Chapter 16

Caled's fingers on his face tingled. Made the hairs stand on end from ear tips to toes. But not in fear. Not in revulsion.

When Caled pulled him down, hands lacing through Dharsha's hair, when his lips grazed Dharsha's jaw, and moved to his mouth, it was a singularly overwhelming experience. A tender closeness that he had never experienced. Kissing on the mouth was not an affection that neko's practiced and certainly the woodsmen had never initiated any such contact. The lady even, though encouraging his use of tongue and lips upon her body, had never deigned to press her mouth against his.

It was nice, he thought, the warmth of Caled's soft lips, the strange feeling of his moist tongue intruding Dharsha's mouth. A weakness wormed through him, insidious and irresistible and when Caled pulled him down, onto the bed, it was as if the strength had melted from his limbs.

For a moment, as Caled rolled on top of him, the weight of his body pressing Dharsha into the thin mattress, panic welled. Things flashing through his mind- - horrible things - - of so many times in the recent past that he had been trapped under the weight of a man with no recourse but to submit. Pain and degradation and rough faces leering down.

He shuddered, body stiffening, and Caled froze lifting himself up, bracing his body with his elbows as he looked down, concern and question in his fine blue eyes. Caled wasn't one of them. Caled was Caled. Unique and cherished and clan. A new clan, a tiny exclusive one that consisted of a neko a human, a dog and a pair of horses. A pitiful clan, but a clan nonetheless in Dharsha's mind. There was nothing to fear from clan, because clan protected one another.

He weeded his fingers into Caled's hair before he could pull away, and drew him back down for more of the very interesting mouth-to-mouth kissing. And Caled, being male and excited, if the feel of his swollen cock pressed against the inside of Dharsha's thigh was any indication, forgot easily enough fleeting concerns.

Caled reached down between them and did another thing, the woodsmen had never seen fit to do, kneaded Dharsha's own stiffening erection through the buckskin breeches. Dharsha gasped into his mouth, arching upwards at the touch, a pleasure so sharp it bordered on pain - -a wonderful pain - - lancing through him.

Then Caled's hands withdrew, and the loss was devastating. But Caled was working at the lacings of Dharsha's clothing, and it occurred to Dharsha that he ought to help precipitate the removal of it. He wriggled out of his shirt, without removing himself from beneath Caled's weight, but the pants proved more difficult and Caled rolled to his side with a grunt, and helped Dharsha strip the trousers off. Caled had seen Dharsha unclothed before, but perhaps never engorged, or in the full flush of health, for he stared, fingers grazing the smooth, unbroken line of Dharsha's cock. Thumb grazing the moist red tip that peeked out from beneath velvety sheath. Dharsha made a sound in his throat, a moan or a growl, hard to tell which. Hard to tell what he was feeling, the fervor so strong upon him.

Still, he hesitated reaching for Caled's trousers, not so daring, though he knew many, many ways of pleasuring a man and for once ached to share them with a partner of his choosing. Caled was not so diffident, loosening the lacings of his own trousers until his swollen, pink cock sprang forth. He was cut, like the woodsmen had been, the head round and shiny and flushed. A thatch of curly auburn hair surrounded the base, tapering off to a thin line that ended at his navel. A fine, clean appendage, compared to those he was used to servicing - - a shudder ran through him that notion - - a terrible, uncontrollable flash of too many horrible things. Things he feared might stay with him forever.

He felt the blood draining from his cock, sucked away by the ghost of the woodsmen. Caled's hand touched his chest, just below his heaving ribcage, palm flat and warm and soft on his skin. A calming touch, a reassuring one.

"I understand." Low voice, placid tone despite the still very present erection between Caled's legs. The tip of it grazed Dharsha's thigh.

"I want - - I can't - - get them out of my head," Dharsha sobbed, ears flattening to his skull in distress. He pressed against Caled, like he'd press into the sheltering embrace of another neko, sharing warmth, sharing scent, sharing life. Caled shivered once, his hardness trapped between them, his bruised ribs likely protesting Dharsha's arms wrapped about them. He made no complaint, simply lay there, fingers stroking Dharsha's hair, tracing the edges of his ears until they trembled and rose, enticed up by the pleasant touch.

"Sorry. Sorry." Dharsha moaned against Caled's neck and Caled half laughed, an interesting vibration that Dharsha felt pressed so close to his chest. The thickness against Dharsha's thigh was receding.

"I've had ruder interruptions by far . . ." Caled began, then stopped, when Dharsha trembled the more from shame. "No apologies," he said then, voice serious. "This is not of your making. The blame lies elsewhere.

Dharsha felt a little twang of revulsion thinking of it, as he always did, but it was tinged with heat this time, with anger that they could affect him even with time and distance between them. He closed his eyes and inhaled. Caled's scent. Just Caled's scent here, clean and masculine and comforting. Caled's skin against him, Caled's hands that were warm like flame against his pelt.

Caled's erection was still a solid thing against his thigh, scalding were it pressed against his own softened cock and sack. He focused on that, on that primal sensation, like a hunter focusing on prey, tunnel vision, shifting his hips so that they rubbed together. Dharsha swiped the underside of Caled's jaw with his tongue. Caled groaned, fingers tightening. Dharsha moved again, sliding their erections together, his own stiffening with renewed interest.

"Yes?" Caled breathed and Dharsha answered by ducking his head and licking the hollow at the base of Caled's neck.

Caled reached between them, capturing both their cocks in a hand, grasping them firmly, a singular sensation to be sure. An intimate one. More than Dharsha could handle, body deprived of honest release for so very long. Barely a half dozen strokes and he spilled, slickening Caled's grip, soiling both their bellies. Overwhelming relief of a pressure he hadn't realized had built. It drained him. Caled didn't release him, his strokes milking more than Dharsha thought possible from his spasming cock. When he was depleted and soft and slipping from Caled's grip, Caled finished himself off with a series of rapid, jerks, creamy liquid spilling over the top of his hand as he circled the head of his cock.

They lay afterwards on their backs, shoulders touching, simply breathing as they recovered. It had been sloppy and awkward, but Dharsha felt - - good. No shame. No pain. Just a spreading warmth that made him show his teeth in a grin that hadn't touched his face since - - since home.

"I suppose," Caled finally stirred, lifting a hand from his chest. It was sticky with combined bodily fluids. "That washing up is in order. Another half hour here can't make much difference."

Dharsha sprang up, full of a surprising amount of energy. He had mastered the working of the water while Caled was gone in the city. Caled pushed himself up more gingerly, wincing at the motion, one hand going to the back of his head as he sat on the edge of the bed, watching Dharsha wryly as he drew water.

Dharsha held a hand under the flow, testing the warmth, a task to occupy himself, when he could not think of words to fill the space. Were words needed after such a satisfying act? He knew not the niceties involved, never having engaged in sex with a partner of his own choosing. He was ashamed to admit how little he knew even of neko sexual practices. It had never been a subject brought up between himself and his mother and sisters and aunts while he'd dwelled within the female's domain. He supposed it was a thing a male learned on his own. Instinct.

Caled walked over, moving stiffly, sorer now, perhaps than he'd been when he'd staggered in fresh from abuse. Dharsha held out the wet cloth, an offer more meaningful than useless words. Caled met his eyes, stare speculative, always thinking, things always going on behind those blue eyes that Dharsha could not fathom. He let out his breath, a half smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, a slight motion of his head, and proceeded to wipe down chest and belly where their combined leavings glistened. A fine, lean body, even if his skin were practically hairless. It had felt nice under Dharsha's fingers, the way Caled's muscles twitched beneath thin skin. Fragile skin, easy to bruise and break. Such skin would never have survived the attentions of the woodsmen, without telling scars. Other than the internal ones, Dharsha had none to show for his time under the woodsmen's care.

He shivered and took another cloth and cleansed himself, rougher perhaps than need be, to wash away the unpleasant memory.

"We should make haste. I've tested fate's good will long enough, simply being here," Caled said.

"You have enemies here?" Dharsha asked. An obvious question, since Caled bore marks upon his body of the encounter of just such. But Caled did not tend to share if not pressed, and Dharsha felt bold enough at the moment, to do just that.

Caled dried himself with a towel and shrugged. "My youth was misspent. The consequences still haunt me."

It was not a proper answer and Dharsha felt a prick of frustration. He pushed it back. He had no right to Caled's secrets. They dressed and gathered their packs, and went out into the waning darkness of predawn. The streets were eerily quiet in this twilight hour, the silence of a city distinctly different than that of a night drenched forest. The stable where they'd housed the horses was dark, but before they'd even reached the doors, the dog whined from within.

She greeted them with soft, snuffling dog sounds as they moved past the stable boy nestled in his makeshift bed of straw. Dharsha untied her from the lead that kept her near the horses, while Caled gathered tack. He was as quiet and efficient in his movements as any neko hunter, and they led the animals outside without the snoring stable hand ever shifting in his sleep.

Without the bulky packs full of furs, the packhorse made a fine mount for Dharsha. He swung up without the need for stirrups, and followed Caled down the darkened street towards the city gates.

The gates were closed, but illuminated by torches in the darkness. A guard sat drowsing on a stool by the wall, and another, atop the walls, looked down with lazy eyes. There was no suspicion in them, no taut wariness as if they'd been expecting trouble. Caled's worries were for naught, it seemed and Dharsha breathed easier.

"Early to be leaving," The guard atop the wall called down.

Caled looked up placidly and shrugged. "Traps set before dawn, bring more game come morning."

It seemed a reasonable excuse to the guard, for he yelled down to his sleeping compatriot. The man woke with a grunt and peered sourly at the travelers waiting to leave the city.

"Damned trappers," he muttered and rose, ambling to the smaller door in the big gate, lifting the bar and swinging it open. It was just big enough for a man to lead a horse single file. They dismounted and did so, the dog slipping through between.

Then they were out, the massive darkness of mountains looming beyond the foothills within which the city nestled. The dirt road leading towards higher ground was smooth, so they kicked their horses into a canter heading towards distant trees, putting Caled's enemies behind them.

It was only later, once true dawn began to cast light upon the stone of the city wall, that the gates opened once more, both great panels swinging wide to emit a great number of horsemen. They were armed with weapon and purpose, and urged their mounts to a fast pace in pursuit.