Stallion's Dusk
*** At long last, here is the follow up To 'Lover's Dawn' ... I didn't put them in a story series because the form this is written, each stands alone as a story in itself. Thank you to all who read the last one, and I hope you enjoy this as well***
All it took was a single phone call. One series of poorly digitized notes radiating from a pants pocket of a stallion marching down a city street. Of course, multitasking wasn't in this particular stallion's vocabulary. He had to stop, and tuck himself into a cozy little concrete alcove and draw his attention to the phone he began to draw from his pocket. It was just a phone call; Clevec could, as most furs would if they wrapped their tails around the notion that all it took was a phone call to change your world perspective. That's how it happened to Clevec before; be it good or bad news; he'd heard it all before; electric pulses turned into words, flowing out of the earpiece and into his head, mutating into devastation, into joy, into anything.
But it was Just a phone call. Clevec flipped his phone open and put his ear to the receiver.
"Hello?"
"It's about time I call you, brother!! How've ya been?"
"....Nathan...." Clevec hadn't spoken with his brother - nor had he seen him since the last phone call. The news he received last time; it was just too much for him, and he didn't want to be reminded of it again. All the memories came flooding back into him, and all he could do was swallow down the past to get through this call.
"Clev.... Look... I just wanted to see how everything's going... I miss talking to you - how have things been going at school?" Nathan rushed right into catching up, Clevec wasn't convinced by his half-assed speech but didn't feel like arguing against it.
"Things are going okay. I met someone."
"You... met someone. Well, that's great! How is everything between you two?"
"Nathan, just stop, okay? I don't think I can really chat with you right now."
"Clev, don't act like this. I was hoping, I was kind of thinking we could meet up. I'm in town; maybe you and I, and your someone could go out sometime? Please, Clev; look, I'm sorry, okay? I screwed up. I really did. Maybe we could go to this club. It's across the street from the Lion's Den restaurant. We could just hang out. It would be a lot of fun!"
Clevec paused. This wasn't something he usually, did, mind you. Clevec didn't pause, he didn't hesitate or give second thought or second glace. His colder veneer disallowed him to take a double take upon anything for any reason. Fur after fur he went through, and every time it was out the door; there was no look back. He didn't know why, and it was of the utmost importance he didn't think too much about it. He dared not delve into emotion. Why did he pause?
"All right. Tell you what. Tomorrow night, if things go well, I'll probably be meeting up with Marion again tomorrow. I'll give you a call and let you know." His response was already out of his mouth before he could stop. Nathan gave a resounding "sounds good!" and hung up. The deal was done.
He turned out of the alcove to make his way back down the street, and managed to bump directly into a shorter and slim Zebra, nearly knocking him down and scattering a series of papers in his hooves up into the air, and down the street. Clevec's reflexes were quick, however, and he shot his hooves out to catch the Zebra before he fell. The Zebra let out an exhilarated and adrenaline shot sigh as he was caught by Clevec, and as he looked up at the mare, three words escaped his lips and said more than one could say in many sentences.
"Hey--oh, oh my!!" he zebra's demeanor changed from angry to enticed in an instant when he found himself standing in front of quite the exotically good looking stallion.
"You okay?" Clevec relaxed his grip and let go, letting his stance presume to become expertly inviting to the Zebra. He couldn't doubt in any way that this one certainly peaked his interests in more than one way. What invited him more was the series of earrings in the Zebra's right ear, each a different color, perfectly arranged in a rainbow pattern.
"Heh, of course. It's okay; although I can't say the same for my lab report." The zebra looked woefully down the street for a brief minute before turning his interests to Clevec.
"Perhaps you could, say, make it up to me over dinner? Tonight?" A wide grin crossed the zebra's face.
"Sorry, I actually have plans tonight. Wish I could, though. Maybe some other time? Erm - I mean, hi, I'm Clevec. Nice to meet you."
"Kyranc; good to meet you Clevec, then hopefully, I'll see you around some time? You can usually find me over there; where I work." Kyranc pointed over to a prominent hang out location; the mall. Clevec despised ever entering any 'cluster fuck of stores' as he labeled it in his own mind, but made a note of the zebra working there.
"I have to get going. I'm really sorry about your papers." Clevec stepped himself aside and began to move down the street.
"We can forget the whole thing over dinner, you know!" Kyranc threw some words after Clevec as they parted their own separate ways, into the night. Clevec was late for his date. He was going to meet up with Marion, a red fox who he found to be way too cute to pass up a second date with. They were to meet in the club across the street from the local restaurant, the Lion's Den. Clevec hurried his way to the entrance of the club, naturally walking past the line of furs all augling him, right past the bouncer who had his back turned, and into the door.
A mass of crawling motions from the ocean of furry faces was in front of him, through the loud blast of trance beats and expectedly clichéd rave colors. Clevec made his way down to the floor and over to the bar, where he was to meet his Marion for the second time. He scanned over the crowd as he felt his heartbeat quickening, the nerve driving him for the excitement of all the potential the night had to offer. He pushed his way through the faceless furs, only focused on the cutest red fox he had ever seen hunched over his drink. He moved his way up behind Marion, and decided to greet him in his favorite manner; he places his hooves around and onto Marion's sides, and leaned his muzzle down to Marion's neck. This was how Clevec first greeted Marion - before even saying a word to him, it was in him to take hold of the fox he saw on the dance floor that one night, courageously plunging himself into asking the fox for a date. Remembering had a nostalgic excitement to it, albeit it was only a few evenings ago.
"Hey, cutie. What's a sexy fox like you doing in a place like this? It's dangerous with all of these horny boys wandering around."
Marion's instant response was a giggle as he relaxed his body back into the stallion's arms, craning his neck up.
"Why, you're absolutely right. Let's get out of here!" Marion's arms lifted up and wrapped around Clevec's neck, stroking his fur ever so delicately. Clevec could feel Marion's pawtips quiver, with what he could only take as nervousness; the last date had gone so well; both of them realized that pushing further than they went would be too fast on the first date. Both of them now realized this wasn't the first date any more.
Their arms were entwined as they pushed their way back through the crowd and back out onto the street. Marion wrapped his paws around Clevec's arm as they made their way down the road, their tails both swaying in unison, ironically and perhaps harmonious in its own way.
"So, where are we going to?" Marion nuzzled against Clevec's shoulder and murred as he asked, giving off a sense of complete comfort and happiness just being able to cling to the arm of someone - even if they didn't know each other too well; the words were never explicit. They acted around one another like they had been in each other's company for a very long time.
"Now that you're safe and away from all of those yiffy guys, let's just see where the night carries us."
Marion giggled, "Oh, I don't know. I mean, it's not all bad to be around at least one yiffy guy, is it?" With that, Marion's paw sank down and just above Clevec's waist line, letting his pawtips feel the edge of the stallion's jeans and the base of his tail.
Clevec snickered back, without missing a beat, "You're going to have to tell me. How is it so far?"
This was a game of ping pong, Marion thought, and he wouldn't have had it any other way. If it brought him closer to Clevec, that was what mattered to him, that was what was deeper on his mind, just being close to him.
"I'd most certainly have to say, things are looking up." Marion gestured toward Clevec's jeans; the denim was stretched to their limit against his firm length. As hastily inviting as it seemed, it did encourage Marion to sneak his pawtips into Clevec's jeans, managing to gently press his way down the stallions rear within the jeans.
It was at this point that Clevec's excitement alarm, already on full alert, had to kick in, and while there is no evidence that his thoughts were at this point connected to the words he spoke, he made for a strong argument:
"So, my place, then? We're actually quite close." The horse's masculinity was practically screaming at him at this point to have this fox, while his mind was fiendishly battling it with the will not to objectify this one.
Alas, it was too late, as the firepower south of the stallion's waist had been hugely improved from this point; the vulpine's paw upon his rear was nicely cupping, and squeezing a bit, encouraging the stallion to lead on and to the apartment. A series of expert fumbles down the street and up the stairs to the complex in unison landed them nicely at their destination. Clevec made his way through the door after opening it, all he had to do was step forward to tug Marion in, whose paw was nicely tucked under his pants. Marion kept it this way as Clevec gave him the grand tour, giggling as he was tugged along while Clevec introduced the kitchen/dining area, the main room, and of course, ending in the bedroom.
It was far from the neatest thing Marion had ever seen, and the queen sized bed took up a majority of the floor space. Clothes were strewn about, a shirt even hung off of the monitor to the computer screen nestled away in the corner. The screen saver's illumination was enough to see the majority; and Marion wasn't really focused on much aside from the bed. The sheets were a mess, entangling with the covers in nearly every corner, and the fox, as well as the horse, drew a nice metaphor from it of how they were to end up on this night.
Marion giggled, "It's a very nice place, or at least it would be if you weren't such a messy boy."
"Mhmm... well you seem to have caught me on a non-cleaning day...." Clevec was a bit embarrassed as he forgot about the shape his room was in, but was relieved it didn't deter Marion from keeping his paw down the stallion's pants. He lifted his tail up a bit and arched the fur of his tail tip against Marion's belly as he searched for a response.
The response was more than satisfactory, as Marion snaked his way around to face Clevec. "I believe we shall have to make a bit more of a mess..." Marion took his free pawtip and traced it down Clevec's chest, following the trail down the center of him, between his pectorals muscles and across his perfectly smooth stomach. Without a word, and only a murr, Marion began the careful gesture of unbuttoning the stallion's jeans. The button easily came loose with the leverage of the tight tent formed by Clevec's aching desire for the fox; it was easily followed with Clevec's kind touch to Marion's sides as he began to unzip him.
It was at this point in which Clevec recalled he decided to wear a thong today. As Marion's paws, both upon the front and the back of him, slid off the jeans, they exposed the tight triangle of green fabric stretched up across the equine length. Marion's jaw practically dropped at the sight, he let out a pant of excitement as his eyes drank in the image. Clevec pressed his hips upward a bit to tease the fox. Marion was magnetically drawn, almost, upon his knees. His muzzle gently dragged down Clevec's stomach to meet with his paws. He let his whiskers touch along the fabric of the stallion's thong first, and then, with sudden and forceful motion, he quickly leaned Clevec back onto the bed while his paw pulled the front of the thong down. His muzzle instantly followed his paw, at the base of Clevec's longing shaft, he took one sensuous lap up the length. Clevec leaned his head back and groaned with pleasure, his legs tensing in pleased response.
Marion's tongue moved, glided ever smoothly as he pressed into the equinehood; he felt the warmth against his tongue and was dying to taste more. As his paw parted Clevec's tensed leg to allow him better motion, his other kept the front of the thong stretched down just above the horse's sack, giving a pleasing fondling of Clevec's orbs through the thong. He made the equine's hips dance with pleasure as he took him in his muzzle, the lightning of bliss emanated from his desiring length out to all parts of him.
"Ooooohh...... ooohyessss....." Clevec's words were mixed with groans of pleasure, he could hardly speak through the pleasure; his body begged for more. He could have sworn that Marion could read his body perfectly, picking up in perfect tune to every motion he made. The fox removed his muzzle and licked his lips in pleasure. Marion's next words were a side of him Clevec never knew existed - so dominant the way he said them...
"We need to make you a little messier..." With that, Marion plucked off his shirt, up and over his head and flung it to the floor, before smoothly unzipping himself. Clevec looked on at the sight he had wanted, to see the erect knot naked along the fox fur - he wanted a touch of that now more than ever; but he could see Marion had something in mind.
The vulpine took the stallion's pants from him, and took off the thong to expose the naked stallion rear. Clevec had never been penetrated before, but his sensed rushed through him, his body seduced his mind into following suit in the want. He lifted his legs to Marion and let his behind become fully exposed, tailhole and all.
Marion wasted no moments as he quickly slipped on a lubricated protection over his own length and brought his knees up upon the bed. He didn't use his paw to guide himself against the stallion's desiring pucker, only his hips. The first contact of the fox knot to the equine tailstar made them both murr in unison, and together, as Clevec's hooves coaxed Marion's hips, Marion thrust into the tight pucker, stretching it as the lubricated knot slipped deep inside.
The stallion moaned out loudly at the first feeling of having someone inside of him, at first an uncertain feeling but as he relaxed felt an overwhelming pleasure from the fox thrusting inside of him. Cleve opened his eyes and looked up at Marion and let his eyes lock with the fox's. In that moment, it was as though time had stopped, and Marion had spoken from deep down within, telling and showing Clevec every intermittent thought of darkness, all the backroads and alleyways Marion had ever walked down; there was a deep sadness, a longing want to never be alone, and within it a fierceness that almost frightened him, but at the same time comforted him as he had never been comforted.
At some point as he was lost, he felt Marion's paws around the front of his thighs, approaching either side of his begging length. Marion's paws slid up the length, already dripping with pre, and Clevec felt the touch of rubber against the tip of his shaft, as Marion began to stretch a condom over him. With every thrust Marion made into the stallion, he stretched it a little further, the lubrication easily coaxing it onto the shaft. With this, Marion started to thrust his paw on the equine length, beginning to yip with his thrusts into the stallion's rear, becoming faster and deeper.
With the sudden rush, Clevec suddenly felt his pleasure climb as he lost himself in the mostion of the thrusts inside him. He released hard, filling against his shaft as Marion howled out and released inside of him. The overtake of bliss felt as if pawtips were rushing over the entirety of him, truly paradisical and momentous as he came.
In the afterglow, as Marion's thrusts subsided, he slipped the rubber off of Clevec and brought it to his muzzle with a giggle. He let the horse's seed seep down it and onto his tongue, letting him drink down the warm and thick cum with a moan at the taste of his scent.
It was as though the equine's seed was a natural tranquilizer; or perhaps it was the energetic mating that took place, but Marion collapsed on top of Clevec, slipping off his own protection lazily and tossing it away into a wastebasket. Both stayed in eachother's arms, and there were no words left to say, only the breathing of one another as they drifted into dreams.
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The morning was nearly too blissful for Clevec to take in all at once, and when they had to leave his apartment and start their day, the stallion could have torn his apartment in two out of frustration they had to leave one another. There, holding this fox, through their playful morning salutations and touches, he was finally happy.
It was of the cruel touch of the morning, however, that this dream had to be broken. As they made their way out of the apartment, Clevec realized he had forgotten his key, and went back to get it, leaving Marion outside. He quickly scooped it up off of the countertop, and hurried his way back to be with his fox, and the sight that greeted him was the shattering touch to his otherwise flawless morning.
A cheetah stood over him, as he was laying face up on the ground; the cheetah's leg was raised, looking ready to stomp on his fox. Clevec rushed at the cheetah with lightning speed and delivered a direct blow to his head, spinning him around. His anger took a hold in the rush of instants as he stepped into the cheetah. His glare was fixated, locking like a missile onto it's target as he stepped against the cheetah. The cheetah turned and fled, yelling out "Fags rot!" as he made his way down the street.
"So do bigots!" Clevec yelled back. He could feel the hate seethe from every breath he took afterward; filling him up, consuming him entirely. He turned to his Marion, helping him to his footpaws.
"Are you okay, sweetie?" Clevec asked.
"I'll be okay, babe... so, I'll see you again tonight?" Marion got up with a spring to his footpaws.
"Did you want to go out to dinner before a club?" Clevec could only wish that he didn't have to leave Marion's side. Still, at the back of his mind, tearing at him, was the bigot that ran down the street; he was just so sick of having to put up with it, and the phone call he had gotten last night didn't help in the least.
"I can't... I... I'm sorry... told Wilder I'd have dinner with him tonight. Can I meet you at the club afterward? Say around 9?" Clevec could hear remorse in Marion's words as he spoke.
"Sounds Terrific. I'll see you then." Clevec lovingly replied before they embraced one last time. As they broke the kiss, Clevec watched as his fox went down the street, of to his school work. He wanted more than anything to follow, to be with the fox that had swept him off of his feet. He had something else on his mind, however. He turned and walked after the direction the cheetah ran, hoping to successfully pursue him, and successfully feed his anger.
He managed to catch up to the cheetah, staying a good distance from him as he weaved his way in between the furs walking along the streets, watching him slither up the streets. He watched as the cheetah made his way across the street and into the back door of the Lion's Den, the prominent local restaurant. Clevec could only presume for food, but nonetheless he ran into the lobby to check.
It took a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the dim set inside of the building. He looked around, and to his dismay no cheetah was in sight.
"Can I help you, sir?" The hostess, a short and slim orange tabby cat, greeted him kindly, standardly, as she stood behind her table, waiting for Clevec's response. Clevec suddenly realized an opportunity before him.
"I was meeting someone here- he was a cheetah, about 6 feet tall--"
"Oh, you mean Artisan. He actually just ran through here; he doesn't get on his shift until around 7 tonight, though." This wasn't the response Clevec was looking for, but certainly perfect for him.
"Alright, thanks. See you around." Clevec turned and went out the door, letting the blinding sunlight sting his eyes as he stepped out of the building.
"Clev?" A voice to his right. He didn't have to look to know who it was.
"hey Nathan..." Clevec turned to his brother, who was even bigger and more built than he was, which was quite the impressive feat to be said.
"... what are you doing here? Come to fuck with me for being gay again?" Every word from the stallion's mouth was sharp.
"Okay, I deserved that." Nathan looked down at his hooves in shame; the remorse emanated from him like a beacon of light; it almost made passers by want to forgive him.
"You're goddamn right you did. Leave me alone." Clevec turned and walked opposite of Nathan. 'How could he just show up in my face?' Clevec thought. He didn't understand why, out of all the times, after the perfection of the morning, this had to happen. Why was it that now that he had forgotten his old wound, the one running deeper into him than any other, it had to be prodded at once again.
Nathan ran after Clevec, grabbing his arm, "Clev. I can't ask you to forgive me for what I did. It was wrong; it was horrible and there is no excuse to have done that to you. But I really do need to talk to you; you're the only one I can talk to because I feel like you're the only one that can understand. Please, Clev. I'm just asking for a few minutes to talk to my brother."
With that, Clevec scoffed and turned, dropping himself onto a bench surrounded by a small patch of grass. "Fine... get on with it."
Nathan took care in sitting down, as if he was afraid of it.
"There really isn't any way to dress this up so I'm just going to say it. Clev, I have ASV." He almost choked out the words.
"This another joke? You have the 'fag disease', Nathan? Is that it?" Clevec didn't look at Nathan when he spoke, but when he did as he was finishing his sentence, it struck him hard. He saw the pain and fear in Nathan's eyes all at once. It was an epiphany, like Clevec suddenly understood every poem he ever read about pain on a whole new level, and it took his breath from him.
"Y.... you're serious...." Clevec fumbled his words out. He wasn't sure why, but it suddenly got very difficult to breathe, and he nearly hyperventilated out his next sentences.
"You just told me.... You just.... You... how... that means you're..."
"...yeah.... I am... maybe you can understand why I couldn't tell mom. The way she reacted when you told her.... I was just too scared..."
"You have to tell mom, Nathan... you're going to.... You don't have much time--" Clevec couldn't deal with this. Not now, not this, this was too much, this was too big. Tears started to fall form his face as he got up from the bench .
"I--I have to go." Clevec sobbed out. He hurried down the street, unable to look back, making his way back home, trying not to think about it. He needed an escape, some way out of all of this. The trip home was short, blurred over by tears streaming from his eyes and shocked looks from everyone he passed. He collapsed right into bed as he stumbled into his apartment and let all terrible thoughts once again crawl over him while he took a few hours to close his eyes and escapes into his dreams.
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When Clevec woke up, he brought up his cell phone and glanced in a haze at the time. It was already 6:30. On top of that, he had three missed calls from Nathan, and a voice mail. Instantly almost, he deleted them without listening to them He didn't want to know, he didn't want to be a part of it, he wanted nothing to do with it.
He hoisted himself upright, and somewhere in the maze of errant thoughts in his mind, the one emerged that he still had to deal with the cheetah; now, more than ever seemed the perfect time to handle it. Clevec made his way back out of his home and outside, into the dusk. He made his way through the streets to the Lion's Den once more, hurrying around near the back door, out of sight of the cars passing by and the furs walking down the street.
There he waited - waited for the cheetah to come. Although only 10 minutes may have passed, to Clevec, it seemed so long that the walls started to have conversations with him to ease his boredom.
Then he heard it. The sound of footsteps coming his way. Clevec ducked behind a dumpster, just poking his head out to ensure it truly was the cheetah and not some soon to be unfortunate fur. The flicking spotted tail confirmed it, and the stallion readied himself. As soon as the footpaw stepped into sight around the dumpster, Clevec lunged with full force at the cheetah and drove him hard into the wall. He doubled over with an "Uuuhhh!!" Clevec wasted no time with delivering a kick to the Cheetah's gut right away, hitting hard and forcing the cat to coil up.
"Like beating on fags?" Clevec asked as he delivered another kick to the cat, this time against his head, causing him to spit blood. He was instantly stopped when the cheetah started laughing through his coughing.
"What's so funny?" Clevec spat.
"Feels good, doesn't it? Delivering justice to the ones that deserve it? I know you sure as shit do." The cheetah looked up at Clevec, nothing but hate and anger in his eyes. The caused Clevec's rage to stire, and he kicked to the gut once again before asking
"Why the hell would I deserve it, you prick?"
"It's because of furs like you that my family was ruined. My dad died of ASV, getting it from one of you. All of you deserve to rot. I don't care how many of you I get to take down; it feels better and better every time I hit one of you."
"So what - exacting revenge is going to set things right?"
With that, the cat turned his battered head up to lock eyes with Clevec.
"You certainly seem to think so, don't you? We're not all that different." These words sent Clevec into further anger, and with another kick to the head, he put the cat's lights out. He quickly looked up and down the alley, then picked up the cheetah and threw him in the dumpster for the duration of his nap. With that, he hurriedly opened the back door and scurried his way through the restaurant.
As he made his way out the front, he could hear the chatter, some half focused on himself, some otherwise. He caught the hostess' conversation on the phone for a brief minute.
"Ince? It's Sadya from the Lion's Den. Can you come in to work tonight? Artisan never showed up for his shift."
Clevec's head spun. He didn't feel like he had deserved Marion any more. He couldn't meet with him tonight. He needed time to figure everything out. He walked through the streets. He couldn't be certain how far and how long he had walked through the streets, because time wasn't of any importance to him any more. When he did look at his phone, he came to the realization that it was 9, and he had no idea where exactly he was, and furthermore he was to meet Marion at the club. He hurriedly dialed up Marion, not fully sure how he was going to say he couldn't make it. There was no answer, though, and he was sent straight to the voice mail, to which his message became:
"Hey sweetie, it's me. I; I'm so sorry, I can't make it tonight. Something came up, and I won't be able to be there. I'm really sorry this had to happen. I really want to see you; please call me as soon as you get the chance."
He felt sick; he had to find his way back, at least to get to the club. He didn't know what he was doing, why he had abandoned the one person he wanted to be with. He made his way around the city, trying to find his way back to the club.
It took some time before he did, and when he did it was much later than 9.
He hurried up to the club's entrance and got the bouncer's attention right away.
"Hey - have you seen a fox?" Clevec asked in worry. The bounder gave him a blank look.
"A fox. No. What's a fox? Never seen one of those around here..." The bouncer was unamused.
"He was a smaller fox - had a little chip out of his left ear." Clevec was confused as he watched the bouncer's expression suddenly fade to dismay.
"oh.... An ambulance just carried him off to blessed heart..."
Clevec felt tears coming to his eyes again. What happened? Did someone hurt him? Terror and fear all at once fed into him; he had to see Marion, no matter what. He had to know Marion was okay.
He raced down the street, knocking one or two furs over in the process of his rush to the hospital. When he got there, he practically ran into the desk, leaning into it and begging the location of Marion from the local nurse. She pointed him down the hall. He hurried his way down the hall, and into the room. The sight was all too sobering for him to behold.
Marion way laying in the hospital bed with an IV in his arm. His head was turned away toward the window, looking out into the night. When he heard Clevec come in, he turned and looked at Clevec, who by now, was already crying as he rushed to Marion's side and threw his arms around Marion.
"Oh sweetie, what happened? Are you okay? Oh love, I couldn't bear to lose you... please tell me you're okay." Clevec sobbed his words out as he held tightly to Marion. Marion nuzzled him softly.
"Please don't cry, dear. I'm okay, I just blacked out... Clevec, there's something I need to tell you... I..." Marion looked up into Clevec's eyes. In that, it was the same moment. Just as Clevec had seen all within Marion, it had been returned. Marion caught his words; and carefully changed them.
"I have to go home - I can't stay at the college any more... I'm sorry. I don't know when I'll be back. But I promise; I'll come back." Marion began to cry himself, finding it hard to get his words through.
"Babe... I'm so tired... can you please come tomorrow, before I get out? Please, babe..." Marion touched his paw to Clevec's cheek and kissed him. Clevec nodded through his sobs, whispering "I love you... " before he turned and left.
It wasn't but a minute or so after Clevec had turned and gone, that Wilder walked into the room, noticing Clevec had been there, with a bunny hanging off of his arm.
"Did you tell him... about... about what you caught from the stranger...?" Wilder spoke softly; the words barely carried to Marion's ears.
"No, I couldn't tell him... I was, but when I looked into his eyes, I saw something in there. The way he looked at me, Wilder. He was just so happy to see me. I couldn't break that."
At those words, Marion felt the exhaustion again build upon him, and he closed his eyes to sleep, as he caught a last glimpse of Wilder nodding in acknowledgement and leaving with his companion for Marion to rest...