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Chapter 9 Respite

Liam and Maverick stared into the flames for what felt like forever as they lay against one another, the hearth's warmth still radiating over their small forms. Liam could feel sleep tickling his eyes as his exhaustion slowly caught up to him. After feeling that phantom tug to what remained of his vigor; the younger fox's heavy eyes looked over to the bed, giving it a passing thought before his body gave him a further urge. He stifled a yawn, before it overpowered him and his maw opened up, quickly covered by his small, chestnut-colored paw. Despite the temptation of the satin bed sheets alluring him with their soft embrace, calling for him, his instincts told him that now was not the time, that he must resist.

The bath, however, seemed to have learned his name as well, calling to him to inform him that he couldn't meet the bed until his unkempt condition had been remedied. Truth be told, he knew he was a mess; dirt, dust, debris, and smoke clung to his fur. Looking over Mavy, he knew it was the same for him. Taking a bath would be priority, and yet; that anxiety of returning to the way they met, with Liam exposed, played at his thoughts. This would be the first time he'd be doing so of his own volition, rather than by magical malady. This time it wouldn't just be him alone in his bare fur, this time he'd be on a level playing field with his new friend. Somehow, instead of instilling a sense of calm, it only ramped his anxiety.

"Hey, Mavy. We're uh... Kinda messy and all. Maybe we should... t-take a bath before the fire goes out?" It was hard even making eye contact after saying something like that, knowing what the answer would obviously entail. The very thoughts of what was to come next even began to paint the fur on his face a tinge of red as his mind wandered.

"Mm? Oh! Uh, yeah... Heh. I don't wanna get your bed covered in dirt, after all." The nervousness was almost contagious. Maverick found himself rubbing the back of his head with a bit of a wry smile, and a chuckle to match, his own vision looking, at first at Liam, then to the floor.

Liam only acknowledged with a soft smile as he got up to draw the bath. Mavy followed the younger fox and stepped to the side of the bath room to undress. As the water started to fill the stone pool both boys hesitated, however Maverick was the first to begin as he unzipped his vestments. Liam disrobed his own vest soon after, which was open and always showing his bare chest anyway so having this part of him revealed was of little issue to him. The boys fiddled with the straps holding their lower garments up and let them drop at the same time, neither really looking at each other as they stripped but each peeking only slightly whenever the other was turned.

Liam hadn't seen the older boy naked yet, though the same was quite the opposite for the Maverick. Come to think of it, Liam realized, he hadn't seen any other person in the nude before. At least that he could remember. Liam looked over Maverick curiously from the corner of his eye. A soft flutter grew in inside him, settling in the pit of his stomach. The little fox bit his lip and tried to focus his attention back to himself. He swallowed nervously as he untied his undergarments from his waist and let the fabric slip down his legs to the wooden floor. He rubbed his arms, a soft chill coming over the boy despite not actually being cold.

Liam finally turned to Maverick, his paws instinctively crossed over his exposed nethers. Maverick however kept nothing hidden as he turned to Liam, his bare fur exposed to the open air as he stretched his body as it was finally freed from its captivity. He blinked a bit as he noticed the younger fox seemed to be discreetly staring at him.

"Heh, I think the bath's ready~" Maverick pointed out seeing the steam emanating from the doorway.

"A-ah! R-right!"

Liam quickly turned the water off as it almost filled past the point where the two would cause the water to spill out of the basin. They gathered their belongings and set them on the bed. They stood there a moment, both hesitant to step in. Finally, Liam made the first move as he uncovered his crotch and stepped down into the hot water of the pool-like bath. The small fox tensed up a bit from the heat, but started to relax as the water soaked into his fur and heated his body thoroughly. Maverick smiled and stepped in only after he saw Liam get settled, he didn't want the small fox to be uncomfortable seeing as it was obviously a new experience for him.

"Wow... Fancy bath for an inn room. It looks like a hot spring in here!" Mavy exclaimed as he looked around the lush interior. "She musta given you the best room in the whole place!"

"Y-yeah, I guess so... hehe~" Liam chuckled, nervous as Mavy stepped into the bath opposite him.

The two sat silent in the water for a while, simply taking in the relaxing warmth as their bodies soaked. Maverick stretched his legs out as he sunk down lower under the surface, with Liam subconsciously doing the same soon after. They both twitched in surprise as their legs brushed against each other. They looked at each other blank faced, until they couldn't help but let out shy chuckles and relax once more. This time letting their legs crossed over each other and came to rest under the water. The water was motionless around them, a deafening silence surrounding the nervous boys. Maverick finally decided to break the tension, if just to help calm the younger kit's nerves.

"So, uh... I never asked before. What brought you to Ellenvale?" The silver furred preteen asked as he started to scrub his fingers through his fur.

"Mm? Oh. H-heh, it's kind of a long story... Mom used to take me here whenever we needed to get food and stuff, so I just kinda decided to start here first." Liam explained.

"Used to?" Mavy noted the past tense in his sentence. "Where is your mom anyway?"

Liam was silent. He looked down into the water and Maverick could feel the story behind the silence as the sullen little kit's ears drooped down.

"Ah! S-sorry... I didn't mean to bring up bad memories... I didn't really ask before seeing you had a Catalyst. I thought you were just a really young adventurer like most of the other kids."

"The 'other kids'? You mean there are other kids that just go out on their own without parents?"

"Huh? Yeah. I'm surprised you don't know. Other cubs aren't that hard to find just wandering on their own. Kids that have catalysts often leave home to become mages or adventurers. Though most of the time that's only when they turn ten years old and have enough practice to take care of themselves on their own." Maverick explained.

"Oh... I thought all kids just stayed with their parents all the time."

"Well, only the ones that aren't lucky enough to have Catalysts or practice with weapons. I dunno how much you know about them, but Catalysts aren't very common. So most kids hafta learn to fight with just swords and stuff or stay at home."

Liam went quiet again, as if wrapping his mind around the realization of the freedom cubs had that he never knew of. Why hadn't his parents said anything to him about this? Though it wasn't like it mattered now. Here he was, out on his own... His attention snapped back to his friend as his felt Mavy's leg rub against his own, as if trying to comfort him. Maverick was smiling, and Liam could feel the frustrations clouding his mind fade once more. Liam smiled back, a soft blush forming along his face.

"Hey, turn around for me Liam?" Maverick asked.

Liam's ears perked at the request. However, he did as he was asked; turning himself to face away from his friend to sit upright in the middle of the bath. For a moment, there was nothing as he sat there in suspense before suddenly, he felt the boy's legs move around either side of him followed by his hands move to his back. Liam tensed up a bit and looked back over his shoulder. Maverick grinned and rubbed his paws up and down the smaller fox's back to gently but firmly wash him.

He opened his mouth to protest at first, but decided to stay silent as he let Maverick's paws scrub and knead his tense young muscles. He closed his eyes and tried to relax his senses. The feeling of his friend's paws washing him made the fluttering in his stomach intensify. Up, then down. Up again, and over his shoulders. His fingers lightly grazing through his fur and tickling along his skin. Liam could hardly notice that he began to purr under the attention. Maverick quietly giggled and took the opportunity to scoot closer to the boy. He inched forward until his chest rested against Liam's back. Mavy took a chance as he slid his paws down past the kit's shoulders and forward across his front. He felt Liam start to tense again, but he continued slowly. Finally, his paws came to rest; his paw over the boy's chest and the other over his belly in a gentle embrace.

Liam sat there as Maverick hugged him from behind, the butterflies inside more intense than ever as he was taken into the full-body embrace. Maverick could feel Liam's heart beating rapidly under his paw, as well as how the little vulpine's chest rose and fell with every breath. Liam's breath wavered as he felt them recline back against the incline of the stone. The water rose to their necks, submerging their bodies. The older boy's paws began to move again, but they didn't wander far as they gently kneaded the younger kit's fur.

Liam shivered despite the warmth of the water surrounding them. It was a strange sensation to feel unfamiliar paws washing him. He breathed deeply as he lay in the boy's grip, his eyes closed as he thought back to familiar memories. He remembered how his mother used to wash him when he was younger, back when he could barely speak. The memories were fuzzy, but he could remember how much he loved being bathed by his mother and how much fun it always was before his parents decided he was old enough to bathe on his own. It was a feeling the kit hadn't felt in a long while, and Liam did not realize just how much he had missed it. He relaxed back into Maverick's chest, his purring becoming loud enough for the older boy to hear. Maverick snickered quietly hearing Liam's soft purring.

Deciding to be the slightest bit mischievous as he snuck a paw down Liam's chest and moved it down to his waist. With just a single finger; he suddenly began to softly tickle near his waist, making his young friend giggle and shift his hips away from the attacking digit. Mavy's other paw reacted quickly, both now tickling at Liam's sides in conjunction and eliciting more laughter from the kit! Liam wiggled about helplessly as the fingers assaulted his lower body. However, the tickling wasn't unbearable. In fact, it was gentle and playful. Then all at once, the tickling mercifully stopped.

Liam fought back the last remnants of his giggle fit and caught his breath. He looked over his shoulder at his friend just as he felt those arms come around him again. The boys looked at each other for just a moment before they both began to laugh. Liam grinned, now with his own playful smile across his face. He shook his head, abruptly sending water flying from his hair and ears to splash the older boy's face.

"Ah! H-hey~!" Maverick laughed, retaliating with his own little splash from around Liam's front.

"Eep!" Liam squeaked, laughing more hysterically as he shook off the water from his face. The splash took him by surprise but the little mage wasn't defeated so easily. He splashed his friend back, shifting out of Maverick's grip and twisting to face his adversary.

In mere moments, the once tranquil bath became a miniature tsunami as water sprayed over the rocks from the boys' sudden splash war. The room was filled with the sounds of the children's laughter and squeals of delight. The entire inn room would have been soaked if it had not been for the protective walls surrounding the bathing area. One would say more water went into the secondary drains around the walls than down the main drain in the basin itself. Soon enough, the kits tired of the game. Liam and Mavy laid against each other, their laughter lost between tired breaths. It was then that Liam surprised Maverick.

Mavy looked down in surprise at Liam, feeling a soft blush come across his face as he stared down at the little fox hugging against his chest. He could hear Liam purring rather loudly with his head against his chest. In fact, he could feel the boy's happy purrs vibrating against his bare chest, and Mavy could only smile. He brought his arms around the boy once more, holding Liam in return. The two kits lay against one another in the shallow water, neither plagued by the anxiety and embarrassment they once carried. Liam couldn't explain why, but even though they were both naked as the day they were born, a subject that both boys had thought heavily embarrassing not minutes ago; he felt comfortable with it all as if it no longer mattered. The small fox nestled into his friend's chest and felt the older boy's heartbeat in his ear. And for that one moment deep inside his heart, Liam wished that feeling would last forever.

However, the moment was short lived as the pair started to realize what little water that was left in the small pool was becoming cold. The boys finally sat up and stepped out of the tub, with Liam getting a helping paw from Maverick. They dried their fur off as best as they could and sat by the remains of the fireplace wrapped in their towels to air dry. Soon enough their fur was adequately dried enough at least so sleeping wouldn't make a mess. They made their way to the bed and left their towels by the washroom, gathering up their clothes. However just as Liam began to slip the his undergarments up his thin legs, he glanced over at his friend.

Maverick was only just beginning to dress himself as well, before he felt the bed shift as Liam crawled into bed. His ears perked and he turned to the boy, wondering how he had gotten dressed so fast. However, he soon noticed the kit's clothes still bunched up on the floor including his undergarments, and felt his cheeks flush. Liam turned over just enough to peek over his shoulder, his head half hidden by the blanket.

"I-is this okay?" Liam asked quietly, a hint of the boy's shyness returning in his timid voice as if questioning the morality of sleeping with another boy. Let alone in just his bare fur.

Maverick blinked a few times in surprise, and then couldn't help but giggle at the boy's question. He let his own clothes fall back to the ground in a bunch before climbing under the covers to join his friend. He nestled up to Liam's back much like he had in the bath, hooking a leg gently over Liam's own.

"Hehe... Of course it is." Maverick whispered in Liam's ear as he nuzzled down into the boy's soft brown hair. He moved his arm to Liam's front and gently let it rest on the boy's belly, which elicited a soft tremble from him before relaxing as the paw slowly stroked up and down. Maverick couldn't help but admire the feel of Liam's fur under his fingertips, young and downy like silk that seemed to glide along his fingertips.

Mavy's paw caressed the boy's belly and chest for a time, gently petting along Liam's naked young body. It wasn't long before he could hear the soft and relaxed breathing coming from the younger kit that could only mean he had finally drifted off to sleep. Maverick smiled, giving the boy a gentle squeeze. His grip loosened and he let his paw begin to caress that soft belly once more. However, his paw wandered idly lower with each gentle pass, his fingers trailing down the curvature of Liam's sleeping form.

His paw stopped just as his fingers lightly brushed against the boy's groin. He breathed in a deep shaky breath as he could feel the base of his young friend's flaccid boyhood at the tips of his fingers. His paw trembled for a moment, but soon came to rest against the boy's pubic mound. He inched his hips forward, something he had wanted to hide at least until Liam had fallen asleep. He snuggled into a full-bodied embrace, biting his lip as he felt his own stiffened length rested against Liam's nude rear. He closed his eyes and tried to relax and let his exhaustion take him to sleep as well.

"You really are something else, little guy..." Maverick whispered under his breath against Liam's hair, sleep slowly taking him to join his friend in the land of dreams.

---

"Daniel, come sit down." A gruff voice commanded the young knight. Daniel stepped in the door nervously. The young fox-rabbit took a seat on the opposite side of the large wooden desk as he was ordered while trying to keep a brave face.

"Y-you wanted to speak to me, sir? About the events from tonight I'm guessing...?" Sir Robin meekly asked, unaware of the true reason why he had been called upon.

"Yes, however... There are much more important matters that we need to discuss, my son."