# Down in the Valley- Part II

Author: Billy Leigh
Tags: African, Aristocrat, Border Collie, Crime, Cum, First Person, Fox, Gay, Gay Relationships, Kissing, M/M, Military, Oral, Pilot, Violence (Not In Yiff), War, Wolf, Yiff, fennec fox, mystery

I guess you
want to know what happened after the party?
We think the
enemy are on the run, but the rattle of machine guns and the distant boom of shells exploding continue to ring
in my ears. I'm still waiting for the command to move forwards, so I have time
to finish my tale.  
Giles took
me flying as he had promised. It was a wonderful distraction from the atmosphere
back at the ranch. 
The drive to
Nyeri airfield did not take long. The airfield itself was ramshackle looking
but Giles' bright blue eyes were full of enthusiasm as we drove in. He parked the
car and led me over to a yellow DH Tiger Moth biplane. 
A Cheetah
technician was tinkering with the engine. 
"Ah Mr. Lockhart!" He called as we walked over. 
"Morning Amani. Would it be possible to take her up? I'd like to show my friend
the Aberdare from above" 
"Of course Mr. Lockhart. I'll get her ready".
Giles disappeared into a nearby building and emerged a moment later, carrying
two pairs of flying goggles and a padded jacket.
"You'll need these. The sun might be out but it'll be cool up there. I sussed
out your size so this should fit".    
A minute
later the Cheetah announced that the plane was ready for take-off. I climbed in
feeling somewhat apprehensive. Giles fixed me a reassuring smile before he
pressed down on the throttle.   
The fur on
the back of my neck stood on end as the nimble little aircraft sped down the
grass runway. My stomach lurched as we took off into the clear blue sky. Giles
was hunched over the controls but I was gazing excitedly over the side as we
left the ground. 
Soon, we
were passing over the town and the houses were as small as building blocks.
Furs scurried along the roadsides like ants. I was sure that some were pointing
and waving to us. We flew over the outer suburbs and soon the endless orange
expanse of the savanna stretched out before us. The plane climbed higher and I
felt a childlike sense of happiness and exhilaration. The cloudless blue sky continued
on for as far as the eye could see. I felt like I was in a small boat in the
middle of a calm ocean. The green hills seemed so comically small compared to
how imposing they had been from the ground. Giles flew the plane even higher.
He'd turned to me and grinned before pulling on the controls. I yelled with
surprise and excitement as Giles performed a loop. The sky disappeared and was
replaced by the savanna before Giles righted us. I was grinning from ear to ear
and whooped with joy while Giles howled in response.  
I was still
grinning when we touched down and I climbed out of the plane. 
"I've not had that much fun in years. Actually that's the most enjoyable thing
I've ever done!" I exclaimed as my tail wagged happily.  
Giles smiled back.
"It was a pleasure to take you up with me. Hugo certainly wouldn't have found
it fun!" he'd chuckled.  
 
The exhilaration was still gushing through me as we drove off. However, it was soon
replaced by a sense of foreboding as we neared the hills. I sensed by Giles'
body language that the Wolf felt the same way. His ears drooped and he slunk
down in his seat.  
I turned to
face him.
"Why don't you just fly away from here if you hate it?" I asked. 
He didn't reply at first. 
"Look, I'm going to request a new posting. Come with me" I continued. 
The Wolf's eyes glimmered as he mulled the decision over. 
Without a
warning, he suddenly pulled the car off the road and parked on a bare patch of
scrubland. 
"Why are we here?" I asked, gazing around in bewilderment.
Giles did not reply but instead gestured with his paw. We were parked in the
valley basin and the green hills towered up on either side of us. The red
savanna stretched off into the distance, eventually merging into the sky. There
was no sound, nothing but a gentle breeze blowing down from the hills.  
"I loved this place" Giles sighed before turning to face me.  
"I'll come with you but I wanted to appreciate this view one last time". 
"It's beautiful" I murmured. 
"This is the first time I've stopped with someone to look at it" Giles
explained. 
I smiled and
leaned over to kiss him. We closed our eyes and enjoyed the sensation of our
tongues exploring each other's mouths. Giles held me in his strong arms as the
warm sun shone down on us. I felt all my troubles drift away. His paw reached
over and began stroking at my crotch. 
 
I wanted to
pleasure Giles to make up for the interruption at the party. I reached over and
unbuckled his belt. He pulled his slacks down so that his genitalia was
exposed. His blue eyes encouraged me to continue. I took hold of his balls and
kneaded them as I ran my tongue over his sheath. I tried slipping it into my
mouth and sucked at the tip. Giles sighed with pleasure. His member soon
emerged and I continuing sucking earnestly, working my muzzle up and down.
Giles closed his eyes and stroked the fur in-between my ears. 
"Oh Ralph..." he moaned before ejaculating into my muzzle.
I swallowed the warm load as he sat back and panted in ecstasy.     
We spent another minute sitting in silence, gazing at the view while I leaned
against Giles' shoulder. His wrested his muzzle upon my head and gentle nuzzled
me. 
"We should head back" Giles eventually sighed. He retrieved a handkerchief from
his pocket and cleaned up the remaining mess. 
"We'll get our belongings and head back to Nyeri" he said. 
    
We continued
to drive up to the ranch. The sun had retreated behind a cloud and the valley
suddenly felt gloomy. I remember shivering as the warmth subsided. There was an
uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach.  
We rounded
the corner to see a black police car parked outside the house. My sense of
disquiet grew.
There were
two Zebra police officers standing at the front door. Their expressions were
grave. They were flanking a tall, brown Rhodesian Ridgeback dressed in a
pinstripe suit.
"Mr. Lockhart?" He asked in a clipped, authoritative voice. 
"Yes?" 
"My name is Inspector Roland Finch. I would like to ask you some questions
regarding Lois Donoghue. Could you follow me to Mr. Gilmartin's study please?" 
Giles fixed me a worried glance but nodded to Inspector Finch. 
"If you could wait in the front room and I'll send for you next" Finch then
said to me. 
I waited
until both canines had gone to the study and quickly ran up to the bathroom. I washed
myself at the sink and smeared some toothpaste into my mouth, hoping to mask
any lingering scents. 
I returned
to the front room and sat in a wicker chair by the fireplace. I observed that
the house staff had cleaned the room thoroughly, no doubt in anticipation for
the visit by the police. The scent of lavender filled my nose and I looked up
to see Elizabeth Gilmartin standing in the doorway.
The Collie's
face was fraught with anxiety. She glanced over her shoulders before hurrying
into the room.
"Have they found her?" I asked. 
"A local Antelope found her body at the bottom of the drop. She fell
apparently. We're being questioned one by one to determine what happened"
Elizabeth had explained. 
I remember she was breathing heavily and her eyes were wide with fear. Checking
that no one was at the doorway she walked over to me and pushed her muzzle
right into my face.
"Listen. On pain of death you are not to mention any details about our party to
the police. Do you understand me little Fox?" She growled. 
I could smell alcohol on her breath. I swallowed and nodded. Elizabeth backed
away and took a seat opposite me. I tried to avoid eye contact with her.
Inspector
Finch reappeared a minute later and led me to the study.
Like the
rest of the house, it was a large and airy room with a window overlooking the
garden. Finch stood behind Denys' desk and gestured for me to sit opposite. He
began by explaining the discovery of Lois' body. His face was deadpan yet his
green eyes bore right into me, searching for any hint of guilt. 
"When did
you last see Miss Donoghue?" He asked. 
I stated that Giles and I had been talking in the garden when Lois had
appeared. Giles had stopped her from falling and took her back inside. I
repeated his claim that he'd put her to bed but she had somehow slipped away. 
"There was a
bottle of whisky on the grass near to where she fell from" Finch had explained.
 "It's possible that she was intoxicated,
wondered out of the house and fell by accident. However, according to Mrs
Blythe, Miss Donoghue was shouting at someone in the garden"
"I see" I replied
"Apparently she had been quarrelling with Hugo and Giles. You don't know about
the nature of their friendships. Could they have potentially harmed her?"  
"I know that Hugo and Lois were mated but I didn't speak to either of them much.
Giles was not fond of her but he's not the sort of canine to wish ill on anyone"
I replied carefully.  
Finch wrote something down in his notebook. 
"Did she seem depressed or insane. Would she have wanted to take her own life?"

"She struck me as quite a character but I'm not sure if she was depressed" I
claimed. 
A vision of her intense black eyes flashed before my mind. Beads of sweat broke
out on my muzzle and my heart pounded unpleasantly in my chest. 
 
"What is
your connection to the Gilmartin's?" Finch continued. 
I replied truthfully that I'd met Hugo, Giles and Lois at the social club.
Wanting to get away from my office, I'd taken up their offer to spend the
weekend at the Gilmartin's ranch. Something close to a smile spread across
Finch's muzzle as if he had found something significant. 
"This gathering that took place last night. What exactly went on? Were
narcotics and alcohol consumed by the guests?" 
Heeding Elizabeth's threat, I claimed I had not seen much as the atmosphere had
been too loud for my liking. I'd spent most of the night outside. Not
mentioning the shisha, I told him that alcohol was drunk but no drugs were
taken. I was aware of Finch's pen scratching ominously against his notebook as
I spoke. 
The
Ridgeback fixed me a scrutinising look as I finished. Slowly, he had reached
into his pocket and pulled out a small glass bottle. 
"Do you recognise this?" Finch asked as he slid the bottle across the desk.
I'd picked it up and examined it closely. It contained a white powdery
substance.
"I found it in her suitcase. Were you aware that Miss Donoghue was taking
this?"
"No" I replied firmly "this is the first time I've seen it". "Although it explains a lot" I'd
thought to myself. 
"Very well. I'll let you go for now but I have the address of your office and
I'll be in contact with you. Are you likely to be leaving the country any time
soon?"
"No" I replied, although in my head I was still formulating my plan to get a
new post. 
Finch had
then gestured for me to leave before calling Elizabeth into the office.
I made my
way up to my room and pressed my ear to the floor. I'd worked out that the
office lay directly below my room and I was intrigued to hear what Elizabeth
had to say. The advantage of being a Fennec is that my hearing is sharp and I
could soon pick out the conversation.
"What were your thoughts on Miss
Donoghue?" 
"Honestly? I could not stand that Cougar. She was an urchin from the
backstreets of New York who had no business associating with furs like us. She formed
a relationship with Hugo so she could help herself to his money. I think she
used to thieve out of my bedroom! The last time she came here my diamond ring
went missing"
Elizabeth had
ranted for another five minutes before Finch interrupted her. 
"So you would have been happy to see
some harm come to her?"
"Certainly not! I disliked the girl but that's a ghastly thing to wish on
someone" 
I'd
suppressed a snort at the irony of her statement.
I listened
to Major Norton, Dianne and Denys' interrogations. They were equally clueless
as to what had happened. Once Finch had finished his questioning I packed my
suitcase and made my way downstairs. 
I was
waiting outside for Giles to appear when I noticed Hugo standing on the
veranda, smoking a cigar. 
"I'm sorry for your loss" I said apologetically.The fox shrugged. 
"I think it was the only way out for her" he'd mused, puffing on his cigar.
"What do you mean?" 
"She wasn't happy. I'm not surprised it came to an end that way" Hugo said. 
He gazed impassively down the garden to the spot where Lois had fallen. 
I felt rather unnerved. The drippy Hugo that had been braying with laughter the
day before had vanished. To this day I cannot decide if he was in shock at
Lois' death or simply did not care. 
 
Giles appeared
at the front door and beckoned me to the car. I climbed in with my suitcase.
"Finch is going to question me again. He reckons Lois' death was accidental but
I was the last person who saw her alive. I'm named as a fur of interest in this
case" he'd explained "look, what I said about Lois was true. I had no idea where
she had gone when I tried to check on her" He added. His blue eyes were wide
with concern.
"It's all right. I believe you" I replied firmly. 
Giles forced
a smile and we drove off together. I was glad to get away from the ranch and
vowed not to run into Hugo or the Gilmartin's again. Once we reached the bottom
of the valley, Giles reached over and clasped my paw reassuringly in his.   
I continued
my work at the office, listening to the wireless as the war grew worse. Much of
Europe had been taken and the conflict was spilling into North Africa. I spent
my nights at Giles' house which was a couple of streets over. He continued his
work as a pilot, disappearing off for a few days each week while I tried to
contact my superiors. 
Finch came
to the house and questioned Giles again but seemed satisfied that the Wolf's story
was legitimate. He left us alone after that.  
Two days
later, I got a call from Finch explaining that one of the house staff had been
taken into custody. He had been caught with Lois' pearls in his pocket. This
particular fur had also been accused of violently assaulting and mugging someone
in Nyeri before working at the Gilmartin's place. Finch explained that if
anyone had pushed her, it must have been him in a robbery attempt. The case was
closed. 
That same
night I received a new posting in Cape Town and convinced Giles to come with
me. We packed
our belongings into his car and drove south.
My new office
in Cape Town was an improvement on the stuffy, box-like room I'd had to put up
with in Nyeri. I was also given a spacious, modern apartment on the seafront that
was delightfully fitted with art deco paintings and furniture. The bedroom
window offered an unbroken view over the white-sanded beach and the sparkling
blue ocean beyond. Giles moved in and immediately declared that he loved the
place.
I settled
into my new job with renewed enthusiasm. My secretary was a cheerful Leopard
who never failed to greet me in the morning and say good night when she went
home. I listened to the occasional newsflash on the wireless as I worked.
Britain had thwarted an invasion and claimed a victory in North Africa. I was
also surprised to hear that America had entered the war.   
Giles made
one trip back to Kenya to retrieve his Tiger Moth. He maintained it at an
airfield just outside the city and we continued our flying excursions every
other weekend. I'll never
forget a sunset flight we took one evening near Table Mountain. I marvelled as
the night sky turned a curious yet impressive shade of purple as the stars
appeared one by one.  
Unlike
Britain, South Africa was not subjected to food rationing. Giles and I would head
out for a meal together before drinking at the bars and dance halls near the
quayside.  
When the
weather was fine we would walk along the sand as the blazing red sun set over
the water. We'd brush our muzzles and swish our tales if the beach was empty. Other
evenings we went home and made love on the bed, not bothering to close the
curtains. No one could see into the apartment and I'd gaze up at his blue eyes
as they reflected the sunset through the window. 
I felt a
giddy sense of happiness and freedom. I'd gotten away from a dull posting and could
spend my free time with the canine I loved. 
I wish I
could end the tale there, but I can't. There's a mantra that says the universe
has a funny way of rebalancing itself. I guess that was what happened.  
The bliss
was shattered when a set of call-up papers arrived on my desk one afternoon. As
British subjects, Giles and I were to be recruited into the King's African
Rifles to join in the efforts at retaking mainland Europe.
With my
background, I was quickly promoted to officer rank and placed in charge of a
small regiment of furs. Giles was taken in by the air force when it was
discovered that he had a pilot's licence. He promised that we would be back
together again.   
So, here we
are. 
Giles is now
flying sorties over Belgium and Holland, towing gliders of furs to be dropped
into battle. We write to each other as often as we can although we can say very
little. 
I'm about to
lead my furs into a muddied battle in Italy. I've managed to load my
revolver and I'm sure my command to advance will be given at any minute. 
I feel the
same fear that had gripped me when Lois had returned to the garden.
I'd been
sitting in the moonlight, feeling frustrated that Giles was away taking care of
Lois. I'd looked up and saw to my horror that she was storming down the lawn
towards me. A bottle of whisky was clasped in her paw. Her eyes were narrowed
with revulsion. She hissed through gritted teeth before shouting that Giles and
I were disgusting, depraved individuals. She had seen us kissing and could smell
the semen on my fur. Her senses were clouded with alcohol and her eyes became crazed.
I was worried that someone would hear us and gestured with my paws for her to
calm down. This only made the situation worse. She began shrieking and beating
her paws against my chest, causing the whisky battle to fall to the ground. She
ranted that everyone would find out and I'd burn in hell. I grabbed hold of
her, trying to stop the shouting but she kept punching and scratching. I pushed
her away and she fell, giving a small scream as she disappeared into the
darkness. 
I stood
still. Completely frozen in shock. 
My mind
could not comprehend what had just happened. I peered over the edge but it was
too dark to see anything. 
I realised with
a sickening sense of dread that she must have fallen all the way to the bottom.
She was either dead or seriously injured.  
I knew I
should tell someone immediately, but I did not. 
When
Inspector Finch asked me what I knew I played dumb.
Here comes
the command. I'm about to charge into a bloody fray with my regiment. The enemy
are retreating but I pray I come out in one piece.  
I got what
I'd wanted after I left Kenya. Giles and I were free, but it came with the
price of an overhanging sense of guilt. I feel conflicted, part of me wishes I
never went to that party and done such a horrible thing, but then I'd have
never met Giles. Call me selfish, but if given the choice I'd rather survive
the war and live with the guilt so I can see him again.

Source: https://sofurry.com/view/972669