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You'll remember me when the west wind moves Upon the fields of barley You'll forget the sun in his jealous sky As we walk in fields of gold

"Come on mate, not much further."

"You said that two paddocks ago Danny boy."

"And this time I really mean it."

My beautiful dingo grinned, and I stood to look at him a moment. I couldn't help it, I had to grin back, even though he had been playing me along. I never could stay angry at him.

"Fine...fine...as long as there aren't any sheep involved."

"Nah, your fleecy fiends are all safe on the South side. This is the Western 80 remember...have to keep up city dog...every time you come it seems like you have forgotten half you learned. Though it was a long gap this time..."

I ignored the jibe, not wanting to get into that again. I knew it hurt him, and I knew it mattered. The veiled hint was as far as he would go though, and I preferred to let it ride.

"So, what are you bringing me all the way out here for then mate?"

"This is the patch, in the next paddock. Sort of our last index spot for the barley crop. We know it's ready to harvest once this paddock hits twelve, the others are all in the zone just before. Kind of clockwork; sometimes predictable is good mate."

"So this is it then...my first time running the harvester."

"Yep...I've told you all you need to know Paul. You can do it, together we can bring it in easily."

I had my first shock when I arrived this summer, after so many months away from the farm and my dingo boy. Gran had gotten old, really old and all of a sudden. Her arthritis went bad, and her heart wasn't great. I could tell she was putting a brave face on things, but it wasn't working so well, and I found her in bed that first afternoon, something unheard of for gran.

In typical Aussie fashion though she made a joke of it.

"Well Paul, good to see you here even though I'm not dressed. I would invite you in but I know you would prefer different company in your bed..."

And of course, Danny had given his usual cute laugh. That was the other shock though; Danny didn't laugh so much, and his eyes were kind of far away sometimes.

On the surface things were the same though. A new pet lamb was in residence, Nibbles the fourteenth. His date with destiny was coming, Christmas day and a lamb roast with all the trimmings, but until then he was enjoying his freedom and the right to eat as many of gran's carefully tended flowers as possible.

The sheep were grazing, eating the last of the spring fodder from their current section of the farm, before transferring and living off hay for the late summer. And they were still stupid, and Ginger still looked at me like a total moron. It was as if the sheepdog bore a grudge. Just because I had left that gate open once....

Yet other things had changed, and not just gran and Danny. I had come a long way since those magical first summers here, and the time when I had given my virginity to my beautiful dingo.

Gran had been true to her word, and when I went home and faced my parents, she had taken the trip back to Melbourne with me, standing by my side. I wasn't sure if I wanted to once I got home, but somehow her presence had comforted me, and I knew what I had to do. I wish I could say it had been eloquent, a speech for the ages mixed with pathos and literary references, but in truth I think I just choked. In the end it came out though; or at least I had.

Dad went purple, and mum screamed. The weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth had been worthy of the end times, but gran just stood calmly through it all, only getting shirty when mum decided that it was all Danny's fault and unleashed on my dingo boy. Then gran got quite combative all on her own, unloading both barrels on mum. I was impressed; not many people managed to render the honourable MP speechless, but gran managed perfectly.

Not to mention I learned some juicy tidbits about mum's younger days that would hold me in good store if I ever needed blackmail material.

I had finished school, a dutiful Collie, and done Economics as I knew dad wanted, but with a catch all my own. Combined Commerce/Science, a special stream in Agricultural science and economics. I had the bug, whatever the fleecy fiends might throw at me, and mum and dad could go jump.

Nodding sagely at my mum's orders not to embarrass her by flaunting my "unorthodox lifestyle" I had joined the Gay Society on my first day of O-week, rising to become president and campus spokesdog for my tribe. Suck that one mum (something she was apparently quite adept at according to gran...I would never look at a rowing crew quite the same again.)

As the years went on though, and I got more and more into my course and the world of my prestigious university, I had felt more remote from the farm and from Danny. It seemed the more I learned about agriculture, the more I could see the possibilities in other places, other worlds not as traditional and timeless as the old farm. And, I had to admit, being popular all of a sudden in that environment was an eyeopener in more ways than one. Now graduation loomed, and new decisions and opportunities.

I had caught myself doing it on the first day on the farm, looking over everything with an eye to remembering. The remembrance of things past...or soon to be. And then I caught my dingo looking at me, looking over the fields, and he had that look, the sad one. I hoped to God he didn't know.

"Here we are Paul. This is the spot."

We were standing in the middle of a paddock, a carpet of gold all around us, the broken line of a fence about a hundred metres away with a line of redgums beyond marking the end of the farm. The sky was that wonderful peacock blue, with only an occasional fluffy white cloud scudding across in the strong wind from the northwest. The desert wind...familiar to every Victorian kid, even in Melbourne, though in my flat in Carlton it mainly told me to put the air-con on and go with the boat shoes and khaki shorts to uni that day. Here it had all sorts of meanings...

"Wind is up. Has been for the last week, should be pretty ripe by now. Hold out your paw Paul, feel the barley."

I stood on that perfect plain, amongst a field of gold, my golden dingo standing and running his right paw over the barley heads. With his colouring, he almost seemed to grow out of the barley himself, part of the earth. He took some in his paw, feeling the grain and smiled.

"Yep, it's ready. Bet they don't teach you that feel in uni city dog."

"No mate..." I held the stalks in my paw, feeling them coarse and hard, but not really feeling much difference to when I held them a week ago when I arrived.

"Well, tomorrow then. All the field bins are out, so everything is ready. A break from sheep for a bit...you won't know what you've been missing."

"I know...but I missed this most of all."

He looked quizzical for a moment, unsure of my meaning, until I reached for him and his smile turned golden like the barley. We kissed, hard and urgent, tongues lapping inside our muzzles, the scent of sweaty dog ambrosia for us both. Then I felt his paw sliding inside my jeans.

"Hey! Wait till we get back..."

"No chance Paul. I've wanted to do this out here for so long..."

His paw found me, already hard inside my boxers, and he jacked slowly while I moaned and woofed into his muzzle. Then he undid my belt and pulled down my jeans, and suddenly I was naked from the waist down, out here under the sky.

"What is it about outdoor sex with you Dan?"

"Can't beat it mate...just don't try it in the city is all I can say."

Then I cried out as he knelt on the stalks, squashing them beneath him, and took my hard cock into his muzzle, his lips parting to suckle my tip before sliding down my length to take all of me inside.

I rested my paws on his head, rubbing behind his ears as he used all his knowledge of my body to drive me mad. I didn't care if we were going to lie on a bed of nails now, I needed him so badly. And the cocky bastard knew it too.

Just as my knot swelled to it's full extent, and my balls felt like they were on fire, I felt his paw reach around behind me, playing with the base of my tail to my groaned delight, before his fingertip found my pucker and pressed in. My howl surprised even me, loud and eager, as I felt my tunnel spreading under loving strokes from his fingers, and I tried to blurt out a stuttered warning to stop, but he just wrapped his lips tighter around my knot and let his tongue lap at my tip. I couldn't hold on, unleashing into his muzzle a torrent of Collie seed, and he drank it all in like a starving dingo until I fell to the ground, panting and dazed.

I felt him gently undressing me, my clothes thrown onto the barley, our bodies creating a bizarre crop circle in the golden carpet that would take some explaining. Then he stood as I lay back with love in my eyes, half lidded and needy, watching him peel off his clothes to stand naked and magnificent amongst the stalks.

Then he bent down, kneeling between my legs and kissing so soft, like a butterfly's caress, before he eased my legs around behind him, propped up over his hips and locked in the small of his back. I felt his tip against me, my pucker already quivering in anticipation of it's present. He was leaking copiously, the warm drops coating my taint as he rocked against me preparing for entry. Then he looked into my eyes, that cocky grin on his muzzle.

"Now this is how I like to celebrate the harvest."

"Shut up and take me already."

'Aye aye city dog..."

And then he slid inside and it felt so good. We were used to each other's bodies by now, when to go hard, when to go slow, when to ram in deep. He knew to take his time like this, inching inside me while my brain went to jelly, before the final hard fucking ending in the wonderful fullness of being tied. And that's what he did, listening for the little noises I made that told him when to stop, when to give me more time, and when to ride it hard.

Soon I was moaning, that delicious thick length buried inside me, his knot pounding at my ring but not yet inside. I gripped his butt, the muscled mounds always feeling incredible when he was buried in me like this, flexing and relaxing as we fucked, his tail swaying wildly as he got more unwound. Then I felt the burn inside me, the tingle in my prostate that told me it was almost time again, the signal my dingo always waited for. I brought my muzzle to his pointed ear, huffing softly then begging and pleading as I nibbled at his tip.

With a long drawn our howl he slapped against me, harder and harder until I felt my pained ring yield to his thrusts and suddenly he was inside me and we were cumming, cumming everywhere, our howls echoing off the gum trees from our little nest amongst the barley. His muzzle was on mine, and we kissed, trying to devour each other and make the moment last an eternity, but inevitably then world returned. It had been a gift to me, here in the open, as Danny's lovemaking often could be. And I was grateful.

We lay, kissing and holding, as the sun filled the sky and the heads of barley swayed in the breeze. Our own little crop circle was a mess, barley harvested in a slightly unusual way, sort of sex threshing. Might have to suggest that to the guys at uni as a new carbon neutral harvesting method.

"I love you Paul."

And then the world intruded big time.

"I love you Dan."

And we kissed; and I felt like a heel.

"Baaaaaa!..."

"Oh shit...that fence has broken again. Shit!"

Saved by sheep...for once I didn't hate the fleecy fiends so much.

We managed to get the rogue sheep out of the barley and back to their paddock, with the aid of a very pissed off sheepdog who had been left for the day to enjoy a nice big bone and was looking forward to some quality ball licking time while burying it. Instead, Ginger got to give me doggy greasies while we sent the fleecy fiends back to their own and made a makeshift repair of the fence.

Danny looked pensive, sort of waiting for me to say something, but I wasn't about to. I was too busy feeling the effects of the sex.

"What's wrong Paul?"

"Nothing."

"I can tell there is. The fence just got loose, it's not my fault. A farm takes lots of maintenance, you wouldn't imagine. And Marcia isn't..."

His defensiveness worried me, but I could put his mind at rest at least.

"Dan, relax, I know shit happens. And gran is taking a break so it's all on you. You are doing great mate, trust me. It's just...well, I never knew what it felt like lying on ripe barley."

Now his ears perked up, and the smile came back.

"Oh?"

"It's...kind of scratchy....and hard..."

His giggles were back now.

"Toughen up city dog...didn't you enjoy?"

"Oh yeah, its just..."

"What?"

"I..er...think I've got some sort of rash in my crack from a barley stalk..."

His giggles had become gales of laughter now, and I had to join him while I gingerly rubbed my ass. It did sting...but I knew he would make it up to me in ways I might just like too.

"Well, no more cock for you tonight Paul. I have an idea what we might do to soothe your sore places though..."

"Hmmmmmmmm"

His paw travelled down my left butt cheek, while his lips brushed over mine. I was hard again...damn my cock, so undisciplined.

"Well, there is always my tongue, plus... I've got some soothing lotion that will do just the trick ..."

"Ohhhh yesss....."

"Besides, that's not the best part..."

"What?"

"It's cherry flavoured..."

And I ran after my cackling dingo with murder in my eyes while he sped over the golden fields, a twinkle in his, as we traded what had become our customary loving insults in true Aussie style.

"You are a shit dog, Danny!"

"You are a slow dog, Paul!"

His paws flew on the red earth as he sped away still laughing, a golden flash with a wide grin.

So he took his love For to gaze awhile Upon the fields of barley In his arms he fell as his hair came down Among the fields of gold

We reached the farmhouse, breathless and yelling, my paws on my dingo while he tried to choose between laughing and fighting me off. Laughing seemed to be winning.

"Good to see you boys. And you have been checking on the barley I see. How is it Dan?"

"All good Marcia. We can start tomorrow."

"Excellent. I would suggest washing before dinner though...you seem to have been a little...enthusiastic with the crops there."

I gulped as Danny grinned, wondering what gran knew.

"Well...it was good to see the field and get an idea of the harvest..."

"Yes Paul I can see that. Up close it would seem..."

"Ahem!"

Danny nudged me, and gave a significant glance at my ears. I was self conscious about my daggy Collie ears compared to his shapely dingo ones, always combing them out when I was up here, and I reached for them to find they had picked up some unwanted decoration...

Several barley heads were sticking out of my fur.

"Err..."

"Good to see you boys still love your nature...though I don't suppose you thought to take anything out there for protection did you?"

"Marcia, we don't really need..."

"Oh really Danny? I don't think you can ever be too careful."

And I caught her sideways glance at me, my smile evaporating and my cheeks turning purple under my fur.

"Well, enough of that boys. Time to get washed up, remove the last of my precious crop from your sweaty hides, and get dressed for dinner. We have guests tonight. Trevor Blake rang before, and he and his daughter are coming over. "

Not what I wanted to hear, Sandy Blake always made my fur twitch ever since Danny named his bike after her. I looked over to my dingo, and realised he was blushing too, while grans looked him in the eye with her special granny x-ray vision. She could be disquieting when she wanted to be.

"Hmm...well, be ready by seven. We don't want to keep our guests waiting."

As gran busied herself around the kitchen, we both headed for the bathroom, a soaking shower country style to ease our bodies and wash away the sweat and dust. We could have longer if we shared...not that we needed the excuse but it was convenient. And very water conscious.

Danny worked his magic on my coat, his fingers lathering me up and soothing the few sore spots from the impromptu sex, before reaching between my cheeks to stroke my sore taint. I just lay against the wall while he worked me over, one paw now gripping my cock as it exploded from its sheath, the other teasingly stroking my tailhole. I moaned, and bit my tongue to avoid giving the game away to gran, as my dingo boy made sure I was thoroughly clean...then dirty...then clean again as my ejaculation washed away with the soapy residue from my coat.

It was therefore two bright eyed and refreshed dogs wearing big grins that joined gran in the kitchen to finish up the preparations for dinner. While Danny laid the table, I went to work on putting together the dessert, a self saucing chocolate pudding that could slowly cook while we ate dinner before emerging in all its coronary-inducing glory. I was hooked on country cooking now, and had been trying my paw at it every time I came the last couple of years. It also took the heat off gran and her arthritic paws.

"Hooroo!"

There were no doorbells in the country, just the usual greeting from the verandah. Our guests had arrived, and I waited patiently while gran and Danny greeted them before heading for the kitchen. I knew something was bad when I saw Danny; he looked haggard. Gran looked thoughtful. Mr Blake was a pretty big guy, a Labrador with a hardened face, and Sandy looked a bit fatter than since I last saw her. I suppose I should be ashamed, but that little fact made me feel perversely better.

Sherry was offered, politely accepted by Mr Blake, declined by Sandy with a "good girl" from gran, and we engaged in small talk before sitting down to dinner.

We managed to get through the entrée and into mains before the bomb hit.

"Well young Daniel. I wanted to see you most of all, and I think you know why that might be."

"Ahh...Mr Blake, I'm..."

"Now, I have known Marcia here for many a long year, and I value her opinion. She has a very good one of you, though I was never so certain. Still, she told me always to give you the benefit of the doubt. So that's what I'm going to do."

"Mr Blake, thank you but what...?"

"Danny...I'm pregnant."

At first my mind managed the small feat of congratulating myself for realising she had put on weight. I had always been taught never to jump to this conclusion, but secretly I kind of liked it. Well well well...Sandy had a bun in the oven.

Then my brain finally got out of neutral and I realised why there was complete silence in the room.

"Danny?"

I looked at my dingo, his muzzle open and a stricken look on his face, as he looked into Sandy's eyes. In that moment I knew.

"Please excuse me I...I think maybe you need some privacy and I'll...please excuse me..."

Kind of dazed, I bolted for the verandah, heading for the far end of the house and a small wooden seat that had been gran and granddads favourite spot to sit. There I sat instead, as the summer sun lowered towards the horizon, and the west wind played over the barley bringing it's summer scents and warmth to my nostrils, and ignored it all as thoughts of Danny fucking that Labrador bitch echoed round my brain like an errant bullet inside a tank. Nibbles came up for some food scraps, then gave up and tried for a muzzle stroke, and I tickled him under the chin without really noticing while he calmly ate the nasturtium by the seat.

"Paul..."

"It's true isn't it gran."

"Yes Paul. I suspected, but I thought Danny would have the sense to be careful, and to tell you before you found out like this."

"Well fuck that. He's welcome to her...porky bloody Labrador, she will be twice his size before she drops that pup..."

"Paul! Enough of that, I know you are hurting, but I never thought of you as someone that petty, so don't disappoint me now."

"Me disappoint you? How about..."

"Paul, do you remember the conversation we had a year ago?"

That shut me up. I knew she knew.

"Dear, I know you have secrets too. Several of them, and I even know what some of them are. You would be surprised. There is one thing I know for sure though; that boy loves you like I have never seen before. Sandy or no Sandy. And I think you love him too, even after this, when you don't have your head up your ass as bad as your mother."

"Gran!"

"Now listen to me Paul. Give him a chance is all I'm saying. He needs you, even more so after this. And whether you know it or not, you need him."

"I'm going to sit by the dam for a bit gran. Just tell him...tell him I will see him when they have gone. And apologise to the Blakes for me. I'm not feeling well."

The old dog sighed, and patted me on the head before turning to head back to the drama, while Nibbles followed hoping for better attention. I walked into the fields as the moon rose across the plains, a lone dog on a mission for solitude, and I sat on the dam wall contemplating the dark and murky depths while the windmill clanked an uneven song by it's side, the strong west wind at least working to draw more water to replace what it took away.

I didn't know how long it was, but darkness had come to the farm in all it's inky grandeur, and the milky way was high in the sky, each star standing out like it never could in Melbourne. I was tracing those stars, trying to make out the constellations that Danny had shown me one night when we sat here late, his body round mine and our paws entwined. There was Orion...Betelgeuse, red and sullen, Rigel sharp and blue...

"Hey"

"Hey"

Dirt and rocks cascaded towards the water as Danny took a seat next to me, his gaze following mine into the heavens.

"How is Sandy?"

He paused a long moment before sighing, his head falling to look at the dam.

"She is ok. She was worried when she missed her...well, she got a test off the chemist and it came up positive, then she saw her doctor in Derinballoc today and it's confirmed. About three months. She is eating for two happily, no sickness yet."

"Not what I meant exactly but it will do."

"Oh...I forget sometimes Paul. You don't ask things literally. She is scared, like me, and sorry, like me. Her dad is ok, I thought he might come over with a shotgun but he was pretty level."

"Lucky for you. Your balls would make a nice decoration for his akubra."

"Yeah, looks like I'm keeping them for now."

"It would be a shame to lose them. I know how much I liked them."

"Liked?...Paul, I..."

"Why Dan."

Another long pause, as I contemplated the sky. Orion's belt...across to Sirius, then the Southern Cross...

My dingo's voice almost stopped my soul in it's tracks. I had never heard him so lost, or so broken, even talking about his dad.

"You have no idea Paul. No idea. I was so lonely, don't you get it? You come here for a few days or a few weeks, but in between it's just me and Marcia and the sheep. There is almost nobody in the district my age, other than Sandy, and a few guys who won't have a bar of an abandoned dingo boy without parents. I never know if you are coming or not, or even if you will ever come again, and when you didn't come this last break...I'm so lonely, and I didn't know if I would ever see you again."

"So you and Sandy found solace in each other's paws hey?"

"Fine, I screwed up, I know it. I wanted to take you to the B&S ball in Derinballoc, you were supposed to come remember, but you blew it off at the last minute. Sandy offered to come with me, and we danced and she was so sweet and it just happened. I'm sorry, sorry to you and sorry to her, but I'm not perfect. Please you have to believe me."

"But why didn't you trust me?"

"Paul...I know about Sydney. Your mum rang Marcia to tell her, months ago, all gloating. I didn't want to ask you, and I expected you to tell me if it were true. I saw the way you looked at the farm this time though...like it was the last."

He was right of course, and part of why I was so angry with him was because I knew he should be angry with me too.

The job offer had come out of nowhere, a big agribusiness multinational based in Sydney. Dad had even been proud of me for once; that was probably why I had accepted, though I wasn't sure it was me.

"I could still come on the holidays..."

"What, a couple of weeks a year? From Sydney? Or more likely once a year for a day or two, if that. Face it Paul, you've already checked out. You will have a nice apartment on the North Shore somewhere and shack up with a banker from Macquarie, another one of your Commerce mates."

That shut me up now too. I knew what he might be alluding to, though I could never be sure with Danny.

"How many Paul? I never wanted to know, but I guess now I don't care any more."

I hung my head, the angry retort lost in my muzzle. The truth was, I wasn't exactly sure. There had been some wild parties, where I started to get into my new life as a popular presence on the Commerce student's social scene, and there were plenty of gay guys who seemed to think I was something special. Not as special as my dingo made me feel though...and I realised what a dickhead I had been.

"I guess that tells me. You shouldn't let your mates post on facebook without restricting who can see it Paul. Even out here we have the internet; even gran can use it for fuck sake. I can't blame you, they are better than me after all, and I have no right to be that angry after what happened tonight...but it did hurt."

We sat silently for a while, both looking at the stars, while the wind ruffled our fur. Eventually my dingo rested his head on my shoulder, and I ran a paw between his ears while they flattened against his skull. I couldn't cry, though I wanted to. The pains were still too fresh, and too self-inflicted.

"So what now Dan? What is Sandy going to do?"

"Well, the Blakes are good Catholics, most of the district are, and she wants to keep it anyway, so I guess I'm going to be a dad."

The thought made me smile a little sadly. A little Danny, maybe a bit chunkier with the Labrador cross but the same colouring, maybe the same cute ears. Quiet and solemn like his dad, but with a wicked sense of humour.

"Will you marry her?"

"No. I don't love her Paul. I will be a father for the kid, God knows I know how not to be a dad thanks to mine, I will make sure the kid has everything I didn't. But Sandy needs to find someone who can be hers totally, and that's not me."

"What about us then?"

"What about us? You are a bigshot dog with rich mates and a career to look forward to. I'm just a lost dingo who barely made it through highschool. I don't want to be just your country amusement, someone to fuck on holidays."

We held, not wanting to let the moment pass, but I knew I couldn't stay here. I had to get away, and think, and stop the churning in my mind as well as the visions of Sandy and Danny that were killing me. I knew I had no right to be angry, really, but I was angry anyway and more than a little bitter.

"I think I need to go Dan, and you need me to go too. I want to think, and you need to work out things with Sandy and that isn't going to be any easier with your gay lover dog around. We can tell gran in the morning, but I will be heading off."

"What about the harvest?"

"You will be fine without me. You are good at it Dan...I'm just holding you back."

I headed slowly back to the farmhouse, my heart on fire, and into the spare room. The Blakes had gone, and gran had gone to bed early, as she did most nights now. I couldn't fall asleep though, and just stared at the ceiling. Hours later, I heard pawsteps outside my door, and the sound of someone breathing on the other side. I willed it to happen, while I lay there, but instead the steps retreated, and at last I cried myself to sleep.

Will you stay with me, will you be my love? Among the fields of barley We'll forget the sun in his jealous sky As we lie in fields of gold

*****

See the west wind move like a lover so Upon the fields of barley Feel his body rise when you kiss his mouth Among the fields of gold

I woke after a fitful sleep, dreams of Danny and Sandy ruining my night. Danny in Sandy. Sandy on Danny. Sandy watching me and Danny, while her father loaded his shotgun. This final masterpiece was the clincher, and I abandoned sleep, rising to see the sun already well into the horizon. It was strange, normally gran would have come round to rouse me to breakfast by now, but perhaps she knew I needed the rest.

I stretched and yawned, preparing to head into the room I shared with Danny to pack my bags, but I knew I was being a coward not facing gran first. Steeling myself, I headed into the corridor, listening for the sounds of gran knocking about the kitchen, but I couldn't hear any. Nor could I hear any sign of Danny; he must be out on the farm already, probably getting the combine ready for the big day.

Knocking on gran's door, and getting no response, I opened it and walked in, a cheery greeting on my lips, but the greeting died in a moment. Gran was still in bed, and Danny was kneeling at her side, crying. I had never seen Dan cry, ever. He was lost now though, and with growing dread I realised why.

Gran was still, very very still, and her chest wasn't moving. Her eyes were closed, and I went to reach for her, falling to my knees beside Danny. She was cold.

"She's gone Paul..."

I couldn't take it in, the reality was too harsh to get my head around. I knew she was getting worse, and since granddad died a part of her was just marking time before joining him in the next world. But to me she had always been immortal, beyond time, and I assumed she would be there still with her wisdom and her clucking when I was 40. This had never been part of the deal, and I felt cheated.

"I'm sorry Paul..."

My dingo held me and I held gran's paw for a while, his snuffles buried in my ears. At least Collie ears had a use, they were kind of absorbent when it came to tears.

Eventually we had to do something, and while Danny called the doctor and the undertaker and the local minister from gran's church, I called home. I think I got the worse end of that equation, but I could not begrudge my dingo boy. His eyes told me how much he had broken in the last 24 hours, and I didn't know if like Humpty Dumpty even all the Kings horses and all the Kings men could put him back together.

After gran had been taken away, we were left together in the kitchen. Dan had recovered a bit, and Sandy was fussing around, along with a couple of gran's old friends from the district, airing out her room and filling the house with flowers, or at least any they could find that Nibbles hadn't already eaten. The fridge was full of casseroles, so we didn't need to cook until the next apocalypse. What was it about country people and bringing food when someone dies?

"So I guess you will be heading home until the funeral Paul?"

His eyes were kind of lifeless, but I knew what was behind them.

"No mate, not now. I'm here till you kick me out. What do we need to do?"

He sort of sighed then, but his ears picked up, I could see. He wanted that answer almost as much as I wanted to give it to him.

"Well, we still need to bring in the barley. Nothing waits for nature, not even this, and we have only a few days before it gets too dry. That bloody northwesterly is keeping up. I can run the harvester alone if you don't feel up to it, but I want to bring in the crop for her, if nothing else. She would have wanted that. Besides, I don't want to give your family any more reasons to hang shit on me."

I let that last pass, not quite sure where it came from, but I knew what I had to do now.

"If you don't mind a city dog hanging round, I'd love to help you mate. Just keep me away from the sheep for a bit ok."

He smiled, the same old smile I remembered, for the first time since Sandy came through the door yesterday.

"Ok city dog, watch and learn. And try to keep up."

So for the next days, we had a routine. We worked the harvest together, my hesitant efforts aided by the GPS, and worked deep into the night before collapsing together into our bed. We didn't fuck, we barely kissed, but instead just held and looked into each other's eyes, our bodies wound together, one dingo and one Collie grieving for the same loss. Then in the morning we would get up and do it again, while the west wind blew hot and even and the sky still shone bright and blue.

The silent paws came and went while we were out, a legion of old grannies aided by one pregnant Labrador, cleaning, adding new flowers, leaving warmed casserole dishes in an esky by the barn for when we brought the combine back to refuel so we could refuel too. The field bins filled with golden grain, a bumper crop for the ages. Gran would be proud, though I'm sure she wouldn't approve of my technique.

Only once did I lose my composure, as we finished off the last paddock in the Western 80, and I drove upon a crop circle in the gloom, barely illuminated in the lights from the harvester. Our little nest amongst the barley, out in the open under the sky, last as it had been first. I was glad of the GPS after that, because my eyes weren't up to much. When I calmed down though, I realised my heart was decided. Now I only had to see it through.

In between, we would make preparations, for gran and for ourselves, though I did not tell Danny of mine, and I did not know of his, at least not straight away. We planned a fitting send off for gran though. Both of us knew what she had wanted, and both knew my family did not approve. I was determined to make it how she wanted though, and I had my dingo boy by my side to help.

The service was simple, as befitted a Presbyterian of the old kirk. All her friends were there, crowded into one side of the small wooden church amongst the fields, the local CFA station it's only companion. On the other side sat my family, sullen and aggrieved at being made to come all this way. I ignored the stares, sitting beside Danny in the front row while the doddering minister conducted the ceremony.

We had the wake back at the farmhouse, and I found a new and appreciative audience for my cooking, though I could not match the excellence of the passionfruit sponge cake provided by the doyen of the local CWA. No-one can; the second prize in the Derinballoc show four years ago was an aberration nobody mentioned if they knew what was good for them.

After everyone had left, even my family maintaining their sullen look to the last, I had stood beside the grave, neatly set amongst the bougainvillea by the water tank. This was where she wanted to be, beside granddad. She had told me, when you find the one you love with all your heart, you never let them go. So here she would remain.

"Well city dog, you did well. The bins are all full, they get carted tomorrow. "

"Thanks Dan. You know, with your instruction, I might even make a half decent farmer."

"Don't get ahead of yourself mate. Still a long way to go."

He was smiling though, and we held each other by the grave for a moment just enjoying that closeness. It was late though, and both of us were exhausted.

We headed for bed, neither in the mood for any more food after the wake, and we took up our customary pose, entwined and staring into each other's eyes. This time though, we talked, remembering all the good things, the embarrassment of our first time, the cherry flavoured lube and the googling, laughter beginning to heal the wounds even when still fresh.

Then we kissed, and it felt like magic again.

"Paul...I..."

"Shhh Dan. No talking, just feel."

I took him into my arms, our bodies melting into one, skin against skin, fur on fur. We kissed hard, the hunger building over the days now bursting forth in a wild need to mate, and our bodies knew just what to do, the familiar paths of memory guiding us in our hour of need. I could feel him hardening against my own length, both our cocks up and ready, sheaths left behind as we frotted for an age, my lips going almost numb from the wild deep kissing, before I felt his paws grip my shoulders to turn me onto my front.

Groaning softly, I allowed myself to be turned, my tail wagging suggestively, before spreading my thighs and lifting my tail, paws gripping the bedclothes.

The fur in my crack tingled, anticipating what was to come, and I felt his hot huffing breath first, always so sensual against my sensitive crack. He knew just how to please me, and he used that knowledge now, lapping with his rough tongue the length of my crack while I writhed and moaned against him, nuzzling my sack with his nose before driving his tongue deep into me.

I held on, breathless, while he ate me out with increasing urgency, his pink tongue probing inside to kiss every part of me that made me cry out in pleasure, before I felt him against me, body over mine, his lips around my eartip as he nibbled. I cried out, and he stopped just inside me, but I pushed back onto him, drawing his length into me and welcoming the wide bulk of his cock deep inside, familiar touch of my deepest desires, as his paws slid down my arms to grip mine, his tongue on my neck just where it made me go mad.

Our loving was slow, building gradually and then resting, waxing and waning like the moon. He made me climax first, his gentle strokes with his cock matched by hard strokes on my cock, before we switched to face to face and continued, all the time kissing and whispering and begging for more.

He was between my legs, my paws over his shoulders while he pounded and I howled into the night. I was above him, riding his length in a slow eternal rhythm that lasted for ever, his paw on my length again, touching every nerve ending.

Finally we ended with me inside him, our muzzles locked, eyes on each other while I gave him everything I had to give and tied with my dingo boy, this last wild climax finishing us both, and we lay together, me wrapped in my dingo's arms and laying against his chest, his legs still crossed in the small of my back. We fell asleep like that, the shrill buzz of cicadas the only music for us apart from the slow steady breathing of two dogs in love.

When I woke, I was aware of a slight disorientation, realising my dingo boy wasn't there, just a warm deep patch on the other side of the bed telling of his presence. My fur pricked, sensing something wrong, like the morning a few days ago when gran had died, and I pulled on my clothes rapidly before heading out into the farmhouse.

I found a note on the kitchen table, addressed to me, and felt an increasing panic as I listened for noises that never came. There were boxes on the floor, just a couple of large cardboard ones marked with an address in Derinballoc.

Running outside, I saw the bike, Danny's beloved BSA Bantam "Sandy", sitting on the travel rest by the verandah. There was a small green canvas bag slung over the back and the panniers were loaded. My dingo was checking out...and I suddenly realised that I had made some really bad assumptions.

Before this could go any further though, I would put my limited mechanical knowledge to good use.

I was sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee when I head paws on the gravel outside, and a sheepish looking dingo popped his head around the door.

"Hey...I thought you would be still asleep."

"Yeah, I guess I woke up, though I could probably use a bit longer. I'm kind of beat for some reason; any ideas why I might feel so exhausted."

"Maybe, I do remember a few things last night Paul."

"Me too Dan, me too. One thing I don't remember was you telling me you were leaving though."

"Paul, this is for the best. Your family won't want me around now, I'm just an unwanted nuisance. I didn't think you would either. You need to head home, and then get ready for Sydney. I'll be ok, I've arranged a place to stay in Derinballoc for the moment, I can be close to Sandy and the kid and Sandy's dad will look after here until your family sells the old place. I...I can't bear to see that though Paul. I think you can understand."

"Why did you stay till now then Dan? Why not leave the harvest and all that to someone else."

He straightened up then, pulling himself to his full dingo height, his eyes on the edge but keeping in check for now.

"I did it for me. And for Marcia. I wanted to leave the place like she would have wanted. Plus..."

"Yes?"

"I wanted to give you a reason to stay around for a little while longer. I wasn't ready to let you go yet, you see."

His eyes were losing it now, but his muzzle appeared set. My dingo had his pride, and he would not beg. In that moment I vowed never to make him beg, ever...well, unless it was in bed, and then it was ok. That last bit had done me in though, forever and completely. I loved him already, but how could I ever let him go?

"Sit down Dan."

He obeyed reluctantly, but he wanted to as well. He wanted it to last a little longer.

"Dan, I'm not going to Sydney. I called and told them I was giving up the position. They were pissed off, but they understood. I hope to have a new job, one closer to my heart, if my new employer will take me."

"Paul! That's madness, you have to do it. Who is this new employer anyway? Why do you not know if they will take you?"

"It's you Dan, and I don't know If you will take me because I haven't asked you yet, and I can't assume, not any more, not after all I've got wrong so far."

He sat there, stunned for the moment, taking it in but not really. His ears twitched, and his whiskers sort of wobbled, but he found his voice again in time.

"Paul, I...how can I be your employer? You aren't making sense."

"Gran never told you did she?"

"Told me what?"

I shook my head a moment, a slow grin spreading on my muzzle. The crafty old dog, it never occurred to me that she would keep it to herself.

"Dan, gran changed her will, about a year ago. She told me, and I assumed she told you, but I've found I suck at assumptions after all. The farm is yours mate, all of it. The land, the stock, the machinery, even the crop. You have the mortgage too, but I used my friends in the banking world and got them to roll over the debt. You will be able to do what you want with the place, but you have a home, and a farm of your own if you want."

"I...I..."

"You also...well you also have a farmhand if you want. I'll be the best there is, bar none. I'll even learn to not hate sheep, if you will have me. I'll help you run the place as gran wanted, and even make some changes if you want. And...if you want me in your bed, there is nowhere I'd rather be country dog."

"Paul, I don't know. After everything...and you are giving up so much. What about your career? And, I won't abandon Sandy or the pup, are you up for that?"

I reached forward to take my astonished dingo in my arms, and we kissed, not long, not sexily, just a gentle kiss full of meaning. When we broke for air, I rested my nose on his and we stared into each other's eyes. I could see he wanted it, but was too gun shy to hope.

"Paul, you were right about some things. I did forget a lot when I was away. I forgot who I was, I forgot how special what we have is, I forgot how much you mean to me. Everything I am, I owe to you, and gran. I am only a confident wordly dog because of you, and I'm only comfortable being me because of you. "

"The others were the amusement Dan. Poor, second best amusements, because I missed you too and couldn't tell the difference between what we had and just fucking. I've remembered though, these last days. If its not too late, I'd love to be yours again."

I could see the hope winning in his eyes then, a new world full of possibilities opening up as he contemplated this future. And I could see the glint again, the old Danny of love and laughter and shy mischief.

"You realise there will be sheep..."

"I'm counting on it. I have a confession.."

"What?"

"I really don't mind sheep after all."

"Dead set?"

"Yeah...at least they go well with mint jelly. Unlike fricking barley"

"You will really be my farmhand?"

"Yep, all that and more."

"I can order you around!"

"Hey, not so much with liking that idea mate...unless it's in the bedroom, in which case...order away..."

And then my arms were full of dingo, and the kiss was like wine on my muzzle.

I held him, just letting it sink in, while my mind wandered to a conversation by this very table a year ago. I had not told him it all, though one day I might. How the plan had been slightly different, when first presented to me.

Gran had sworn me to secrecy, then told me how much she owed to Danny. She had only kept the farm going thanks to him, and she had only really stayed alive after granddad died because of his presence. She owed so much to him, and she was so pissed off at my parents and my aunt and uncle, because they couldn't wait to sell the place to an investment company and splurge the proceeds.

"I'm changing my will Paul, and my mind is made up. Those selfish people are in for a shock. I am leaving the place to Danny and you, my two favourite boys. You will know what to do; and I hope your mother chokes."

I had been surprised, and not a little frightened. I was preparing for my last year, and in the throes of enjoying my newfound popularity and prospects. I was also in the middle of a wild fling with the son of a merchant banker, a bulky bull with a wild side and a fondness for weed, one of my less well thought out stupidities.

So I had begged off, telling gran to leave it all to Danny, and how he would feel much more secure if he was in complete control, and he needed the security. Gran had twigged though, and she had fixed me with that granny x-ray stare while I squirmed.

"Really gran..."

"No Paul, not really. I never had you pegged as a coward, or a fool...I hope you recover your senses though, before it is too late."

And we had left it at that.

She was right of course, I was a coward, and a fool, but I had remembered who I was before too late. I could almost hear her voice in the wind.

Yessss! Thank You Jesus!

If the almighty had ever had a stranger prayer to grant, I wanted to know it.

"So...Paul...what did you do to the bike?"

My dingo boy was smiling again, and eyeing me strangely. I had to confess, and secretly I was proud.

"Well, I had remembered your lessons while you were rebuilding it, so while you were getting ready I removed the spark plugs...and the leads...and the rotor..."

"You know I take it back. You might make a good farmer after all Paul."

"That's what I want to hear. Just please...not too many sheep."

I never made promises lightly And there have been some that I've broken But I swear in the days still left We'll walk in fields of gold We'll walk in fields of gold

*****

Many years have passed since those summer days Among the fields of barley See the children run as the sun goes down Among the fields of gold

I felt warm paws on my shoulders, and I leant back against my dingo man, his scent filling my nostrils and making me feel warm all over. Seventeen years had passed since the farm had been his, though it had not been easy. My family fought, but lost quickly. One of the good things about attending a top university is the chance to meet an awful lot of lawyers. The days of fighting were long gone now, and we could relax a little, sure in our relationship and in our own abilities. These were the glory days after all, not the frantic days of our twenties when everything seemed so important, and yet so uncertain.

It was summer again, and we were approaching Christmas. Nibbles the thirty-first was in the home paddock, calmly eating nasturtiums oblivious to his coming date with a large jar of mint jelly. Some things never changed; but others had, a lot of them for the better.

Sandy had given birth to a bouncy pup called Tim. Their family seemingly lacked imagination when it came to names. He proved to be a perfect dingo/Labrador cross, the same buff colour as his dad, and sharing a lot of his personality quirks though he had a different body shape. Tim was one seriously big dog, even at 16.

His mother had fallen out with her dad almost the day Tim was born, and she came to live with us in an arrangement we knew could not last but Danny was determined to make work. It had continued, to his credit and my frustration, for a few years, while Sandy looked on our relationship with increasingly wistful eyes.

Eventually I had caved, one drunken Christmas, and we had a memorable and thankfully never to be repeated threesome, all of us together in the bed awkward and scared like teenagers again. As the night wore on though, we loosened up enough to enjoy ourselves, all falling asleep in one doggy pile still slightly tipsy, before waking next morning to embarrassed looks and half smiles of regret.

Sandy had not stayed long after, hooking up with a truckdriver who owned his own rig and a small house in Derinballoc and drove stock to market. She had kissed me the day she left, thanking me for sharing him a little, but she had learned the truth at last. He belonged to me, and I belonged to him.

"Besides...you will be a better mum to Tim than I ever will..."

I think it was the nicest thing she ever said to me. I swore from that day onward never to call her a bitch, even when speaking to gran. Yes, I spoke to gran, or at least that's how I thought of it, sitting by her grave by the bougainvillea and telling her everything and nothing at least once a week. I think she would have liked that.

Now our Timmy was growing up, evidenced by the fact he had made us pledge never ever to call him Timmy in front of his mates. And especially not in front of my nephew, Arch, who had joined us for the last couple of summers and seemed to have struck up a fast friendship with Tim.

My Sister had been the first to relent, after the shit hit the fan and my family realised they had been cut out in favour of an upstart dingo boy. I had endured their passive aggressive snark as well as downright threats with ease, until the inevitable happened and time healed the old wounds. Serena had a son, a lanky greyhound/Collie cross her knob of a husband had insisted she name Archibald, as if to punish the poor kid for being born. He even had his name monogrammed on all his school clothes. Whatever Sandy lacked in imagination when naming her kid, it seemed my sister was determined to make up for.

Arch had proven to be a sullen, moody goth kid at his worst, impenetrable and soulful preferring to play his guitar and write existential poetry over interacting with his peers, so my sister had turned to me for salvation. We had hosted him here three times now, and the progress was impressive.

He still wrote bad poetry, and wore entirely too much black, but his eyes lit up every time he came and he transformed into a really nice kid who talked a lot, joking along with Tim as they got up to all sorts of mischief while doing the farm chores. They loved playing tricks on Nibbles, though Arch had yet to come to terms with the realities of farm life. I heard them outside the kitchen window arguing as they sometimes did.

"Tim...do you think Nibbles might be too sickly to eat?"

"Archie, we've been through this. He isn't too sickly to eat; he is too tasty to live."

"But, look at this face. Can you do that to this face?"

"Mate, when I see this face, all I think of is gravy, roast potatoes, and cherry pie for afters."

"Nooooo! Don't say that, he'll hear!"

"Baaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

The two teenagers fell about wrestling then, Arch trying to engage Tim in a real fight, Tim as usual just laughing his head off and not being drawn. In truth he probably could have swatted Arch like a fly, but he was always so careful of hurting the smaller dog.

Nibbles seemed to think it all highly undignified, heading for another patch of garden to snack on, as usual trying to get at some greenery just through the nearest fence.

"Remind you of anyone?"

I felt my dingo kissing me, and I murred as he cuddled me, my ears flicking up then down in contentment as his paws wrapped round my waist.

"Nah. I was never as daggy as Arch. And you were never as nice to me as Tim."

"Says who city dog?"

"Says me...and I can prove it umpfghhhh...."

My grinning dingo had learned the best way to shut me up when I went on these flights of fancy was to kiss me. Strangely it seemed to always work.

When he finally broke the kiss, leaving me a panting wreck, I gazed at my dingo man. He had changed too, a little at least. He had finally got some bulk, with a slight belly under the fur, but a sexy kind of bulk with bulges in all the right places, and the cutest streaks of grey in his buff fur. Approaching 40 I could say honestly that he had never been sexier, something we explored most nights though we tried to keep the noise down for the guys.

We had long ago abandoned the condoms, though we did keep a box just in case. I figured gran would be ok by now; besides, she never really did have much clue. Every time I had come to stay, she would present us silently with a new box on the first night, just winking at our discomfort. I didn't have the heart to tell her that we emptied it within the first couple of days and then had to scrounge more from Derinballoc. I figured she already knew too much to be safe, especially for a granny.

"I've got a special afternoon treat for us. I managed to get the bike going again, and I thought we could check out the new land on it."

That made me smile. He had been lost when the bike broke down, scouring the net for replacement parts. I was pleased for him; even more I was pleased for me. Dinking behind my dingo was still the biggest boner inducing experience on earth.

We yelled to the boys, telling them we were off for a ride and back in a few hours, and headed for the barn. They had chores to do on the new cottage, and I had made sure to remind them of it before we went. We had started to expand and diversify, and each of us had a project. I had used some of my money to buy some adjoining land, setting up an olive plantation. That was where we were heading now.

Danny had wanted to run farmstays for visitors, to earn some extra cash, and that was the other project. We had converted an old shearer's cottage into a modern luxury masterpiece, and we would be hosting our first visitors after Christmas. Danny proved a natural with renovations, and I would be the chef for our guests. The boys had agreed to help get it ready, in exchange for some money.

We sped across the fields, watching the swaying barley in the westerly breeze. I could still feel it on my fur from that first time we made love in the field, the day everything and nothing changed. I let one arm come free, still holding on with the other for grim death, and let my paw graze across the top of the grain while we rode. We would always have barley, that was one thing that would never change.

The olive plantation was just coming into sight when the bike gave its first cough. I winced, wondering what it might mean, then the cough came again, followed by a splutter and an eerie silence. We coasted to a stop, Danny and me looking at each other and trying not to say anything.

"Err...Dan...did you remember to refuel?"

"Yes Paul, of course I did, what do you....oh...hang on..."

I just looked at him, while my dingo looked at me, my lips working but trying not to break into a grin.

"Say it and you die"

"No...no...really...I mean...you are such a good farmer and all..."

"I warned you..."

"No, really, I mean, it would be a total newbie mistake wouldn't it, I mean, not something you would find an experienced country dog like you..."

"Right!"

And we fell into a laughing pile of doggy amongst the barley, my dingo man giving me an advanced tickling while I just laughed like a banshee on steroids. Eventually we ended up kissing instead, then making out, then I peeled off his clothes, my magnificent stud laid out on the barley for me like a sumptuous meal, and I straddled his muzzle while I went down on him, swallowing his thick cock with ease born of long practice while he did the same to me.

We worked in perfect sync, each bringing the other close to the edge, nibbling and suckling on the other's cock, lapping at his knot, before we both went for the prize. I felt him nuzzling under my balls as I pressed my muzzle against his pucker and I felt as well as heard his yelp when I pressed my tongue inside, his familiar tunnel still tasting so good as I ate out my dingo while he returned the favour.

Eventually I gave in, my tailhole twitching like crazy, and started moaning for him to mount me, right now, as hard as possible. The bastard made me wait a while, which I paid him back for by squeezing his balls kind of hard, but he just kept on powerlicking my taint and my pucker until I was a whimpering mess, then I felt his bulk finally move out from under and loom over mine and his lips touched my neck. And then his cock found its home and all I could do was moan and cry his name while he made love to me under the open sky. It was still my favourite place for it.

Afterwards we cuddled and dressed, both out coats a little the worse for the experience, not to mention coated with some Collie seed after I erupted all over us both when he tied me face to face to finish. I just hoped the boys didn't notice.

"Well, we had better be heading back Paul. Guess we have to push the bike all the way."

"Not that far at least...we can stop at the cottage. I left some 2 stroke there in case we needed it for the ride on mower."

"Perfect! I knew I could make a farmer out of you city dog."

We were both grinning as we pushed the bike back, arm in arm, until we saw the cottage looming over the hill and headed for the carport.

I could see the boys were there, as the ute was parked in the driveway. I didn't know what was keeping them though, as they should have been well finished by now, unless they were slacking off. I was about to head in and give them a scare when Danny pulled on my shirt and placed a finger against his lips.

Slightly quizzical, I looked at him and followed his crooked head to the window for the main bedroom. I could see the blinds were open, letting the afternoon sun as well as the breezes waft into the room. I could also hear voices...moving to peek inside, I was stunned to see Tim and Arch, naked on the bed, cuddled together and kissing up a storm.

Danny and I both quickly parted like the red sea, one each direction so we were now standing on opposite sides of the open window, both of us eyeing each other, then the window, then each other again as the noises inside became increasingly heated. I could see his muzzle twitching, whether in a smile or astonishment I couldn't tell. My own expression was probably priceless.

Both of us probably realised we should go. Neither seemed to know how to do that just now. Instead, we had a ringside seat.

"Please Tim...please..."

"Arch, I told you, I don't want to hurt you."

"I don't care Tim...please, I know I want this, and I know I want it to be you."

"You don't know that Arch..."

"Yes I do! Come on, don't you feel it too?"

"What do you think the dads will say?"

"Why would they mind? You know what we hear late at night...I want that too, with you, and I know you want it as well. Please Tim..."

I could see my dingo's eyes, misting over as he remembered our hesitant beginnings. It seemed the boys were more like us than I had ever imagined.

"Ok, just take it easy Arch. Tell me if it hurts ok..."

A pause.

"Argh!!! Stop stop stop..."

"Sorry...this isn't working, I should..."

"No!...ugh...just....ok, a little more..."

"There?"

"Ohhhh.....shhhhhhhh....yes....ok....a little more...."

"Ugh....ohhhh....ughh.....OH! NO!"

"What?"

A sigh.

"I....er...I...er....um....."

"Already?"

I could see Danny losing it now, his muzzle breaking into that grin, though his eyes were full of concern. I knew we needed to get away before he started laughing his head off though, so I did a commando roll under the windowsill, pulling him into a kiss so he could let it loose into my muzzle, before I took him in hand and led him and the bike towards the farmhouse.

We were back in the kitchen, having discussed the afternoon's events and agreed a strategy, when we saw the boys coming back towards the farmhouse, both bearing slightly loopy grins, while I could see Arch walking a little gingerly.

My dingo was looking a little wistful, so I punched him in the shoulder to break his mood, and he smiled before returning the compliment.

"what's wrong?"

"Do you think...nah."

"What?"

"Do you think...it's my fault..."

Now I punched him again, harder.

"What, your fault that they might be gay?"

"Well..."

"What do you think? Did I turn you gay?"

"No. I knew I liked guys, even more than girls...you gave me the strength to be that guy, is all, rather than try to pretend."

"There's your answer then. And the same for me by the way...I knew who I was, I never thought I could be that guy and happy before you though. Maybe the boys are like us, but if so, I know we didn't make them like that, but we might just have made them ok with that. Even gran knew that was a good thing, not a bad one."

He kissed me then, and I kissed him back, massaging his sore shoulder while he winced.

"Hmm...remind me to get you to punch me more often."

"Keep spinning shit and I will oblige."

That got him grinning again.

We heard the boys outside, laughing and talking, then I heard Arch on his guitar, fingers easing over the strings. He had brought the damn thing ever time, but in the last year he had at least gotten good, and even Danny liked to hear him play. The lanky teen fiddled with the tuning a bit, before strumming a chord or two, then he lifted his sweet high voice in song.

It was not like anything else I had heard him sing though. Before, he had sung like a kid, all earnest and by rote, but this time his voice came out as a honeyed sigh, the notes wafting across the verandah into the warm of the evening air

You'll remember me when the west wind moves Upon the fields of barley You'll forget the sun in his jealous sky As we walk in fields of gold

My man held me then, and we swayed to the music, while we watched the drama outside, both of us seeing the looks. Arch's eyes were far away, his muzzle set in a half smile, while Tim just stared lovingly at the city dog, his eyes bright in the evening sun.

"Think I might like Sting after all..."

"Yeah, me too..."

"I remember a look like that...when I was fixing the bike. It was the day I knew you could really be mine."

Teenagers are not purely driven my sex though, they are also creatures of their stomachs, and even an emo dog like Arch needed feeding when he came to the fresh air of the country.

Before the night was too old, we were seated around the table, enjoying a rich minestrone I had whipped up from farm ingredients. I could see my dingo giving me the wink, so it was time. By mutual agreement, I was to lead off.

"So; Timmy, Archibald, we were a little concerned about you this afternoon."

Tim had the sense to drop his spoon, Arch had no self preservation instincts yet.

"Dad two, I asked you nicely not to call me that."

"Would you prefer Speedy?"

Ohhh, remind me never to get on Danny's bad side. The name made Tim's eyes bulge, while Arch snickered into his soup.

"Not sure why you are laughing so much Archie, after we found the two of you neglecting your chores in favour of some more...agreeable work, eh?"

That did it, with Arch spraying his soup over the table while Tim looked stricken.

"He does take after you a lot Paul. Are you sure he's your nephew and not your brother?"

"Nah, too much greyhound for that. Plus, my sister is an idiot."

"Yeah, forgot that."

"So boys...anything you want to tell us?"

Tim took Arch's paw in his then, and the two looked into each other's eyes before nodding. It seemed that Tim was elected spokesdog.

"Well, I guess, you know so...we are, like, together. Boyfriends. You know...like you and...Yeah."

I could see Arch kick Tim under the table then, while Tim just shrugged and Danny began laughing.

"Thanks. That was eloquent Tim."

The boy blushed and grinned. "Thanks dad two. I got my eloquence from you."

Now Danny really was laughing. He had one more card to play though.

"Right, well I won't pretend this isn't a shock, but I guess we can't pretend we aren't happy for you two either. If you manage to hurt each other though, look out, because I have a wheat thresher and I know how to use it."

"Yeah, good one dad, you..."

Danny fixed them both with his death dog stare, and the laughter died suddenly.

"Also...this..."

And he plonked a box of condoms down on the table, alongside a large tub of cherry flavoured lube.

"Yes...while you are under our roof, you will be using condoms. No exceptions. Comprende?"

Two muzzles gulped, and two heads nodded. Oh God, when I die, please remember that my hypocrisy is one of my lesser sins, and in a good cause.

"Now, you need to promise you will come to us if you have any questions or problems. And you will be patient and kind or else...wheat thresher."

"Also, remember this. You might think you have hit the jackpot, two gay dogs with two older gay dogs as parents. Well remember this...whatever you do, whatever you discover, whatever it is...we did it first. We know...everything."

They looked at each other then, kind of appalled.

"Rimming."

"Frotting..."

"Oh yeah, frotting. Sheath play..."

"Knots..."

"Fingering..."

"Hmmmm yeah....right into my prostate there..."

"Enough! Please, dad, dad two, please...stop...I can't take this..."

Arch looked on wide eyed, while Tim was genuinely horrified, his paws up to his ears. We just looked back for a moment before Danny burst out laughing again.

"It's ok boys, you have a lot to discover...don't do it all at one."

"No, otherwise you won't be able to walk in the morning. Oh and pro tip...barley is a lot softer looking than in reality...don't get caught out..."

"Oh, and by the way...condoms have an extra benefit."

"Yes...if you are prone to being a bit..shall we say premature, they can slow you down a little. Not that you will need it...Speedy."

That was the final straw for Arch, and he let out a sort of sneezing sound as he began to laugh like a hyena, oblivious to an enraged Tim beating on his ribcage.

The rest of dinner passed in comparative silence as we all adjusted to this new reality. I could barely contain my giggles though.

My sister was going to have a fit. I so wanted to be there to watch.

We retired to bed, leaving the boys to their own devices, and I held my dingo man, kissing his muzzle, then down his chest to play with his fur. The streaks of grey were perfect to touch, and I never tired of touching them, caressing his muscled form while he writhed against me, then stroking his nipples for good measure.

Who needed Sting. I had my own field of gold right here, whatever the season, and it was a lot more fun to play with than barley.

As we touched, we both became aware of new sounds from next door, the sounds of two dogs trying to keep their making out quiet and failing dismally. After a while, they gave up all pretense, and we got our second scary moment of the day, hearing my son and my nephew going at it just a few feet away. I realised we were both holding on to each other tight, and looking pensive, as if we were willing our little birds to fly when we dropped them from the nest. We need not have worried; quite soon, there was a loud double howl from the next bedroom, as the two took another step on their road together.

In the quiet, I felt Danny's paw on my body, and I moved with his touch, my own woofs of pleasure deep and soft. I had learned some control over the years, if nothing else.

"Think we can beat these young idiots?"

"Hmmm...definitely....how about...."

"Baaaa.....baaaaa........baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

We both looked at eachother then, realising what had happened. Danny rolled his eyes a little, while I shrugged and whispered harshly.

"That bloody pet lamb is going to do well to make it to Christmas at this rate. So...are you going to rescue him or me?"

Then I saw the mischief in Danny's eyes.

"Nah....I think we should just wait...."

Time passed, the bleats getting more urgent with each passing moment. I was about to get up but Danny held me, and we were rewarded with a slamming door, and the sound of heavy pawsteps in the corridor. Tim, by the sound, and mumbling all the way until he finally lost it.

"I fucking hate SHEEP!"

My dingo finally lost his own battle for control, laughing loud and long as I joined him, naked and happy and together in this little house that belonged to him. Home.

"You know Dan...I think I was wrong. I actually kind of like sheep now..."

And then he silenced me with a kiss.

You'll remember me when the west wind moves Upon the fields of barley You can tell the sun in his jealous sky When we walked in fields of gold