize. It was that of the beady-eyed man. He touched the flame to a fancy kerosene lantern, which proceeded to brighten up the room considerably.

"Put it on!" he growled.

I looked down, before me was a pile of women's clothing! I toed it with my foot and watched as a corset rolled down from the top of the pile.

"Go to hell!" I snapped back, standing in defiance.

"I said to put it on!" he glared, pointing toward the clothing.

"And I said..." Suddenly I saw spots before my eyes. I spun backward and fell across the chair from the ringing slap upon my face. Both the chair and I fell into a heap.

Once again I sat up, quickly scrambling to my feet. I stood the chair back up and put it between the thugs and myself. The little man sneered, "I guess you'll have to dress him, boys."

I slowly pulled the chair backward and held it out like a weapon. "Stay away from me or I'll...I'll..."

"You'll what?" one burly man spat, twisting the chair from my grasp.

In only seconds the struggle was over. One had me pinned and the other was forcibly jerking my jeans from my legs. A huge hand held my throat as the other grasped the front of my shirt, and in the blink of an eye, it was torn from off my back. Within moments, I stood before the three entirely naked. "If you know what's good for you, you'll put those clothes on."

"Eat shit...and die!" I hissed, panting and out of breath.

The little man scowled and only snapped his fingers. The last thing I remembered was a huge fist being quickly driven toward my chin.

Chapter 2

As I came to, I was laying face down on the wooden floor. I could feel someone's knee pressing into my side, hands quickly gathering the material and fastening buttons down the length of my back. It only took a second or two for my wits to return, quickly scrambling to my feet and away from them. My sudden movement surprised them all as I retreated into a dark corner.

I looked down, I was wearing a sunny calico dress that billowed outward from my corset tapered waist, and uncomfortable women's shoes that buttoned up over my ankle! I winced; something was obstructing my throat and making it hard to swallow. My hand touched a string of a bonnet that was tied and knotted just under my chin so tightly that I would have to cut it to remove the damn thing! I glared at them both; they each quietly rose, then returned to stand behind the vile little man with the beady eyes. "Oh...you're the precious one, aren't you?" he said laughing, mocking me for the attire they had trapped me in.

"Go to hell!" I growled.

"Eventually, but first I have one more thing to do with you." He laughed as he reached for his vest pocket and retrieved a folded cloth. It looked like nothing more than a handkerchief.

"First thing I'm going to do when I get out of here is report you to the sheriff!" I shouted, as he laughed and took a step toward me. I frowned, furtively looking past them to the door. "Why the hell did you dress me up like this?" I growled through gritted teeth, my fists clenched and waiting.

From his hand he dangled some sort of necklace, the little medallion on the end looked like an angel or cherub of some type as it spun a slow circle. "Am I supposed to be afraid of that?"

"Not in the least..." he smiled, moving closer to me. Suddenly, he swung the chain outward. As it was swinging forward, I held my arms outward to protect myself, but it was a futile gesture. The medallion on the end had slipped over my outstretched forearm and was trapped between the dress sleeve and my cheek. The force with which he had swung it was strong enough that it stung, causing me to quickly touch where the welt was suddenly rising. Tears burned in my eyes as I flipped the chair I was trying to hide behind toward him, and ducked under his outstretched hands.

"Grab him!" he shouted, wheeling and racing toward the door to prevent my escape. "He's getting away! Hurry, shut the door!"

I gave him a shove and I almost fell, forcing my own small body into the wall from the strength of the push. I reached the door just slightly ahead of him, and was able to drag it closed behind me. Down the hallway I ran and back out through the saloon. Behind me ran my captors close on my heels...literally!

I quickly dashed throughout the swinging doors and out into the porch, grabbing the reins of an idle horse. I pulled myself into the saddle just as my captors spilled out of the saloon and into the street. It was not an easy feat, trussed up in a dress as I was. "Don't let her get away!" the short man shouted into the darkness.
I slapped the reins hard onto the side of the beast and kicked up dust from the street as I galloped away; behind me I once again heard the man shout. "Don't let her get away! Shoot if you have to!"

Two shots barked from behind me, one whistled just past my ear! The sound was high pitched and more like a whine than anything. The second was felt more than heard, and my right shoulder suddenly swung forward almost toppling me from my precarious perch on the saddle. The pain was intense, I could feel myself falling. I knew that if I hit the ground, those men would have me in their clutches once again...with the last ounce of my strength, I looped the reins around the saddle horn and quickly crossed the remainder behind my back, then tightly again to the saddle horn. This effort effectively tied me to the saddle, hopefully aiding me in my escape.

A slow black swirl began spiraling before my eyes, and I became very warm as sweat beaded upon my upper lip. I glanced down at my shoulder; blood had begun to seep into the yellow material of the dress top. From my angle, I could see the blackened hole from where the bullet had exited entirely through the front of my shoulder, darkening with blood as it seeped from the wound. I leaned forward and held on for dear life, behind me, I heard a voice shouting. "Taggert! What the hell are you shooting at?"

With all the strength I could muster, I kicked at the horse's side, spurring it onward...away from those awful men.

Chapter 3

I opened my eyes and glanced around; I was lying at a strange angle and seeing trees slowly moving past. Turning my head slightly, I could see that I was laying on a make-shift travois, one end dragging in the dirt, the other tied to a horse. Somewhere ahead of me, I could hear a person humming softly. I tried to sit up, but the pain forced me quickly down, once again the swirling blackness enveloped me.

With hesitation I opened my eyes, and I noticed that I was lying on a long bed inside a cabin. Just to my right, I could see a stairs that led upward into a loft. Through the stairs, I could see part of a kitchen. I slowly swung my head around and looked toward my left. There was a wood pile that spanned a few feet, and beside that stood a great fireplace black with soot.

"Morning!" a voice boomed, the sound echoing within the cabin and causing my heart to jump with fright. "Glad to see you're among the living! I wasn't sure whether to marry you or bury you!" My eyes quickly began to search out the voice.

He laughed as he rounded the corner, and I saw a great bear of a man. "The name's Travis Henry…friends call me Kodiak!" His eyes were kind, and his smile let me know that I had nothing to fear from him. He pulled a chair behind him and took a seat in front of me.

I tried to take him all in; his massive size looked more mountain than mountain man. I winced and tried to sit up, and he quickly closed the distance between us. "Oh...no...no...no. You need to stay put there, little one, moving around too much might cause the bleeding to start up again!"

"Where am I?" I whispered painfully.

"In my cabin; on my mountain." He smiled and leaned forward, the gray hairs at his temples and those that peppered his beard gave him a distinguished appearance. "I sure am a lucky cuss! You're the second purdy little thing that has dropped in on me in less than a year...just where the Sam Hill are all you coming from?"

"I...I'm from Cold Forks." I rubbed my throat and swallowed. "Some idiot was trying to kill me...had me all trussed up like a girl!"

His expression soured. "Makes sense, Cold Forks isn't far from here...but you said, someone was trying to kill you?" He ran a huge hand through his beard, and then ended up scratching his shoulder. "That 'idiot' as you called him...did he happen to have a name?"

I looked at the ceiling, concentrating on whether I had heard anyone call him by name. "R..right after I was shot...I heard someone yell out...Taggert."

Again he frowned and scratched his bushy beard, "That's the same name she gave me..."

"She?" I asked.

He waved his hand as if he were deep in thought, "The other girl that dropped in here like you did."

"Other girl? There's been more than one?" I asked quietly, hoping he could shed some light on what was going on.

"Yeah. There was that girl, Samantha...and you." He counted off on his fingers, as he said the name Samantha. He smiled and gave a short twist of his head as if recalling something pleasant.

I continued. "These clothes, they put them on me...I'm not sure why, but they wanted me in them real bad." I again tried to sit up and he gently pushed me back into the bedding. I continued, "I'm no girl at all. I'm really a boy."

"I ain't never seen a boy that was built like you..." he mumbled as he stood. "Oh, by the way...I had to remove your dress so I could care for your wound. I didn't touch anything, so you don't have to worry. No need to get any unwarranted ideas about me." He chuckled a bit and pointed to where he laid the clothing.

My eyes were drawn to the corner as I followed his finger. Then he stood and walked back into his kitchen. The clothes he was referring to were lying at the end of the wood pile. There in a heap were the bloodied dress and corset I had been wearing. Intermingled with those items were what appeared to be several petticoats, a blouse and the shoes I had once worn. I smiled, "Those...those aren't mine."

His face appeared around the stairs. "They sure as hell aren't mine!" Again he laughed, his voice sounding more like thunder than a laugh. "It took almost an hour for my big fumble-bum fingers to get out the dang knot from your bonnet! It looked expensive so I didn't want to cut the dang thing...I know how women folk are about their bonnets." I looked toward the pile, then to my bandaged shoulder. "Don't worry, you can wear what’s left of my dead wife's old clothes once you get around...until then, you'll have to stand being almost naked...and hiding under them covers."

"Almost naked?" I wondered aloud, slightly lifting the covers and peering under. In an instant, it was as though my entire lung capacity escaped through my throat at the same time, expelling like a shrill horror-filled banshee! I struggled up from the bed and stood as bare as the day I was born, when all of the sudden, the big man came bounding around the corner.

His face held a slight grin, seeing me standing there beside the bed. That was until he saw the cloth on my shoulder suddenly grow a deep crimson red. "Shit!" he spat. "You've gone and opened up your wound again."

I looked down, my shoulder growing more and more dark as the cloth became soaked with blood. I felt my legs grow weak, the room began to spin, and again I felt myself slumping to the floor.

Chapter 4

I heard a noise beside me, gradually causing me to open my eyes. The big man was seated on a stool, gently wiping my forehead with a cloth. "Glad to see you're awake!"

I felt my eyes roll back for a moment, and then cool water touched my parched lips. "Here, drink up," he said softly. "This water will do you some good."

In the instant that I swallowed, my mind returned to wakefulness. I glanced toward him fearfully, then down to my shoulder. It was apparent that he had been taking care of me as there were fresh bandages wound around my chest and over the top of my shoulder. He smiled, and then pointed toward the wound. "I figured you weren't too happy knowing that I removed your unmentionables...so, when I bandaged you back up, I made sure to at least cover them."

"Them?" I asked aloud, trying to remember just what had happened to me.

"Your...your...um...teats!" he stammered. Leaning back and setting the little blue tin cup down. He broke into a smile, "Got to admit, you are sure fine to look at...a right pretty little thing!"

I gently touched the white cloth that wrapped around my chest, "I...I don't have..." Under the cloth, I could feel the rounded skin as it curved outward and formed... "A...a breast?" I gasped.

"There's another just like it on the other side," he said with a laugh, "and they make a mighty fine pair at that!" he smiled as he stood up and walked into the kitchen.

The bottom of my stomach began to drop and I began to gently feel my body; he was right...under those covers I was 100% female! "But...but how?" I cried loudly!

Kodiak laughed from the kitchen, his voice vibrated the rafters above. "My guess would be to ask your momma...she could probably answer your 'how' question!"

"No...no, you don't understand!" I stammered, "I'm not supposed to have...these!" I cried, pressing the swollen flesh upon my chest.

He returned to the end of the bed, holding another cup of water. "Sure you are. I'm not a momma, but from what I figure, all girls get them...some sooner than others." He paused as he walked back to the chair. "How old are you anyway?"

I gazed with shock at him! How could he be so stupid? How could he not see that I had not always looked like this? I glared at him in frustration, "I'm seventeen, I'll be eighteen in July."

"Oh?" he questioned, sitting the cup of cool water next to me. "When in July?"

"The eighth," I spat with complete frustration.

He laughed again, "Well, I guess a 'happy birthday' is in order for you! The eighth was four days ago, you've been out of it for that long with the fever."

He sat down, this time spinning the chair so he could sit on it backwards. "You got a name or do I just call you, 'Hey you'?"

"I have a name," I growled. "They call me Loren."

"Lauren? That's a pretty name. I like it, the name fits you!" he smiled, his beard growing wider as he did.

"Not Lauren...Loren!" I corrected him, deliberately emphasizing the long 'o' sound.

"I knew a Lauren once; she was a right pretty thing. Not quite as pretty as my Samantha, but very pretty," he answered, completely ignoring my correction of the name. "She wanted to be called Lora or Laura or something like that. I preferred to just keep it at Lauren."

I groaned and closed my eyes, while he continued to wrestle with himself the name of the girl he once knew. Finally after settling his own argument, he returned to the conversation at hand. "So, Lauren, if you can remember where your folks are at the moment, I can take you home as soon as you're able." He leaned forward, resting his elbow on his leg and supporting his chin.

I ignored the hopeless mispronunciation of my given name and tried my best to answer, "I don't have any folks. They left me years ago and I haven't seen them for a long, long time." There was an unmistakable sadness in his eyes that I hadn't expected, so I continued, "I've been on my own ever since."

"That's probably why that Taggert feller was after you. He runs a saloon and house of 'girls' in Cold Forks. He most likely wanted you for his business, and was trying to make a trollop out of you." He frowned and placed his large foot down onto the floor. "Sorry to hear about your folks and all...but, at least you didn't get pressed into service in his business."

"I'd die before I'd work for him!" I clenched my jaw and hissed through my teeth.

"You came close to doing just that!" Kodiak said, pointing down at my bandages. "He'd rather see anyone dead than to escape his clutches. My guess is, when that guy goes down...he's going to go down real hard. Being mean has a way of coming back to haunt a fella."

I laid back into the pillow and sighed, and tears began to well in my eyes. Raising my arm up, holding my hand out in front of my face was almost too much to stand. "What am I going to do now?" I cried. "I can't live out the rest of my life as a woman!"

"It isn't that bad here, you can stay as long as you like." I glared at him, but he smiled and held out his hand, palm up. "I'm not that way. I won't be takin' advantage of any girlie unless she wants to be takin' advantage of." He chuckled as he returned to the kitchen. "I didn't do it with that other little gal, and I won't do it with you...unless of course, you want me to." Did I hear a smile in his voice, or was I imagining it?

"Well, that's never going to happen as long as I'm alive!" I hissed again, keeping my voice low and controlled.

He returned to the my feet and laughed, patting them with his huge hand. "That's the old ticket, you hold them virtues you have all bottled up inside you real close...or somebody'll be holdin' onto them for you."

"There isn't anybody holding anything of mine!" I shouted after him as he walked back into the kitchen. His only response was a soft chuckle, like a low roll of thunder far away in the distance.

I remained quiet for a few moments, studying the mountain man through the stringers of the stairs; thankful for the safety of our distance. He looked truly wild - his hair was crazy and went about every way imaginable. He had a few gray hairs; most were gathered around his temples, giving him a distinguished look if you could get past the craziness of his bushy face. Finally my curiosity got the better of me.
"Kodiak?"

"What is it, Lauren?" he responded, his voice taking on a softer, gentler tone.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, completely ignoring his misuse of my name once again. Yet I had to ask, something about this giant of a man left me feeling protected and without threat.

"Has...has a woman ever remained on this mountain for a really long time, and survived?" The need for an answer outweighed what I was sure was going on inside his head.

"Why are you asking that?" He peeked through the stair stringers as we spoke, while still standing in the kitchen.

"I was just wondering...?"

He smiled and gave a short laugh, "My Samantha came up here almost ten years ago with me. She was a hardy soul, just what mountain country like this is needing." He came around the corner, near where I was and stopped, "Why? You interested in staying on my mountain? I figured you wouldn't want to hang around an old fart like me."

His response angered me, making me feel like lashing back at him! "It's not like I'm interested in sleeping with you! I was just trying to figure out whether I could just stay up here and avoid being around people all together, especially if I'm stuck being this!" I indicated myself as I spoke.

"Is that what I'm doing?" He sobered up and pointed a huge finger my way. "You think I'm up here hiding from folks?"

I snorted and waved my small hand in the air, "That's not what I meant, I...I was just wondering if I could hide out here for awhile."

"I can't be taking care of no girl..." His brows furrowed, giving him an angry appearance. "It wouldn't look..."

"Unless of course, if there's something in it for you!" I replied sharply.

He glared at me for a while before he responded. "How many times do I have to remind you that I'm not like that?" He turned back to the kitchen but he stopped and came back around to me. "You can stay for as long as you like. But remember this, Lauren, if you stay...you'll be expected to pull your weight."

Chapter 5

My shoulder healed slowly, and trying to change my bandages by myself was extremely difficult. Kodiak would offer to help, but I wanted no person other than me to see my female body that was hidden under my bandages...and that was bad enough!

The only times that he had helped me were just after I arrived, when he would take me to the privy and wait beside the door. It was uncomfortable with him being there, let alone with my own eyes seeing the 'new me'. I did my business quickly and returned to my hiding place under the covers every single time.

Finally, after almost three weeks, I decided that I had enough of being weak. It was more out of my realization that I had been acting like a helpless female that spurred me onto action. After all, I was almost healed and the dressings were more for 'comfort protection' than to actually keep out infection...I had milked out my situation long enough. It was with extreme hesitation that I told Kodiak, I felt well enough to consider myself 'healed'.

"I set out some clothing for you." He pointed toward the end of the bed. "It isn't much but it'll do you right nicely."

I pulled aside a few of the items, "Don't you have anything that isn't a dress?"

He snickered, "Well, you could wear some of my stuff but I doubt it would fit you." He walked around the stairs, "It's all some of my Samantha’s old stuff...I can help you dress if you feel you need it."

"No, that won't be necessary," I snapped. "It's bad enough that I have to see what I've become...I'd die if anyone else saw it."

He smiled and turned back toward the kitchen, "Don't you feel too bad, Lauren; some of us might not mind so much seeing what you're so keen on hiding."

I looked around the empty room, and then narrowed my eyes at him. "Oh nice, real nice...when you're using the term 'some of us', you mean you, don't you?" I groaned and quickly began to dress in the countless garments. "Does every woman wear all of this stuff?"

"Any that amount to a hill of beans," he laughed, trying to keep his head turned so he wouldn't see me dress. I'll have to give him credit for that much; he was a gentleman, even though he was the size of his mountain.

I slowly walked around the corner and stood. He glanced up from his knife-sharpening and paused. "Damn!"

"What?" I asked, looking to see if I had everything hidden correctly, or that the dress was not on backwards. "What is it?"

He scrambled to his feet and pulled out a chair, "Here...uh...take a seat. I'll fetch you a coffee."

"I can handle that myself, Kodiak, just show me where I can find everything," I spoke, even though I was already taking his offered chair.

"I must be living a sure blessed life, females dropping down from the sky on my mountain like blossoms in the spring." His voice was barely above a whisper, but I was positive that I heard everything.

"Lauren, how old did you say you was?" He laid down his big knife and rubbed his chin.

"I'm eighteen I guess...now." I gave him a curious glance, "Why?"

"Aw...nothing." He looked away, then out the window. I could almost see his whiskers moving as if he were talking to himself...either that or if he were ciphering in his head.

"Okay, now that you've asked me...how old are you?" My voice was level and calculated, and he slowly looked back toward me.

"Right as I can figure, I'm somewhere between 25 and 30 years old. Been on this mountain since...well, since forever. Buried my Samantha up on the hill near where I found you."

"You said that Samantha was your wife?" I pried.

"She took sick and died...it about killed me to put her in the cold ground." His gaze was distant and sorrowful, and his eyes became glassy as he fought back tears. He nodded and sighed, and then he looked back up toward me. "She was my everything, I lived for her and I miss her terribly, but fretting about it can't bring her back."

He quickly sat up and ran his hand through his wild hair. "So, how soon you ready for me to take you down the mountain...there's a small town not too far from here."

I felt a pang of fear race through my heart. "Oh...no, no, no! I can't go back around people now that this has happened to me! I could never show my face in public!"

"What's wrong with your face?" he asked innocently.

"Well, it's a female face!" I replied as a matter of fact. "I don't want people thinking that I'm a woman!"

He sighed and shook his head, "Back to that again, are we?"

I glared at him, "You know very well that I'm not..."

"Okay I know, I know," he interrupted. "You can stay here for as long as you like...but I have to tell you this. Winter will be setting on us in a month or so. It comes in real fast when you aren't prepared. If you drag out your stay too long, I won't be able to take you back until spring."

I pointed my index finger down hard into the table. "I'm staying whether you like it or not! If you throw me out...I'll find a cave somewhere to stay."

He held his hand up. "You know that won't be necessary. I'll take care of you."

I stood up quickly, so fast that my chair flew out from behind me. "I'll not have you taking CARE of me like I was some type of china doll! I may be stuck like this, but I don't have to accept it...don't you dare treat me like I'm some...some woman!"

"That's not what I meant, damn it!" he growled, his voice was very low and controlled. "I ain't about putting on airs, so I don't expect you to leave me take care of you like you was mine or something. Hell no! You'll pull your weight around here and damn it...you'll start tomorrow when I'm heading out to check my traps."

"You go and I'll...I'll do something around here!" I stammered, looking for something that needed done in the safety of the cabin.

"Like hell! You want to parade around pretending to act like a man...fine, you can help me check traps like a man! As for cleaning, we'll have all winter to clean! You stay here on my mountain...and you'll work!"

We stayed cool toward each other for the rest of the day. Not much was said other than necessary conversations like, "Do you want coffee?" or "You feel like eating anything?"

Toward evening, Kodiak walked around to his chair and sat. I had been out to the outhouse, returned and had just taken a seat upon the bed. He was quiet and finally spoke, "Look, Lauren, I ain't the friendliest critter on this mountain. I've not had the pleasure of being around people and sometimes I come off sort of rough." He studied me for several seconds, "What I said earlier..."

"Forget it..." I snapped. "If you want to drag me off into the woods and show me your traps...I'll do it."

"I ain't going to..." he began.

Again I interrupted him. "I'm going! I'll not lie around here like some helpless female!"

He stared at me for a few moments before he spoke. "I think you're far from helpless. In fact, I'd bet my life on it."

I glared at him coolly, which caused him to smile slowly. "You sure are full of sassafras...I sure do get a kick out of it."

"Come over here...I'll give you a kick!" I replied sharply.

"I bet you would," he laughed. "We'd better be going to bed...I want to get an early start."

"Wake me when you're ready, I'll get myself dressed as fast as I can," I said as I pulled myself under the covers to change out of my clothing, using the safety of the cover to shield myself from his eyes.

He laughed again and slowly began climbing up the stairs. "When we return to the house tomorrow night, I want my bed back."

"You can have it back any time you want...I can sleep up there right now!" I called back up to him.

"No...that's fine...tomorrow will be soon enough. For tonight, enjoy your last evening as a refined and gentle female," he laughed again.

Kodiak had a way of making me so angry! "Urrrugh!" I squealed up the stairs at him, and threw my clothing out from under the covers so hard that it made my shoulder ache. "Jackass!" I snapped, drawing the blankets up around my neck.

"Good night to you too!" he said laughing, from the loft.

I fumed for almost a full hour under those covers until finally I was able to calm down enough to finally sleep. He on the other hand, was asleep almost as soon as he quieted down upstairs...his snoring rumbled overhead.

It doesn't pay to go to bed angry, because a person tends to wake up that way as I would soon find out. Being so angry wasn't worth it, if I factored in how my temper was about to change our lives in ways beyond my wildest imagining!

I sat up and swung my feet over the edge of the bedding, holding a blanket to my naked chest. I yawned and scratched my head.

"Breakfast is on the table." His voice almost startled me in its suddenness.

I glanced up; Kodiak was sitting on his rocker, gradually working his foot into his boot. "I'm heading out to check my traps...still want to tag along?"

"You'd take me with you after how I treated you last night?" I asked.

"I ain't going to hold that against you! My Samantha used to get after me from time to time. Although she wasn't so dang mean when she did her fussing!" He laughed as he wriggled his foot into his other boot and drew it up by the long tassels. "And when we did, making up was all that much better!"

I ignored him while he continued. "If you want to go, I've laid out clothes on the end of the bed for you." He stood up and smiled. "Nothing too frilly, mind you."

I glanced toward the end of the bed; true to his word, there lay clothing suitable for outdoors. "But this...this is still...girl's clothing," I whined my frustration.

He laughed, it was like someone touched off a cannon right inside the room. "Were you expecting something of mine? Regardless of what you say you were, you're a girl now." Again he laughed loudly, so much so that he was forced to sit back into his rocker to keep from falling.

"I'm not that stupid! I know that your stuff won't fit me!" I felt my face redden, growing irritated with his laughter.

"Look here, Lauren...I don't care whether you tag along or not! I just offered because of what happened last night. You don't have to go if you don't want to!" He glared at me and then stood, reaching for his hat.

"I'll move on outside so you can dress if you're going. You can grab your grub and cart it along with us if you've a mind to." With that, he strode to the door and exited as quickly as was humanly possible...for such a big man.

By the time I stepped outside, he stood up from his bench on the chair and began walking. I had to run to catch up, not an easy task when wearing a dress. He glanced quickly to the side as I raced to keep pace. "Looks good on you!" he commented as we walked down a narrow trail. "Still can't help admiring a woman's form when she ain't afraid to dress like one."

"I'm only wearing this stuff because I have no choice," I reminded him. "As for being a 'she'...that is entirely out of my hands, thanks to that bastard in Cold Forks!"

"I can't complain, it don't make me any difference one way or another." Kodiak turned down another narrow trail, this one heading downhill sharply. "Watch your balance here, 'cause it's mighty steep."

Even before he was able to caution me, I was already losing my footing. As I began sliding, he grabbed me around the waist and pulled me back to my feet. "You okay?"

"Yeah...thanks." I pushed my hair back, and gingerly grasped a sapling's trunk for assistance. It frustrated me that he had placed his hands upon my waist; they were huge...while I was so small. Damn this frail feminine form!


To Be Continued in Part 2

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Comments

Good start

Who was Loren? Is Lauren feeling and sensing things as the woman she has become or is she so into denial and seeking to be the boy that she does not feel the changes.

Kodiak is true to himself, but seemingly tiring of would be boys who show up as women. Good story with very good potential, I am glad the story is in your hands. Looking forward to the next chapter. Sequels are hard, but this has takes the story in a new direction.

JessieC

Jessica E. Connors

Jessica Connors

Yay! More Kodiak. I'm quite

Yay! More Kodiak. I'm quite happy to see more of him here. He was quite an interesting character and book 1 and I'm glad he's not just thrown aside.

well

not what i excepted i thought the talk about samantha was from earlier chapters. the wife surprised me. you are off to a good start. keep up the good work.
robert

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Oh I believe Kodiak mentioned

Oh I believe Kodiak mentioned in Book 1 that his wife happened to have the same name as the transformed Samantha.