Chapter 21: Don't Ever Stop Loving Me
#21 of The Mating Season 2:
Chapter 21: Don't Ever Stop Loving Me
The others watched from the fire as Loryn knelt and started pushing dirt over Eno, and they knew Eno was dead. They saw Loryn throw Eno's dagger and belt in with him, as well as his canteen, and then he was pushing the dirt over Eno, his head bowed, his ears flat. When his work was done and Eno was buried, Loryn just knelt there for a long time, and they knew better than to go over to him.
"This whole thing was a damn shame," Zaldon said, his elbows on his knees.
"But at least we know where to find Lea now," Kel said. "She's heading for the sun village, right? And now we can look for her there. We know she's alive."
"But what are those tunnels?" asked Kilyan. He gazed curiously at Zaldon, his ears pricking forward. "And why are they there? Can't we find a way inside them?"
"The sacred sun tunnels," said Zaldon, closing his eyes and smiling. "Wolves of the sun village are not so fortunate as we, young one. They haven't a wood or a forest in which to release their young wolves for the mating season. And so, many years ago, the wolves of the sun village dug out tunnels and sent their young wolves into these tunnels for the mating season. All the little caves you see around here? They once served as tunnel entries in better times. But now with lone wolves prowling more than ever, those entries are blocked off until the mating season -- they don't want lone wolves using their sacred tunnels to live in. Apparently, Lea unblocked an entrance and got inside. It must've been a fairly old entrance for her to shift the rock so easily . . ."
Kilyan sat lost in thought. He couldn't imagine mating underground in a stuffy tunnel, the shrill, passionate cries of females echoing off the walls and the eager grunts and growls of males as they took them.
"And as for getting inside?" continued Zaldon, lifting an eyebrow and smiling at Kilyan, as if he found the young male's eagerness to save Lea amusing and sweet. "I already went in and took a look at the hole. It's pretty small. The rock has shifted over time. I can see how Lea would have fit inside -- but barely. You could fit, Kilyan, if you were willing to scrape yourself very badly. But the rest of us? You would have to leave us behind."
"Besides," said Kel, smiling at his son, "it's better to go on and meet her at the sun village than to wander lost in the tunnels. There are breaks in the ceiling, small holes where sunlight and moonlight can pour in, but aside from that, it is very dark. We might lose each other in there in the very midst of trying to find Lea!"
Kilyan nodded and resigned himself miserably to the fact that they would just have to find Lea at the sun village. But at least she was alive! And his heart swelled to think they were so close to finding her! But Kilyan's heart leapt at a sudden thought.
"But if the tunnels are sealed off -- how will Lea get out!"
"She could get out the same way she got in: by digging herself out," said Zaldon. "It is much easier to get out than it is to get in. I know. My mother took my brother Lynny and I down there once when we were pups. We were so anxious to see. We hadn't a clue what the mating season was: we just wanted to explore the tunnels."
Kilyan gazed at Zaldon in awe and wished suddenly that he had been able to travel when he was a pup, to see such wonderful sights. He knew that Zaldon probably had a thousand stories and gazed at him in clear admiration, but seeing his father smiling at his fascination, he blushed and looked at the fire.
"Yes, Zaldon's been around," said Kel, flashing his lover a fond glance. "Perhaps he if prolongs his stay, he can tell us more about his childhood travels."
Zaldon looked uncomfortably at Kel, but just then, Loryn returned to the fire and they fell silent. They watched anxiously as he went through his traveling pack and they realized he was pulling out a pouch of herbs. Then with this pouch and a dark expression in his eyes, he moved past them to the top of the hill and sat above them with his back to them. They all sat with their ears pricked forward, staring up at his silhouette, and when his head tipped back, they realized what he was doing.
"I'll go talk to him," Kel said heavily. "Zaldon, why don't you tell Kilyan more of your wonderful stories?" He clapped Zaldon fondly on the knee as he got up, then moved toward the hill.
Loryn did not look around as Kel was approaching. He was chewing grimly on the herbs in his jaw. Kel could smell the dizzying aroma: the pungent, sharply sour smell of the bitter herb. He stopped to stand over Loryn, who kept chewing and ignored him.
"What the hell are you doing?" Kel whispered after a pause.
"Don't start with me, Kel," Loryn said with dark eyes. "I'm a grown ass fucking male! If I want to destroy my own goddamned m-mind, I will!"
Before Loryn had time to anticipate it, Kel smacked him hard across the face. The drugging herbs flew out of his mouth in a chewy green chunk and hit the dirt, a wad of spit. Loryn looked up at Kel, incensed.
"Grown ass fucking males," said Kel calmly, "don't take drugs to ignore pain. They deal with it."
Loryn let loose a roar. He lunged up at Kel, but Kel had anticipated as much: his legs were wide apart and he was not easily tackled. Still, Loryn was so big and strong that Kel eventually fell to his knees with Loryn, and they strained against each other, their paws on each other's shoulders. Kel was calm, but Loryn was twisting and snarling as he struggled to shove Kel down, and then the juices of the herbs he'd been chewing took effect: his eyes rolled in his head and he started to get weak. Kel pinned him at once, though Loryn kept straining and growling, and he had soon straddled Loryn's lap. He held Loryn's thrashing arms down until the bigger wolf finally gave up and relaxed, panting, his chest heaving, the drugging herb making his eyes wander listlessly.
"You're doing this because you don't want to think about the fact that you just killed Eno, I know," Kel said gently, gazing in sympathy down at his friend.
Loryn's striped mane was in his eyes from his thrashing, his chest was still heaving, but he closed his eyes and dropped his head as if in defeat. "Damn you . . . Kel . . ." he panted woozily, and Kel was saddened when tears started from his eyes.
Kel hated to see Loryn crying, Loryn who was always so cheerful, always so ready to make everyone else laugh in times of trouble.
Loryn bit his lip, trying to hold back a sob. "I know you all hate me for it -- hell, I hate me for it -- but I loved Eno once! I did! And my p-poor Lea had to suffer for it!" His fangs flashed and he slammed his head on the earth as his voice grew more menacing.
"Loryn," Kel said gently, "Lea understands that if you could have protected her from all of this, you would have. She knows that you love her!"
Loryn only sobbed and rolled his eyes up in his head as he blinked out tears, as if he wanted Kel to stop looking at him, to go away and leave him to his misery. But Kel wouldn't go away. He leaned down and kissed Loryn on the cheek and repeated in a whisper that Lea loved her father, that she understood, that they all understood. And Kel kept up his gentle kisses, watching sadly as Loryn slowly broke down: first he ignored the kisses and stared resolutely at the sky, then he grew wild with frustration and started bucking again, and then he gave up and just sobbed. Kel stroked Loryn's mane and kept kissing him, kept telling him it was okay to cry -- it was okay to feel, no matter what young warriors were taught. And soon Loryn was clinging to Kel and sobbing brokenly until he sobbed himself into silence. Kel sat up now, holding Loryn tight in his arms, kissing his closed eyes and his tears, stroking his mane, and Loryn just clung to him in desperation, in silence.
"I'll never be rid of you, will I?" Loryn whispered after a long pause, and Kel was happy to hear him give a laugh, even though it was half a sob.
Kel shook his head and stroked Loryn's mane. "No, Loryn, I guess you won't."
"You were right, Kel. I just wanted to stop thinking about it . . ."
"I know, Loryn. It's okay. Just don't chew that crap again. Lea needs her father --preferably if he still has a brain."
"That was just like when we were pups, us wrestling," Loryn sniffed, and Kel felt his cheek bulge in a grin against him. "Except you never pinned me down before!"
Kel laughed. "It was only because you're drugged, Loryn. I'm sure any other time you would have tackled me."
"I could tackle you now if I tried. I think -- I think I wanted you to stop me. I don't know."
Loryn pulled away, and Kel saw him frown dizzily and clutch his head.
"Good god, I see two of you! If only there really were," Loryn said, and the old mischievous smile spread slowly across his lips.
Kel grinned and cupped Loryn's face, happy to see him smiling again. But before he realized what had happened, Loryn tackled him to the ground. He fell heavily, but Loryn's hot body was on top of him, and he was grinning down at him. Loryn lowered himself down onto his elbows, and his forearms were either side of Kel's head. Kel felt his blood rushing to have Loryn on top of him like this, and he thanked god they were up on the hill where it was too dark and too high for Kilyan and Zaldon to really see what they were doing. He felt Loryn's dick brush his own, Loryn's hot, hard thighs on his own, and his body melted at the feel of Loryn's fingers smoothing his mane back from his eyes, at the feel of Loryn's usual slow, wet kisses on his neck and cheek. Kel shuddered, but Loryn pulled back and smiled down at him.
"Don't ever stop loving me, babe," Loryn whispered. "I don't know what I would do if you did!" He smiled lovingly at Kel and kissed him on the lips -- very slowly, very gently, working his lips until they pulled at Kel's as if he was tasting him -- then he clapped Kel fondly on the cheek, got up, and went back down to the fire.