Disclaimer: The following story is a work of fiction involving gay characters and sexual themes. If you are not of legal age, or find this offensive, stop reading now. Their four day journey had taken Alexander and Abraham through the Calisope hills. Alexander had viewed their rolling body for 12 years as they lay to the east of the Zalpheranial, yet they always seemed like a separate world, a separate dimension he should never concern himself with. The Old Ways claimed that once someone ascended they would make their exodus though the Calisopes and into the sinless world of Ludan, but Alexander had noticed a complete lack of paths or roads traveled. It was an enigma that he duly noted, ' One point for Abraham's fucked up story, one less for the Zalphera.'
The trek had been wearing on Alexander, their 4 hours of sleep a night barely keeping him moving throughout the day. Abraham had been very firm in his insistence that they make their way to Talerdeen, a small port village on the Ghandis, within seven days. It was obvious that they were to either meet someone there, or witness an event of some sort, but when he pressed Abraham, the boy simply glared at him and changed the subject. It worried Alexander that Abraham seemed to be carrying a large load by himself, but he realized that that was the way the boy assumed it had to be.
Before the boys had left the Zalpheranial, they had snuck into the kitchens and stolen as much food as they could possibly carry, filling two backpacks with assorted fruits and vegetables, as well as a small dose of chocolate to keep Abraham's sweet tooth from aching. After leaving the building, they had stopped at one of the four massive wells that kept the Zalpheranial hydrated, and filled 2 thermoses, one for each boy. Abraham had convinced Alexander that it would be enough to get them through the Calisopes, even if they couldn't find a spring. And if it didn't, they could collect water from the rains, though it would be a several hour process.
Half of one backpack had been consumed as the boys made their way along the pathless hills. There was plenty of food, but Alexander had made it known several times that he was craving meat to fill his stomach in a way that the apples and broccoli could never hope to. Neither boy had any sort of weapon, not that they would know what to do with one if they did, so the hope of hunting an animal and cooking it was completely out of the question, yet Abraham had assured him that once they reached Talerdeen, the boys could feast on anything they'd like. Alexander wondered how this would be accomplished since neither boy had a penny to their name, but Abraham had told him that it wouldn't be an issue, and Alexander trusted him- something that he was slowly learning to do more often, but with the trusting came a sense that something weird was going on with Abraham.
Three days after leaving the Zalperanial, the boys had found an area of the hills covered with trees, the high branches creating a canopy which nearly turned off the rain spigot that had been pelting them since they left.
Abraham looked around and declared that it was time to sleep, blanketed and protected by the dark, and Alexander agreed- something that he had found himself doing throughout their entire three day adventure. Both boys stripped out of their brown, damp robes, and laid in the warm air, their underwear the only thing keeping them from being fully exposed. Alexander started to talk to Abraham, but quickly found himself enveloped in sleep, the sudden dryness speeding the process along.
Alexander awoke suddenly, flashes of a nightmare clinging to his memory.
There had been an animal or maybe a monster, he really couldn't visualize, and it had been feasting on Abraham, sucking him dry of life. The flashes burned in his brain and he let a few tears escape, the pain of watching his love suffer and anguish, pushing him from serenity. He closed his eyes and pushed the tears away as he tried to reassure himself that it only had been a dream, that it would all be okay. His concentration was broken by a dry whisper, Abraham's words barely audible in the darkness. Squinting, Alexander tried to adjust his eyes to the darkness. Shapes came into focus.
Alexander could make out Abraham's form, nearly 100 feet in front of him.
He appeared to still be naked, his hood-less back toward Alexander. As Alexander rose to see who he was talking to, he could make out a dog-sized shape scurrying away from Abraham, causing him to freeze in place- the unexpected movement sending a slight chill through his body. " Dude, you need to get some rest, why are you awake?" Abraham asked, raising and facing the boy.
" Nightmare. Who are you talking to?"
" What're you talking about? I wasn't talking." Abraham approached him and hugged him, their practically naked bodies radiating heat into each other.
" I heard you, Abraham, and what the fuck was that? A dog?"
Abraham released him and stepped back. " Dude, I think you're still groggy.
You're confusing your nightmare with reality or something, either way, I was just sitting there thinking. No talking... no dog. I swear." Abraham peered directly into Alexander's eyes, a steady gaze for someone who was clearly lying. Alexander was taken aback and started to speak, but abruptly stopped. He had no idea what to say. For all the years that they had known each other, Abraham had never been a liar, and the few little white lies that Alexander had witnessed from him had resulted in comical shifting and stuttering.
Abraham was not a good liar.
These facts had raced through the boy's mind, causing him to second guess himself and the things that he witnessed, for a moment- but only a moment.
Despite being certain of what he saw, Alexander kept quiet, unsure of what to say, or even if it would matter if he pressed further. Instead, he simply smiled and kissed Abraham, hoping he would be able to forget the lie that he had been told- hoping that it would never happen again, though he knew it would.
The events of the previous four days and 160 miles played out in Alexander's head as the two boys reached the end of the Calisopes. The lack of sleep and exertion of energy was wearing on Alexander's body, and the weird events of that night with Abraham were wearing on his mind. He estimated that they were only 30 miles from the Ghandis- 30 miles from a full night's sleep, a full meal, and hopefully a successful interrogation of Abraham.
" The Passonh Fields," Abraham spoke, breaking the silence as the boys reached the top of the last hill. Through the large drops of rain, with vision skewed, Alexander saw an endless field made of brown grass, yet to green from the rains. Every few hundred feet, the open nothingness was broken by an apple tree or two- little statues of life in a seemingly dead ocean. Hanging from the closest trees, he could see little green apples, wishing they were little brown cuts of steak.
From his teachings, Alexander knew that the Fields continued to stretch for several thousand miles to the east and south- a seemingly unending plane of brown. To the north lay Talerdeen, which sat at the mouth of the Ghandis, the second largest river in Ludan- a behemoth which separated North Ludan from South Ludan, rich from poor. " I wish there was a way through the Barrake Mountains. We coulda cut an entire day off this trip," Alexander said, taking in the huge openness below him.
" We would've died within a day. There is no way through the mountains.
They've killed everyone that's tried."
Alexander glared at Abraham, who's voice seemed short and flippant, not at all in character. " No shit Sherlock, just sayin' it would've been nice.
Sheesh." Alexander started the 600 foot descent to the bottom of the last hill, Abraham's curtness pushing him faster than usual. He was pissed and he wanted to hurry to Talerdeen, where he hoped Abraham would return to normal, if only for their time there.
Reaching the bottom of the hill, Alexander looked to the south, where the sun was hanging in the sky, pushing towards its final descent into night fall. Their robes and hoods were thick, often keeping the dampness out for an entire day, but due to their 18 hour push forward, nonstop, Alexander could feel the wetness from the rains on his skin, lowering his body temperature and making the warm air seem a lot colder than it actually was.
" I think we should get changed and rest here for awhile. I'm wet as hell, and starting to get cold," Alexander stated, as Abraham bounded the last couple feet of the hill and stood next to him. " Sun's going down anyway and I'm going to fall asleep standing here."
" I could sleep for hours." Abraham stretched, yawned and plopped down on the moist ground, a spray of water splashing up from his landing place. " Let's eat some, first. We've both got 5 robes left, and we can wash and dry them in Talerdeen. We aren't going to find any cover, so let's just use a couple dry robes to lay on and a couple for a blanket."
" It sucks, but it'll have to work." Alexander dropped the pack in his hand and threw the one on his back down as well. He plopped down next to Abraham and dug through the food pack. He pulled out an apple and threw it on Abraham's lap and then pulled one out for himself and bit into it. He shivered slightly, the apple tasting like poison. ' Five days straight of this shit. It's killin' me,' he thought to himself as he took another bite, trying his best to imagine that it was a piece of chicken.
" I'm sorry about all this, Alexander. I shouldn't have gotten you involved, put you in danger." Abraham wrapped his arm around Alexander and held him for a moment.
" Danger? I- I never even thought about that. Do you think the Zalphera will come after us? That they'll hurt us?" Alexander sank into Abraham's grasp and pondered that question. The Zalpheranial wasn't a prison for the boys. They were free to come and go as they pleased, as long as no rules were broken.
" They'll come."
" Why? How will they even know what we're up to? How will they even find us?"
" They have ways. There are things that have been set in motion, and they know it. It's been foretold," Abraham replied. His voice was firm and unwavering and though Alexander still had his doubts about the story he was told, the voice told him that Abraham believed it all.
" I'm here willingly. Someone's got to protect you from yourself," Alexander said with a slight laugh as he looked up and lightly kissed Abraham.
" I know I've been weird. It's just, it's just you have no idea what I'm carrying, what I'm dealing with. Not that I would ever want you to. This is all so unbearable, and it's hard because I know I have no choice but to bear it. No matter what happens, no matter... what.... Just know that I fuckin' love you." Abraham reached his head back down and restarted the kiss that he had broken. Alexander's heart jumped in his chest as he realized that Abraham knew he was being a distant asshole.
' There's some hope after all,' Alexander chuckled to himself as he opened his mouth and let Abraham's tongue in. He raised his hand up and placed it on Abraham's face, which was slightly slick from the falling rains. Abraham massaged the inside of this mouth for a moment longer and pulled out, placing each hand on either side of Alexander's face.
" Do? Do you think it's time?" Abraham asked. There was more apprehension in his voice than Alexander had probably ever heard before. It was weird to hear trepidation come from someone who was usually so sure and commanding.
" We aren't supposed to give in to our tempta-," Alexander stopped in mid-sentence, realizing how stupid his protests were, in light of their current situation. If what the Taj had told Abraham was true, then the Old Laws meant nothing.
Still....
Abraham leaned in and started kissing Alexander again. Alexander opened his mouth, but instead of thrusting his tongue out, Abraham moved down and began pecking a trail on his neck. First the top. Then the middle. Abraham tried to move further down, but Alexander's collar kept him from his goal.
He looked into Alexander's eyes, looking for approval. Alexander nodded as he pushed all thoughts of Original Sin and the Zalphera out of his mind.
He wasn't sure if it was because of the sexual tension, or an actual belief in the Taj's story, but at that moment, the Old Ways were dead to Alexander.
Abraham lifted the robe up, off of Alexander's body, its thick material catching his blond hair and bringing it up over his head as he and the robe parted. The rain hitting his body made him shiver for a moment, but Abraham quickly solved that problem as he ripped his own robe off in quick fashion and laid on top of him. Clad in only their underwear, the boys' body heat kept them warm under the falling rain.
Alexander kissed Abraham intensely, opening his mouth and pushing his way into Abraham's. Inside his warm mouth, Alexander found safety and a contentment that he had never felt before- a sort of pleasure that only comes from knowing that you aren't born evil.
The stirring in Alexander's underwear caused them to feel tight around his body. As his penis grew to its full 7 inches, he could feel Abraham's hardening as well. As the boy attempted to grind into him, their soaked underwear caused a bit of friction, which was becoming uncomfortable.
Wanting- craving even- the teen's penis, Alexander reached down to free him from his shorts. ' For once, I'm going to take charge,' he thought to himself.
And then there was burning.
" Shit," Alexander yelped, as Abraham jumped off the boy in fear.
" What? What is it? Did you cum already? I mean, I mean it's cool if you did. I'm almost right there with ya."
The sun had almost completely set in the south, darkness nearly conquering the light. Abraham's kneeling silhouette was highlighted from the last wisps of rays reaching the field. Glowing from the center of his chest, directly above his pecs, was the blue crystal that the boy had always worn.
" Your crystal. I-I think it just burned me."
Author's Note: Please send any comments or critiques to me at jontlappin@gmail.com . I'd love to hear form you, even if it's just to bitch about how much you hate it!!