This is update 2/2. Be sure to check the previous update before reading this one!

The Cheetah was not fooled. It opened its mouth into a wide, toothy smile, and in a flash of light it was gone and Evander the man was in its place showing the same smug smile.

"That's kind of OK I guess", I said, in a pathetic attempt to hide my envy, but I couldn't hide my curiosity. "The colours are off, though. Real cheetahs are yellow. Come to think of it, Leander's colours are wrong for his animal and bird forms too. Owen said that sometimes shapeshifter colours don't line up with the natural animal colours. Why is that?"

"Shapeshifter's animal colours tend to derive from their human colours, which is usually different from the wild animal's colours", Evander explained. "Not always, but usually. My fur matches my hair as a human, right down to the curls. Under my fur the skin is the same colour as it is now."

I considered this. "So Owen..."

"His animal forms are the same mixture of browns, blacks and greys as his human hair. It just so happens that those colours go well with his animal forms. I think his skin gets darker in bear form though, because his nose isn't the same colour as his human skin."

"Then that must be why my bird form is pure white."

"Probably, but like I said, that isn't always how it works. Usually, but not always."

"So wait”, I said. “Your alternate is pretty close to Leander’s panther. Do you inherit your alternate from one of your parents?”

“Sometimes. Not usually an exact copy, but being a similar type of animal is fairly common. Had I inherited the bear form from Owen I might have had the body of a black bear, which is smaller than Owen's Kodiak, or a polar bear, which is a little larger than a Kodiak. Also, I probably wouldn't have actually been black or white. What were your parents’ alternates? Maybe yours will be one of theirs, if you ever have one...” 

This pissed me off, probably a little more than it should have but I was already mad at myself for thinking that this dickwad was worth my affection. I mean, yes, I'd still happily fuck him, but as for spending my life with him...

“I’ve never known my fucking parents, and you know that", I said angrily. "I know that your fathers told you that I was raised by humans. I was an orphan. My parents are probably dead. Don't know, don't care.” 

Evander looked genuinely embarrassed. “Oh shit, I’m sorry, dude! I had forgotten about that! I didn’t mean...” 

…And just like that a brief spark of my original attraction rekindled.

I was not about to get stupid with him again though, so I changed the subject. “Yeah, whatever. Forget about it. So this is my room?”

I looked around. The room was small but comfortable, with a queen-sized bed made out of raw birch wood still sporting its bark. There was a clock radio and a small flat screen television on the dresser, which was also made of raw birch. The bedside table (birch, too) had a small boom box sitting on it. On one wall was a small closet, and next to that was another door partially ajar. I could see the corner of a toilet in that room.

“Yes. I put some of my clothes in the dresser for you, Dad said you are about my size, and he’s right, though you’re taller than me. Those are my clothes you’re wearing now.”

“Not for long”, I said. “I’ll buy my own clothes just as soon as I have a chance”.

Evander laughed. “Just where do you plan on doing that? You’re miles from any store. And with what money?”

He had me there. Even though I had billions of dollars in the bank I was flat broke. My wallet was probably at the bottom of that lake by now, and even if it wasn’t, how would I get to a bank or store? And once I did, what would I say? 'Hi, I'm supposed to be dead, but I'd really like to get some of my money!' 

Yeah, that would not end well. Fuck, I'm poor. 

“I’ll figure something out", I said with absolutely zero confidence. "Don’t you worry about that. Is that the shower?” I asked as I pointed toward the open door. 

“Yes, it’s...”

“Cool, thanks. You’ll have to excuse me, I need to get a shower now. I feel filthy. I’m sure you could plant potatoes in my taint.”

“Oh my God! Ew! Too much information! Fine, enjoy your shower.” Evander said, with a bit of a giggle.

Evander left the room with a lingering glance over his shoulder at me that he thought went unnoticed. 'Oho!', I thought with a smile. 'The smug little fuck is interested in me too! Well too bad, meathead, you've lost your chance!'

Oh, who was I kidding. If given the chance right then I'd have fucked him in every position, in every orifice, in every room in that cabin, whether his parents were watching us or not. Fuck, I was horny again.

I stripped Evander’s clothes off of my body and stepped into the shower. As I was basking under the stream of hot water all that I could think about was Evander. Dickhead or not, he was still gorgeous, and I wanted to get to know him better in the physical sense. We might not get married or anything like that, but I was definitely DTF if he was. If he kept up the attitude I could always just put my hand over his mouth to shut him up. Or stuff something into his mouth to shut him up. 

The thought was too much. I had to rub one out. Now, right here in this shower. If I didn't, my balls would be bluer than my hair used to be. I grabbed  hold of myself and started pumping. It did not take long for me to release. I needed to get laid, and soon!

The more I got to know Evander the more I didn’t like him. Sure, he was pretty, but what was with that attitude? Now I wasn't even sure that I wanted to fuck him anymore. I smiled to myself as I realized that this was crazy talk. Even after rubbing one out I'd still take him in every room in the cabin.

With my mind back on my shower I lathered and scrubbed my body. I was quite surprised when I tried to wash my hair: It was bone dry, even in the shower. I put my head directly under the shower’s stream and ran my fingers through my hair, trying to soak it. It was no use: I could feel the water hitting my hand, I could even feel it running through my hair as I tried forcing it in with my hands, but the water just beaded and ran off, leaving my snowy white hair perfectly dry. I made a mental note to ask Owen and Leander if this was some kind of shifter thing and turned the water off.

As I was drying myself I started hearing voices. It was two men having a conversation. The voices belonged to Owen and Leander, and it sounded like they were right there in my bedroom, so I finished drying myself, put on the clean clothes Evander had left for me, and stepped out into the bedroom expecting to see my hosts. They were not in there, though I could still hear their voices quite clearly. I knew that I shouldn’t be nosy, but I couldn’t help but listen – besides, they were talking loudly enough that it was obvious they weren’t talking secrets. I soon discovered that I was wrong.

Leander’s voice said “So what are we going to do then, if we’re not going to bring him to the colony?”

Owen: “We’re not going to do anything just yet, at least not until we make sure it’s safe. We will keep him here. If he is who we think he is this could cause a lot of problems, both for him and for us. All of us. And not just for our colony. This will affect the entire nation.”

“What kind of trouble? If he is who we think he is, this could be exactly what we’ve been waiting for!”

“Oh, really? You think the Council of Elders would just welcome him back with open arms, do you? His mere presence could end decades of Council rule. They’re not likely to give that up so easily, and they have some strong supporters. Also, remember who his father is, and what the Council says that he did.”

“The council has some strong detractors, too, in case you've forgotten, and they can hardly hold Daecon responsible for something they believe happened before he was even born.”

“That is true, but supporters of our cause have mostly all left the colonies. It would take time to get all of us organized, whereas the Council is already concentrated at the colony and ready to fight.”

“Who says there has to be a fight? Our laws are clear...”

“Our laws are worth nothing when they’re manipulated by the Council. They can make and break laws at the drop of a feather. Remember, too, how they gained power in the first place. They would use Dontarion’s murder as an excuse to shut Daecon out.”

I hadn’t even realized that I was doing it, but I was slowly and quietly making my way back downstairs to where the discussion was happening. I was surprised to see Evander standing on the stairs, out of sight of the kitchen. He had been listening too, and when he felt my presence behind him he almost jumped out of his skin. I motioned for him to keep quiet and we continued listening.

Leander was talking now. “All the more reason we have to restore that man to his rightful position. I’m telling you, we need to do it soon. I believe you’ll find the council’s support isn’t quite as strong as they or you think it is.”

Owen: “Weak as it might be, their base is still stronger than we are currently. We will need time to get prepared for whatever may come. We also need to make sure...”

“Sure of what? Owen, it’s as plain as the nose on your face who he is. Just look at him, for God’s sake. The colour of his eyes. The white hair and plumage. The copper skin. His bird form. An eagle, in pure white! Owen, where have you ever seen another person take a bird form of such magnificence as that? And he can use his animal abilities as a human! There is only one bloodline that gifts features and abilities such as those, and well you know it.”

 “I know, I know. I know we have to do it, but I’m telling you that we must wait and prepare, and we must make absolutely sure that Daecon is...”

“Daecon is Royalty. Owen, I have never been as sure of anything in my life as I am of this. That boy has got royal blood coursing through his veins. The signs are all there.”