and pulled the cougar into a hug.
“ Mmm. I did.” Jonas smiled and held the fox against him, and drifted into a warm, happy sleep.
They kept company with the farmers for the next few days. The elder farmer, a raccoon, left the road first, followed the next day by the younger couple. The husband, a rugged-looking rat, had told them he and his wife were settling out on the fringe of civilization, where there was a lot of land. Jonas and Alexan waved as the rats’ wagon turned down a narrow lane, leaving them alone on the road.
Several wagons bound for Divalia passed them going the other way, and from the drivers they gathered that the pass was still navigable, but that there were bandits about. Only one wagon had been attacked, but many had seen them.
“ I’m glad I’ve got you with me,” Alexan said to Jonas after a bobcat had painted a vivid picture of the bloodthirsty bandit leader he’d spotted. “Even if it is unlikely that he saw him that close.”
“ There don’t seem to be many attacks,” Jonas said, and Alexan shook his head.
“ I’ve never been bothered. But I’m still glad to have you with me.”
That was the first night they did not have an inn or a farmhouse to sleep in. The mountain loomed ahead of them, snow-covered peaks rising above the dark mounds of the nearer hills, and they stopped just on the eastern side of one of the hills, sheltered from the wind. Alexan brought out some cured meat and they shared it, sitting in the grass on the side of the hill while the mounts grazed, tethered, below them. Jonas had his arm around the fox and his eyes on the stars twinkling above them. The air was chilly, but his fur was warm enough, and Alexan didn’t seem to be complaining either.
When they’d finished, they lay back on the grass. Jonas turned towards Alexan, and they kissed under the stars and then made love slowly as the mounts watched through sleepy eyes. Perhaps Alexan was affected by the stars and the romantic moments, or perhaps it was simply that he was unused to having Jonas more than once a week; whatever the reason, he was gentler than usual. He insisted on being on top still, but this time he slid a paw under Jonas, and they came within a minute of each other.
Lying on the grass, panting, Alexan moved his hips and said, “I love this. Being locked inside you, feeling your body under me…”
“ Mmm-hm.” Jonas’s eyes were closed. He couldn’t remember when he’d felt this happy. He wound his tail around Alexan’s leg and inhaled the scent of the grass and earth in the crisp, cool air. The fox’s weight atop him was warm and comfortable, and after a while, the soft sound of his even breathing lulled Jonas to sleep.
They reached the border outpost the next day, two clusters of buildings astride the road at the base of the first mountain. As they came into view, Alexan stopped the wagon. “Get in the back,” he ordered Jonas.
“ Why?”
“ I give them some papers, some money, and they let me across. If they see you, they’ll want more money and there might be other complications.”
“ But…” Jonas saw from the set of Alexan’s ears and jaw that he was not going to win this argument. “All right.”
He clambered into the back of the wagon and curled up as Alexan threw a blanket and some boxes over him. It felt as though he were being hidden because the fox was ashamed of him, but Jonas drove that thought from his mind. Of course it made sense not to vary a routine, especially when it came to a border he wasn’t supposed to be crossing.
When they emerged from the pass the next day, Alexan drew up the team for a moment. Jonas was already staring breathlessly at the vista before them. The slopes of the mountains ran down into a plain whose emerald contours were interwoven with a shining river that ran to a city. It hurt Jonas’s eyes to try to see the tiny details of the city, but he could see plainly to the south of it the reddish hills and the large
“ Mmm. I did.” Jonas smiled and held the fox against him, and drifted into a warm, happy sleep.
They kept company with the farmers for the next few days. The elder farmer, a raccoon, left the road first, followed the next day by the younger couple. The husband, a rugged-looking rat, had told them he and his wife were settling out on the fringe of civilization, where there was a lot of land. Jonas and Alexan waved as the rats’ wagon turned down a narrow lane, leaving them alone on the road.
Several wagons bound for Divalia passed them going the other way, and from the drivers they gathered that the pass was still navigable, but that there were bandits about. Only one wagon had been attacked, but many had seen them.
“ I’m glad I’ve got you with me,” Alexan said to Jonas after a bobcat had painted a vivid picture of the bloodthirsty bandit leader he’d spotted. “Even if it is unlikely that he saw him that close.”
“ There don’t seem to be many attacks,” Jonas said, and Alexan shook his head.
“ I’ve never been bothered. But I’m still glad to have you with me.”
That was the first night they did not have an inn or a farmhouse to sleep in. The mountain loomed ahead of them, snow-covered peaks rising above the dark mounds of the nearer hills, and they stopped just on the eastern side of one of the hills, sheltered from the wind. Alexan brought out some cured meat and they shared it, sitting in the grass on the side of the hill while the mounts grazed, tethered, below them. Jonas had his arm around the fox and his eyes on the stars twinkling above them. The air was chilly, but his fur was warm enough, and Alexan didn’t seem to be complaining either.
When they’d finished, they lay back on the grass. Jonas turned towards Alexan, and they kissed under the stars and then made love slowly as the mounts watched through sleepy eyes. Perhaps Alexan was affected by the stars and the romantic moments, or perhaps it was simply that he was unused to having Jonas more than once a week; whatever the reason, he was gentler than usual. He insisted on being on top still, but this time he slid a paw under Jonas, and they came within a minute of each other.
Lying on the grass, panting, Alexan moved his hips and said, “I love this. Being locked inside you, feeling your body under me…”
“ Mmm-hm.” Jonas’s eyes were closed. He couldn’t remember when he’d felt this happy. He wound his tail around Alexan’s leg and inhaled the scent of the grass and earth in the crisp, cool air. The fox’s weight atop him was warm and comfortable, and after a while, the soft sound of his even breathing lulled Jonas to sleep.
They reached the border outpost the next day, two clusters of buildings astride the road at the base of the first mountain. As they came into view, Alexan stopped the wagon. “Get in the back,” he ordered Jonas.
“ Why?”
“ I give them some papers, some money, and they let me across. If they see you, they’ll want more money and there might be other complications.”
“ But…” Jonas saw from the set of Alexan’s ears and jaw that he was not going to win this argument. “All right.”
He clambered into the back of the wagon and curled up as Alexan threw a blanket and some boxes over him. It felt as though he were being hidden because the fox was ashamed of him, but Jonas drove that thought from his mind. Of course it made sense not to vary a routine, especially when it came to a border he wasn’t supposed to be crossing.
When they emerged from the pass the next day, Alexan drew up the team for a moment. Jonas was already staring breathlessly at the vista before them. The slopes of the mountains ran down into a plain whose emerald contours were interwoven with a shining river that ran to a city. It hurt Jonas’s eyes to try to see the tiny details of the city, but he could see plainly to the south of it the reddish hills and the large
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