The next morning, Shelly woke up sore. At least she didn't have a hangover this time. She barely remembered last time, but thought the alcohol must have helped numb some of the pain. She was thirsty and hungry but didn't want to leave the warm fur bed. Harvey heard her get up and brought her some water and a boiled egg. He said, "I hope you enjoy the egg. We only had one left since the birds were killed. It's still the cold season and there are fewer prey animals out. Don't worry, there is still enough food for you till the rainy season." Shelly ate the egg and felt bad that there was only one left. She could eat fruits and vegetables, but they only ate meat and protein. She didn't want them to starve. Then she remembered the fishing trick in the winter. She asked, "You guys like fish right?" Harvey looked embarrassed. He loved fish, but it was usually eaten in secret because females did not like them
He said, "I have eaten them before, but the river is frozen solid." Shelly said, "I know a fishing trick for the winter. I can show you how to cook them too." All three of the males looked at her with interest. They had starved before in the cold season, but if Shelly knew a trick they would gladly listen to her. They went to the river together after Shelly got dressed and used the restroom. She told them, "Who wants to jump in?" Winston volunteered. He jumped in and created a hole in the middle of the frozen river. Shelly said, "When you jump out, be prepared to catch the fish." Winston jumped out and landed on the edge of the frozen river. A few seconds later the fish started jumping out of the river. Winston batted them towards the shore where they flopped around until they died. The hole started to close up and they had already collected about a dozen fish.
Shelly asked, "Is that enough for you guys or do you want more?" They nodded and Shuu said, "That should be enough." Shelly said, "If you want more you just need to create another hole. The bigger the hole, the longer it will take to close and the more fish you will get." They nodded. She said, "I will teach you how to prepare them. First, you chop off the head and gut it down the middle. You can use a sharp knife to remove the scales and bones." She showed them how to do it on one fish and they did the rest. She washed her hands in the river but it was cold water. She went to Shuu and put her hands on his chest to warm her hands. He said, "If you are cold I can take you inside. They can finish the rest of the fish." Shelly nodded and said, "You can eat them raw if you use some lemon juice on them or you can cook them. I know different ways to cook them like roasted or in a soup."
Shuu brought Shelly back to the den to warm up by the fire and didn't notice the pair of brown eyes watching them. The same pair from last night. The guys were really hungry so they decided to eat the fish raw. Harvey came back to get a lemon and brought it to Winston. Shuu went out to join them. They figured they would be back soon, so Shelly should be fine on her own.
Shelly had just warmed up when she heard a knock at the door. She thought what happened? Why are they knocking? She opened the door and was surprised to see two bear beastmen. The bigger one was in front of the other and handed her a honey glazed piece of meat. Shelly took it and said thank you. The bear beastman said, "Hello female, my name is Tony. I would like to join your family. I noticed how you taught your males to fish in the frozen river. I like smart females." Shelly tried to hand the meat back to Tony and said, "Thank you, but I am not looking for more mates right now." Tony looked sad, but did not take the meat back. The smaller of the two bears stepped forward and said in a voice that was all too familiar to her, "Hi, My name is David. I also like you, but I am willing to be a guardian if you are not looking for mates." Shelly was shocked and almost dropped the meat. David caught it and handed it to Tony.
Shelly's eyes teared up as she looked at the bear beastman who had the same face and build as her husband with the added bear ears. He had the same exact eyes. She had always affectionately called him her teddy bear husband. He had dark brown hair, almost black. His eyes were hazel brown with flecks of green. She used to call them dinosaur eyes because she imagined dinosaurs with brown green eyes. He even had two small spots in his right eye. She used to think they looked like watermelon seeds. She stared into his eyes and brought her hands up to his face. She kissed his lips and cried. She said, "David I missed you so much! I thought I was dreaming! How are you here now? Why are you a bear?" David and Tony were surprised at her reaction.
Tony started to eat the meat as he watched the free entertainment in front of him. He was feeling a little upset at the different ways they were treated, but thought he should learn from his friend. He should have offered to be her beast guardian. Maybe she would kiss him too! Little did he know that it was because David was the reincarnated version of her husband. Tony never had a chance.
David snapped out of his surprise and kissed her back. When she pulled away from the kiss he asked, "Is that a yes?" Shelly nodded her head and said "Of course, I missed you so much. Come in! Let me show you everything."
In her excitement, she forgot about Tony and closed the door in his face. Poor Tony didn't know what to do, but just waited outside with his honey meat. Shelly showed David around the den and brought him to the bedroom.
*Mature content ahead
She was kissing him like she hadn't seen her long lost lover. She had already been away from him for over three months and she missed him. David was unable to control himself and brought Shelly to the fur bed. He took over the kissing and Shelly pulled him closer to her body as she hurriedly removed their clothes.
The other males came back from the river and stopped when they heard the sounds coming from the bedroom. Winston saw Tony the bear and asked him, "Why are you here?" Tony said, "I came over to court the female who taught you to fish in the frozen river with my friend David. She took him inside when he offered to be her guardian." From the sounds inside the den it sounded like he was going to be more than a guardian. Winston said, "Did she accept you?" Tony looked at his half eaten honey meat and said, not yet. I will bring her more meat." He seemed hopeful that if he brought her the best meat he could be as lucky as his friend. Winston stayed to guard the den. Harvey and Shuu went back to the river to fish some more. Maybe later Shelly could teach them how to cook the fish. They were happy to have a new food source for the cold season.
Later in the day, Shelly woke up from her nap and noticed a bear mark right above her heart. She grunted as she tried to get up. Two nights in a row was too much for her. She would need to take a break from her bed exercises. Time to introduce them to Yoga. She shyly looked at David and said, "I'm sorry. I Should have asked if you wanted to mate first." David was still on cloud nine and said, "No need to apologize. I couldn't ask for a better mate. You are beautiful and smart. I'm glad to be your mate." The guys came in and Shelly looked a little embarrassed. They had only left her home for a few minutes and she got an extra mate. They would have to make sure to leave someone at home with her each time they went out in the future.
Shelly introduced David to the others. She said, "David, I'm sorry but I already mated with them because I thought this was a dream. I won't abandon them though. I would never abandon any of my mates unless they became abusive or cheated on me." David nodded and didn't know why she was saying this but was happy she would not abandon him. He had heard of females who regretted becoming mates after they mated and abandoned the male. She told the others, "This is David, my husband."