Lynx Northern Shifters 3

trotted past Jonah to go right inside.
He blinked. It was dark but spacious and it went deep. Not only that, there was a real, in a Home Depot sort of way, door inside. It led to a tiny house inside the cave. Into which Jonah disappeared, not inviting Trey this time.
Interesting. Trey wanted to see the house itself, not just this cave-like mudroom, but that could wait till Jonah was more at ease with him. Meanwhile, he took in all the smells, searching for the presence of any other creatures, human or not. He only identified the lynx shifter. Evidently Jonah lived alone and didn’t have many visitors. Trey intended to ensure that Jonah didn’t regret this one.
Jonah interrupted Trey’s brief investigation of the mudroom by returning with a slab of raw deer meat. Not Trey’s favorite meal, but it would do.
“What do you think?” Jonah sounded pleased with this gift of food. “It’s been a while since I’ve had company.” There was a wry note to his words, suggesting it was an understatement. Trey wondered just how lonely Jonah got. Older cat shifters sometimes gave up on humanity. But the younger ones still wanted to engage.
“Dig in. It’s all yours.” Jonah placed the platter of food halfway between Trey and himself, and Trey came forward. He hadn’t realized he was hungry till he began eating. “Now, I have to make my meal, which takes a little more preparation since I prefer my stuff cooked. But we’ll talk more later, okay?”
Jonah stepped into the little house again, shutting the door, and this time Trey didn’t think he’d come out any time soon. Which was no good. Trey was absolutely fascinated by the young lynx. Even this house he lived in was fascinating. Who had built it for him, or had he made it himself? It was made of wood that no doubt kept the heat in and the beasts out.
Including Trey. But having made contact, Trey didn’t intend to spend the night in this pseudo-porch, not quite inside, not outside. He wanted to listen to Jonah’s young, earnest voice. His face had a raw-boned appeal, pale skin over high cheekbones, a wide mouth, big eyes. All softened by those freckles and that smile.
Jonah seemed sane, which suggested that he hadn’t raised himself, that he’d been socialized. Certainly his English appeared perfectly normal.
The desire to shift grabbed hold of Trey. He wanted to shift and talk with the young man, find out his story, find out if he needed help. Not in the short term, as Jonah appeared quite self-sufficient. But how did he plan to manage long term on his own like this?
But it was not yet time for Trey to reveal himself. The wolf had gained some measure of Jonah’s trust and Trey thought it wise to build on that before proceeding.
Interesting that Jonah still hadn’t identified Trey as a fellow shifter. A lynx had an excellent sense of smell, almost as strong as a wolf’s. Trey’s best guess was that Jonah had not encountered a shifter before and therefore had no experience in recognizing one. Trey might appear to be a strange-smelling wolf.
There was a handle on the door to the inner sanctum, so after eating, Trey left his empty platter and walked to the entrance to the real house. He raised his paw and carefully pushed down on the metal lever. The latch gave way, releasing the door from its frame, and he shouldered the door so it swung inward. Barking once in greeting, he moved in slowly, only to stop and stare, amazed at the presence of bookshelves and other furniture—a bed, a bench, a rug. In the midst of this snowstorm, it seemed almost magical.
Someone had a real home here, out in the middle of nowhere. No electricity—the lighting came from the fire and lanterns—but this was a home. He stared, and Jonah stared back at him, mouth slightly open in consternation.
“Well, that was some trick, opening that door. Very clever.” Crouching, Jonah had turned away from the fire on which he was cooking meat and potatoes. There wasn’t alarm in his voice, but some wariness. “I actually thought you would stay outside. That’s a thick coat of fur you have. Besides, you’re letting in all the cold air.”
Trey turned around and shouldered the door shut, then faced Jonah, sitting. Best not to move too much until the human became accustomed to his wolf’s presence.
The look on Jonah’s face was incredulous. “Exactly how much of what I’m saying do you understand?”
Trey felt like laughing and managed a wolfish grin. But he made a mental note to