Molding Clay Ch 16

"You're an alpha?" Phoenix asked, Andy only barked once in reply. Clay's heart was thrumming like a motor as he watched the pack grow nearer. Andy was one thing, he already knew he enjoyed being around him, but a whole pack of strange pups? That made his anxiety escalate to a level far passed comfortable. He quickly turned back towards his Sir, hoping to find an out, but the smirk that greeted him gave it all away. Pup Phoenix realized his handler was in on this, he had probably even planned it with Andy. He scowled at the older man a bit before turning back around, right as Andy began to speak in a voice worthy of Shakespearean dramas.

"Pup Phoenix, my name is Alpha Pup Hatchet, these dashing young pups you see behind me are all members of our pack, We like to call ourselves 'The Lunartics Pack.' Lunartics, It is my greatest pleasure to formally introduce you to a brand new fellow pup, Pup Phoenix. Let's all give him a warm welcome... Lunartic style..." Clay wasn't sure what to expect next, to be fair, He was still caught up on whether or not Andy was saying Lunatics, or if the moon pun was intentional. He never did get to decide either, as he was cut off by a chorus of howls of all different sounds that lasted for what seemed like eight seconds or so. Evidently, that was the Lunartic way of saying hello. Clay was a little uncertain about this whole situation... but Andy picked up where he left off.

"Now that that's out the way, let's get down to it. Pup Phoenix, we formally and happily invite you to join us tonight, as an honorary pack-mate of the Lunartics pack." Andy accented his statement with a grand, overly exuberant bow, bringing his right arm up and to the side, gesturing at the pack behind him, (Clay could now see there were five pups present, six counting Andy,) before he continued his spill. "Phoenix, should you accept, I swear by my position as Alpha that we will do our absolute best to make your first night out as a pup an unforgettable one. We promise to guide and protect you just as we would any pack-mate until we return you to your handler's side, and we promise to respect any boundaries you may have... And between you and me, I've already scolded these rowdy mutts behind me to be on their best behavior." He spoke the last part in the same charming tone he'd dazzled Clay with earlier at the shop, and he topped the statement off with a sly wink.

Clay had to admit, the entire display was pretty thoughtful, and, (Surprisingly,) working. He still felt terrified at the thought of leaving his Sir and facing the ever growing, ever more daunting crowd, but he had an entire pack of pups to watch his back. He looked back towards his handler once more, looking for confirmation, but he only received an eyebrow raised as if saying, "Well?" So he turned back towards the awaiting Alpha and spoke his answer.

"Well, Alpha Hatchet, I'd love to meet your pack... Just uh... Go slow? I have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing." Andy struggled, (and barley succeeded,) to contain his laughter at the sheer innocence of that remark before he, quite playfully, responded with,

"Don't worry, Phoenix, I'm well known for going slow." The pup in red faux coughed "Bullshit," behind him as he finished that statement. Andy, or rather, Alpha Hatchet, shot the red pup a slight stare.

Clay only smiled, closed his eyes for a moment, and took in a deep breath, building the needed courage before turning back to meet his Sir's gaze, which was already calmly and intently focused on his pup with a knowing smile on his face. Clay inexplicably felt a wave of warmth as he stared back into those comforting eyes, he felt all the compassion and the trust he needed from that expression, and knew his handler wouldn't push him into anything that was too much for him. Coach gave him a slight smile and an even slighter nod before he spoke.

"I'm right here if you need me Phoenix, Andy won't let anything bad happen, if I didn't believe that, I wouldn't be pushing you to go. Just be a good puppy, and have fun... Chase some tails, howl at the moon and God knows what else... Just don't go digging in the trash... I love you, Pup." His smile got just a bit brighter as he finished speaking. Clay felt as if he couldn't have stopped himself if he had wanted to as he leaned closer to his handler, pulled his hood up just a bit, and pressed his lips against his Sir's own. They got to enjoy it for about a half a second before a chorus of howls sounded off behind the pair, both simultaneously taunting and cheering them on. Coach broke the kiss and glared over Clay's shoulder at the pack of pups for a moment before Clay spoke.

"I love you too, Sir. I'll try to have fun." Andy moved behind Clay and clamped his hands over his shoulders before he practically began dragging him away, moving the new pup behind himself as he continued to walk backwards, smiling the biggest grin in Texas back at the onlooking handler. The coach, in turn, only grumbled something about rolling up a newspaper before turning to Alan and speaking.

"Do you think he'll be alright?"

Phoenix didn't have much time to react before the alpha pup was already stealing him away. Once they made it a few steps, two of the other pups hooked each of his arms in their own respectively as the pack of now seven trudged into the crowd and disappeared from the handler's line of sight. Phoenix felt that recent dash of courage quickly fading as he began to become more conscious of the strange pups beside him. Perhaps Andy picked up on that, as he stopped the pack a few steps further and spoke.

"Alright Lunartics, get those introductions in! We've got a whole lot of fun to cover in a short bit of time." It was at this point Clay stopped and finally realized something, each pup had a different colored hood on, and each seemed to have their own different personalities. Andy, or rather, Hatchet was in orange, Clay knew enough about him already. The red pup introduced himself next as Blaze. Blaze was just a bit taller than Clay was, but was covered in husky muscle and thick fur, wearing nothing but a matching pair of red underwear. Blaze was the second in command, and Clay could see why, He exuded an aura of gentle, but strong care. There were both light and dark blue pups, which were a couple named Frost and Arrow respectively. Clay found their relationship kind of adorable, as the darker blue tenderly licked the lighter blue's ear as the introduction was made. The next pup had a purple hood, he went by the name Omen. Clay found he was more the strong silent type, with a more somber approach to things compared to the rest of the pack. When Omen did speak, it was with a heavy Hispanic accent that oddly made Clay's heart flutter in place when he heard it.. The last one, in green, sheepishly told Phoenix he was called Mint. It appeared Mint was the bashful pup of the pack, as well as the shortest and most recent addition. Clay wasn't sure he would be able to remember each of those names, but he promised himself he would at least try. After the introductions were covered, Andy, (Rather Alpha Hatchet,) started back up.

"Omen, go fetch some libations to celebrate the completion of our 'Rainbow,' Frost, Arrow, go snag us that open corner table for a bit." The three pups who received orders went about their tasks as the remaining four talked a bit longer. "Blaze, as my main beta and the pack protector, you're on guard duty tonight. I want Phoenix in your line of sight at all times. Keep any trouble away from him tonight." The muscular red pup barked once in understanding and flexed his arms as if in acceptance of the task. He enjoyed his role as the muscle of the pack. "Mint, as the most recent pup aside from Phoenix here, you'll explain things when needed, I'm counting on you to show him the ropes and fill him in as you see fit." The modest green pup nodded in confirmation. "Sweet. With that squared away, let's join the others at the table to get our game plan smoothed out." The pack moved to the table the blue pups had secured, and after a moment or so, Omen came walking up with a tray of seven purple shots before setting them in the center. Clay wasn't certain how he felt about alcohol... his father had sort of ruined the image for him, but nonetheless, he listened on as the Alpha went on about the plan for the evening. (Which was essentially divide and conquer. Splitting up into groups and making their rounds.) As he finished, he reached and grabbed one of the shots from the tray and held it out in front of himself. The other pups followed suit, aside from Clay, who was feeling wary of drinking the liquid. He didn't want to get into trouble, and didn't think his Sir would approve of underage drinking, not to mention he was afraid deep down that he may even behave as his father did after liquor was in his system. The Alpha noticed the hesitancy, and addressed it accordingly.

"Phoenix, I won't pressure you to drink it... but for the record, we all know you're underaged. Don't worry, we aren't going to let you get plastered, but as your first night out, we figured at least one toast should be made in light of your presence here with us. It's your choice, pup." Clay decided the Alpha was right, he should experience all this night had to offer, his internal fear of becoming like his father be damned. So he too reached for his shot and brought it up to the circle with the rest of the pack as Andy made a toast, in the same ringmaster voice he had used earlier.

"Lunartics, we are gathered here tonight to celebrate the birth of an honorary pack-mate, Pup Phoenix, and to celebrate us gaining a yellow pup and completing our rainbow of hoods. Any roles have been assigned, our mission is lined out, and our pup spirit is strong! Let's give them absolute hell pups!" The Alpha raised his shot glass to the center and the pack all clanked theirs against his own. Clay watched the rest of their pack take their shots, and flashed a look around. The red pup, Blaze, caught his gaze and gave him a quick wink before shooting his, So Clay brought the drink under his hood to his lips, tilted his head back, and tasted his first real taste of alcohol. It tasted like sour grapes, and numbed his tongue a bit, but overall, was pretty damned good. The pack-mates all brought their glasses down on the table, and let out howls of celebration as each finished. Clay followed suit, and howled as loudly as possible right along with them. It seemed like a simple thing to the pup, but it truly felt amazing. He hadn't even noticed that his uncertainty had almost all but dissolved entirely by that point. He didn't really know these pups, but they felt like long time friends already.

The pack separated into groups of two, save for Clay, who was paired with Blaze and Mint. The smaller groups began making their rounds throughout the bar, stopping to say hello to known acquaintances, introducing the fresh yellow pup to the community, and Mint and Blaze answering the questions he constantly seemed to have. Clay almost felt like a burden for the other two pups, but they quickly reassured him that he was in no sense one. Everyone had to start somewhere after all.

In-between greetings, Clay asked Mint a few questions about how he had joined the pack. The green pup told him he was at the bar a few months back after moving to the area. He had come out for the first time here in his gear to try and make some pup friends, but ran into a creeper that wouldn't leave him be. Even after he requested to be left alone, the guy kept persistently trying to touch the pup. It was around that time that Blaze had happened to pop in. When he realized what was going on, he intervened.

"So he saw you were in trouble and just jumped in?" Clay asked honestly.

"Welllll... not quite. He spotted another pup, that was for sure, but he wanted to respect me, so he let me be. You see, he thought I was that guy's pup, though considering how handsy he was being, that was an easy mistake."

"So what happened? What made him change his mind?" Clay was genuinely curious at this point.

"I saw him pull on Mint's tail." Blaze had chimed in at that part. "I watched it happen, and saw the panic as he tried to get the jerk to just leave him the fuck alone... So my protective instincts kicked into overdrive and I saw red... I walked up to them, put my arm around Mint, and told the guy if he touched my pup one more time I'd break his fucking fingers. Then I walked him away from the asshole and outside. I apologized for the guise I used and for calling him my pup, but he thanked me for it. The rest, is history." Phoenix saw Mint dip his head a bit at the embarrassment, and would've sworn the green pup was turning red under that hood before he replied.

"Blaze was my hero that day, and the first friend I made here... Since then, this pack has been the best family I could have ever asked for." Blaze beamed with pride at the small pup's praise. Clay simply smiled with them before the trio moved to the next introduction, he knew how Mint had felt. He had been rescued by his own hero just a few short days earlier, after all. Regardless if it felt like a lifetime away to Clay.

After about thirty or so minutes of various introductions and conversation, the pups heard a loud whistle. It was Hatchet calling the pack back together, (Or so Mint had explained,) so the trio regrouped with the Alpha and the rest of the waiting pups.

"So, enjoying yourself so far Phoenix?" the Alpha spoke with his usual flirty tone.

"Yes, you've got yourself a really good pack, Alpha. Thank you for including me." Hatchet only nodded once before thanking the pup for joining them.

"Alright Lunartics, I think it's time we introduced Phoenix here to the best medicine for the gay pup's soul, the dance floor." The pack howled on, cheering at the suggestion. Clay however, only mentally panicked as the Alpha grabbed him by the hand, and, for the second time that night, practically dragged the young pup behind him. When they reached the dance floor, Hatchet turned back to face the pup who was practically shaking out of his hood from his nerves, and gently placed his hands on the other pup's own before speaking.

"You alright? You seem freaked out?" Clay answered honestly.

"No, Andy, er, Alpha... I have no idea how to dance..." Clay let his head drop a bit as he admitted that fault. The orange Alpha only smiled gently and chuckled a bit before he paused a moment, thinking of the right words to say. When he found them, he leaned closer into Phoenix's ear.

"Clay, between you and me, NOBODY knows how to dance at first. Will you trust me?" Clay nervously nodded once in confirmation before the Alpha continued.

"Close your eyes. Now feel the music, the vibrations as they thrum through your chest, your feet, your head. Sway with them a bit, just try to match the pace, ok?" Clay obeyed. He closed his eyes, concentrated on the music, and in a moment, was gently swaying to the frantic beat. Andy continued after.

"That's it! You're getting it! Keep doing that, but take in a deep breath, tell me what you smell?" Clay again followed the request, and replied back after a few heavy breaths.

"It smells like... pepper? Maybe light onion? It honestly reminds me of the locker rooms at school, the smell of sweat..."

"Good. Now, focus on that smell. Open your eyes, watch the lights as they flicker through this crowd, as they flicker over me and you. Do you Hear and feel the music? let the scent take you higher, let it encompass your headspace, let the beat move your feet... and let it all go. Nobody is watching you, Clay. Nobody but me. Let your reservations go... and dance with me pup." Andy released the nervous pup's hands and placed them on his hips instead. He began to sway with the young pup, and Clay did also. He did as the Alpha asked, and slowly, their swaying increased, little by little, until their feet were moving. The Alpha grabbed Clay's own hands once more, and placed them on his warm chest, returning his to Clay's afterwards. Clay let his hands begin to wander over the Alpha's flesh as he really got into it. The beat picked up a bit, and their movements did also to match the speeding tempo. In a matter of minutes, Clayton Knotter, a boy who moments ago was terrified of what unknown things the night may bring, was dancing and moving with the beat, and the pleasantly compassionate Alpha of the Lunartics. And it was absolutely one of the best feelings he'd ever experienced.

As his courage grew, he began to look around, the rest of the pack was stationed around the pair, some partnered off and dancing as Clay and Andy were, some simply doing their own thing, but all of them enjoying themselves. Clay let any remaining reservations go, his movements became more limber, free even. He gained a sort of bounce to his steps. His tail, still poking from his shorts, wagged around happily with his movements. He bobbed and rubbed against the Alpha as the pack did the same around them. Clay was riding the newfound high so much that he even began jumping lightly around, losing all bearings of time or orientation, letting the here and now swallow him up whole. He danced for over twenty minutes with the Alpha, before Blaze tapped his shoulder and cut in. In a few minutes, Omen, the purple pup, did the same. Clay happily accepted both, and danced as feverishly as possible with each pup that asked. He was in pure bliss, and riding that high for everything it was worth. He felt he belonged, he felt worthy, he felt, for the first time since his mother had passed away, like he had a family. A family that loved him. A family that supported him. A family that knew what he needed, and happily obliged that need. He had found a home. So he danced even more feverishly, letting that feeling of belonging fuel his drive to simply be one with the pack and their movements.

He got so caught up in the ritualistic movement, that he lost track of his surroundings a bit too much, and felt something press into his back, something sweaty, warm, and alive. He turned to apologize to the man, with a smile beneath his hood. But what he saw made his eyes go wide and stripped away that smile so quickly it nearly gave him whiplash. He had bumped into another man alright... A man who was a bit over 6ft tall. A man who had beautifully dark eyes, and a mahogany skin complexion that was drenched in sweat. Skin that he had dreamt about feeling against his own for many years.

On the last Saturday of Spring Break, on a crowded dance floor at a gay bar two hours away from his hometown, in the midst of some of the greatest freedom he had ever felt, amid the best company he had ever known, Pup Phoenix had found himself face to face with his best friend since grade school. Face to face with Axel...

***

Well folks, hope you enjoyed the little twist. And I know, it's been like 6 chapters since a sex scene, but another is coming shortly. Again, these last few chapters are mainly about setting up the events leading to the climax. Still have plenty of chapters to go before it's over though.

As always, please leave reviews and feedback. I love hearing from you all and it only takes a few moments to do so, but means the world when it comes to my writing. Thank you for reading, and support your servers!