This story contains sex between minor boys and teen-agers. If such things offend you, or you are not at least 18 years of age, then please don't read on. This story is not true, but who knows, maybe some day it will be.
CHAPTER 35
Just Out for a Walk
by Douglas DD
Alex saw the two Shkah men reach into their saddle bags. One pulled out some arrows and a cross bow. The boys turned and headed back into the woods, ducking into some high grass. The Shkah started heading into the part of the woods they had come out of. The boys lay very still in the deep grass. The Shkah with the bow pulled out a long knife and started swiping at the grass. They weren't sure if the boys had gone into the woods or into the grass. If it had just been Hakaanen boys they would have ridden off, but they were sure that there were some round eared boys with the group. That could only mean they were being followed and that the followers would have to be eliminated.
One of Shkah was getting close to where Travis was lying. Alex had taken a place about ten feet behind Travis, with Mike beside him. They each pulled a fully charged laser gun from their back packs. The setting was heavy stun. Neither boy was ready in his heart to kill, but they would do anything else to get away. On Earth both boys had played laser tag, but with guns way different from the rifles in their hands. Those guns couldn't hurt or kill.
The Shkah was almost on top of Travis. Alex aimed. This wasn't laser tag, this was real. He fired and a bright red beam of light shot out, hitting the Shkah in the ribs. He fell hard to the ground. The other Shkah turned and Mike fired. Mike didn't have the experience that Alex had, but he was steady. His first shot missed. He fired off a second which hit the Shkah right in the chest knocking him off of his unicorn.
The two boys grabbed their backpacks and got up. Travis, Jeremy, and Bandar got up right behindthem. They didn't stop to check on the fallen Shkah. They didn't know how long stun would last. All they knew was the two Shkah men were unconscious and they were getting away while they could.
They headed for the unicorns. They could see a trail leading up into the hills and figured that the Shkah men came down that trail. Which meant that maybe Ryan and Drew were taken up the trail. Their first idea was to take the unicorns, but they knew that five of them wouldn't fit too well on two unicorns. They decided to chase the unicorns off by stinging them with the lowest stun stetting on the laser guns. Each unicorn got a quick zap on the butt, about what a whip would feel like in a race, and they headed off toward the west. Now at least if they were going to be followed up into the hills they were on equal footing with the Shkah men. They put their packs on and headed up into the hills, hoping that Ryan and Drew were up there somewhere.
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Robert Charles looked at the two surprised boys in front of him and laughed. "You thought you were rid of me, didn't you? Well, here I am. And just what are you doing up here in the middle of nowhere?"
"We were just out for a walk," Ryan said with bravado, trying keep his voice steady. He wondered if Robert Charles was behind their being kidnapped, but he wasn't going to give anything away. He saw the blue green hair on Robert Charles and he knew that somehow he had gotten involved the Hakaan men who had kidnapped them.
Vordkan looked at the two round eared boys. He was wondering what they were doing up here.
He was even wondering if they were the kidnapped boys, although one looked bigger than they said he would be. And if they were the kidnapped boys, what were they doing here, unless somehow they had escaped?
Ryan was trying to think of some kind of story to tell Robert Charles. Maybe he would let them go if they worked on him hard enough.
"So you brought the little crashed friend with you, I see."
Drew knew who Robert Charles was, and he remembered he didn't like him much. He was one reason he and Drake quit going to the games room. He seemed like a big, loud bully.
Robert Charles kept on talking. "It's a long walk up to here. How about giving me the real story. You guys decide to leave those fag assholes?" He looked at Drew. "Did Douglas try sticking it up your little round ass?"
Ryan was about to say something when they heard the sound of hooves. It was two Shkah men on unicorns. Ryan's heart sank when he saw who they were. They were two of the kidnappers.
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Douglas and Scooter were sitting up side by side on Scooter's hospital bed. Scooter was looking better already. His cheeks had color now. Plus he was incredibly hungry.
When the nurse came in to look at him Scooter asked her for breakfast for him and Douglas both. She was surprised to hear him talk to her in Haakan. She didn't think any of the boys knew how to speak it, except for the little bit that Mattoo knew. Scooter and Douglas decided it was time to give out Scooter's secret, because they were going to have to do a lot of communicating and Bandar wasn't there.
While they waited, Scooter told Douglas that Robert Charles was around. That he had gotten blood from him and how when he found that out he had gotten very frightened and tried to run to find him.
"I think I was delirious," Scooter said.
"Well, I don't know if you noticed last night, my love, but the kid who gave you your first blood was in the room."
"Robert Charles was in the room? What's going...."
"No, no, my sweet. Robert Charles didn't give you blood."
"Then who did?"
"Matthew."
"Matthew? Matthew is alive? He's here? How?"
"I'm not entirely sure, but we will find out when he gets down here. He saved your life twice."
Douglas went on to tell Scooter about Matthew giving him blood and about Matthew finding Scooter behind the bush in the courtyard.
"You saved my life in that yard, my love, and I didn't do a thing. I couldn't even find you when I was a few feet away. I'm so sorry." Douglas rubbed Scooter's shoulder and side.
"You did everything. You saved me. You're love brought me back. I felt it. Maybe you didn't find me behind a bush, but you brought me back from a darker place. I love you." Scooter placed a big kiss on Douglas's lips.
"I hope nobody minds the stains we left on the sheets this morning," Douglas said.
"From what I've seen around here, they're used to it." Scooter lay another kiss on Douglas just as the nurse came in.
The nurse brought both boys breakfast. They sat up to eat and while they were eating the room started to fill. Matthew and Enghar came in first. Then Jim and Drake followed by Stevie and Jordan. Stevie pushed Jordan into the room ahead of him.
They found chairs and talked some. Scooter told Matthew how awesome it was he was alive and thanked him for doing what he did to save his life. Scooter also translated for Enghar, who was amazed somebody could speak Haakan so well.
Douglas told Matthew what happened since the sandstorm. He told him how in the wind the tent got buried, how they had tried so hard to find him, but the wind had changed how everything looked. They had yelled and dug and hoped he might hear them, but there was nothing. And they couldn't find him. They only had so much water, and every hour was crucial. They had no idea where the tent was. Matthew remembered having heard voices when he was trapped in the dark tent. They were all fighting tears as the story was told. He told him of how they found Drew and Drake and about exiling Robert Charles. He told him about the horse shaped rock and how it led them to the green valley.
"You not only saved Scooter, Matthew, you saved all of us. Green horsey brought us here. Without you we would still be on the "Moonduster" slowly dying. I'm just sorry it cost you so much to see the valley and the rock."
Douglas went on, telling of the trip down the cliff and of them meeting Bandar and his friends. He then told of the shooting of Scooter and of Ryan, Drew, and Drake being kidnapped.
"I think they were trying to shoot me, not Scooter. And I think they wanted Drew and Drake and Ryan got in the way. And I truly believe Robert Charles is involved with this somehow."
Matthew then told his story. He told how the tent started collapsing in the wind like somebody was knocking down the poles. But the last one didn't fall all the way. He said he heard voices but thought it was all a dream and he couldn't answer. They all guessed that after they left, the wind that exposed the last part of the tent that was even partly standing. Matthew said that if that part hadn't stayed up he would have been crushed.
Then Matthew told about being found by the Haakan man and of his trip back. He told of the doctor fixing his leg and of his ending up living there. And he told of Enghar, what he had done for him, and how much he loved him. Jordan glared at both of them when he said that.
With Scooter able to translate they found out a lot about the Hakaanen, how they got to Inferno, why everything was falling apart, about their families, and about how much boys all loved each other as well as girls loving each other. And he told them how much he loved his Mattoo, which made Jordan glare again.
Matthew told Douglas what was going on when he saw him ready to hit Jordan with his crutch. Then everybody glared at Jordan.
"I wonder how the trackers are doing," Jim said.
Douglas frowned. "There is no way to find out. I forgot to give them one of the radios. I was so stupid, but with all this Scooter stuff, I didn't have a chance to say anything."
"But they do have a radio." Stevie said.
"They do?"
"Yeah. I put two in the red back pack. I thought you knew."
"No. Then get me mine and let's see if they left any messages. It's in my backpack."
Jim brought his backpack over. Douglas took out his radio and turned it on but there were no messages.
"Did you tell them you put it in?"
"No, I was like you. It all got confusing and I forgot. I don't even know whose backpack it was."
"They should have seen the radios by now. Well, let me see if I can raise them."
Douglas tried to raise the tracking crew, but nothing happened. He tried three more times.
Nothing.
Enghar started talking, but there was no translation from Scooter. Douglas looked at him and saw that he was sound asleep. They had worn him out. He was probably still weak. He looked so cute sound asleep.
Douglas crept out of the bed and he and the boys left Scooter to rest. They went up into the third floor lounge. Douglas tried one more time to raise the tracking crew. Nothing. Something had to be seriously wrong.
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Alex was leading the way up the hill. After him came Jeremy, then Travis, Mike, and last was Bandar, wearing his red backpack. He kept hearing a buzzing sound in it. Finally he stopped to try to figure out what it was. When he stopped the rest of them stopped too. Bandar dug through his pack but didn't find anything he didn't expect.
Alex and Mike wondered what he was looking for, but the buzzing had stopped by the time they got to it. Bandar tried to tell them why he stopped but he couldn't make himself understood. Alex and Mike shrugged and smiled and started going again. They wanted to get as far from the Shkah men as they could, then they would start thinking about where they should go. It looked like a long way up the hill, but only Bandar knew how far. He'd been up this trail before.
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Ryan and Drew were each put up on a unicorn. The Shkah men were arguing about something, but they couldn't tell what. Neither could Robert Charles.
"We should take them back to the village. They won't be looked for there."
"They escaped once already," another Shkah said. "They are more secure in the village."
"You forget why we kidnapped them," another said. "It wasn't to keep them prisoner, it was to test Robbachass. To see where his loyalties are for our attack on the Haakanen."
"He's right," said one of the Shkah who did the kidnapping. "We take them right to the caves and get it over with."
The first one thought about it and agreed. They would go to the caves. And since the round eared boy was already here, they could take care of things that night. They had been thinking the next night, but everybody was here, so why wait. It was agreed. The test would be tonight. One of the moons would be full, so the light would be perfect. Robbachass would show who he was loyal to, the round ears or the Shkah. And they all hoped he would pass, because they could see already that he had some of the attitude needed to help them in the war coming up. But he had to show he was with them one hundred percent. And now was his time.
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Douglas woke from his nap. It was daylight out, but the room was dark because the curtains were drawn. He looked around him. Everybody was asleep napping. It had been a long couple of days. He got up and left the room and headed to the elevator. He took it down to the first floor and headed for Scooter's room.
Scooter was awake when Douglas got into his room. Douglas hopped on the bed and kissed Scooter.
"God, I love you, Douglas."
Douglas kissed Scooter deeper and harder. "God, I love you, Scooter."
The doctor came in and smiled. They broke their kiss and the doctor examined Scooter while Douglas lay on the bed watching.
"You're looking better," the doctor said. "The wound's infection is going down. You're going to have a scar where it hit you, but otherwise I think you're going to recover just fine."
Douglas kissed Scooter again. The room started filling as the boys came down to join them.
Douglas told them the news and they all smiled. All but Jordan, anyway.
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It was late afternoon when the Shkah men, Vordkan, Robert Charles, Ryan, and Drew got to the caves. The caves had been a place Shkah and Hakaanen both went to, just to explore or have fun and they were huge. Not all of them had been explored yet and families would come up to look at them. It was one place where Hakaanen and Shkah would be in the same place and get along. Maybe it was because it was families.
The Shkah men got out food and drink. They fed themsekves along with the boys. They figured the two kidnapped boys might as well have a last meal. Ryan and Drew ate fast. It was their first meal since dinner the day before. They didn't know it might be their last.
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The trackers were on the plateau. The sun was setting. They got out some food and some water. Bandar was digging in his pack when he heard the buzzing again. Travis heard it too.
"That sounds like one of our radios. Let me see." He looked in Bandar's pack, but didn't see anything. Then he saw that there was a pocket on the inside. He unzipped it and there were two of their radio handsets. He pushed the receive button.
"...las calling trackers...This is Douglas calling trackers.."
Travis pushed the send button. "This is Travis. Hello, Douglas." He heard a big cheer at the other end. "Sounds like we were missed."
"Travis! Where are you guys! Where were you guys! We thought something terrible happened."
"Well, we didn't know we had radios."
"You didn't know? Stevie put them right into one of the packs."
"Yeah, he put them into Bandar's pack and Bandar never saw them. We just now heard them buzz. We knew what it was, but he didn't. Anyway, tell us what's going on."
Douglas told him that Scooter was okay, which made them all happy. He told them about finding Matthew, which totally amazed them, especially Mike.
"My little brother is alive?" he said into the radio.
"Alive and very well," Douglas said.
"Can I talk to him?"
"Sure."
Douglas put Matthew on the radio. "Hey," he said shyly.
"Hey, little bro, how's it going? I love you and am so happy you're alive!"
"I love you big bro." Hearing Matthew, who he thought was dead, say that was too much for Mike. He had been close to crying, and that set him off. The tears started flowing.
After a long silence, Matthew said, "Are you there?"
"You bet I am, I...I..I'm just so happy I have my little bro back. I'll be seeing you soon!"
"Bye big bro," Matthew said, and he handed the phone to Douglas so he could wipe away his tears.
Mike told Douglas about the battle with the Shkah men and how they were at the top of the trail up into the hills. But now they didn't know where to go.
"I'm glad you didn't kill them," Douglas said. "It proves to everybody that we're better than they are. They were ready to kill you I'm sure. They sure were trying with Scooter and me."
"We thought about killing them, but you're right. We have to keep moving somewhere, though, or they will catch up to us. We just don't know where to go, and we can't communicate with Bandar that well to get ideas."
"Hang on a sec," Douglas said. He talked to Scooter, who talked to Enghar. Enghar then said something to Scooter. Scooter told Douglas to have Bandar get on the radio and then to give the radio to Enghar. He had some things to say.
The boys at both ends listened to Enghar and Bandar talk, but only Scooter had any idea of what they were talking about.
After the good-byes were said the boys set out across the plateau. Bandar was in the lead now after Douglas told the group to follow him. They walked until close to dark when they decided it was time to eat and set up camp.
While they were setting up they saw something amazing. Off to the north there was a quick bright flash of light and they the sky close to the horizon sparkled briefly with all kinds of color. They had no idea what they had seen, but it was beautiful. Bandar knew what it was, but he didn't know how to explain it so his round eared friends would understand. They human boys laid out their sleeping bags wondering what it was they had seen. Mike had the first watch, looking in the direction they had come from, watching in case the Shkah men they had fought were able to catch up to them. In the morning they would get up to look for their missing friends.
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Jordan was sitting on his cot, bored and angry. He was tired of being ignored and looked down on. The way Matthew greeted him wasn't right after what he did for him on the "Moonduster". Of course he forgot about what he did to Matthew on the "Starkeeper." He was about so say, fuck it, and just sleep when Douglas came into the lounge.
This was going to be their last night at the hospital. Douglas had no idea where they were going to be tomorrow. He just knew they were all going to be together no matter what. They would not be separated this time and with Scooter's help he would make that very clear. But one of the things they needed to be together strong was for Jordan to be with them on their side. He promised himself he was going to talk to Jordan, and now was the time.
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Ankyol was the oldest of the Shkah men. Even though his mane was blue and green, his hair was almost all gray. He motioned to Robert Charles, pointed to the boys, and said, "Gragh," the Haakan word for kill. Robert Charles didn't know what Ankyol said, so he shrugged. Vordkan understood. It was more than he expected to happen. He thought Robbachass might have to take them to the desert and lose them, or something close to that. He didn't expect the order to kill his own kind. They were going to give Robbachass the ultimate test. And Vordkan knew in his heart that if Robbachass failed this test, he would be the one to die.
Ankyol then pointed to the boys and made a slitting motion across his throat. That Robert Charles understood. He picked up a laser rifle, pointed it at Ryan, and faked shooting it. Then Shkah men all smiled and shook their heads yes. Then Ankyol took the rifle from Robert Charles's hand and set it down. He took Robert Charles's knife from his belt and put in his hand. Then he made the throat slitting motion again. Robert Charles nodded.
Ankyol motioned to Robert Charles and led him to the entrance of the cave. Two other Shkah men dragged the boys behind them and Vordkan followed them all. They were led up a path to a hill over the entrance to the caves. There were two poles set up there. Ankyol shined his lantern on the poles. He tied Drew to one of them, his hands tied behind his back and around the pole. Then he did the same to Ryan.
While this was going on Robert Charles noticed a very slight colored twinkling glow were the little valley was. Every now and then there would be a a blue, or red, or green, or yellow light flashing on and off real fast. He was wondering what it was and what was happening in the valley. He noticed that Shkah were looking at it but didn't seem upset about it or anything.
The men started to leave. Only Robin, Vordkan, and the two tied up boys stayed. Ankyol stopped and waved at Vordkan to follow him. Then he made a slitting motion at his throat again.
Vordkan walked down the hill thinking, this is wrong. They can't really mean for Robbachass to slit the throats of two boys who hadn't done anything. Maybe the test was that he wasn't supposed to kill them, just frighten them. When he got to the cave entrance he asked what it was Robbachass was REALLY supposed to do. Ankyol looked at Vordkan with an evil grin and made a slitting motion again. Vordkan's mane stood straight out as a chill ran down his spine.
Robert Charles looked straight at the two boys. He held the knife in his hand. Thinking about whacking Douglas, or Mike, or Alex with a sword in some kind of battle or something was one thing. But these two had never really done anything to him. Well, okay, Ryan probably voted against him and he didn't ever stand up for him that he could remember. And when he was exiled he never heard Ryan stand up for him.
Then he looked at little Drew. He was in the lower school. He wasn't on the "Moonduster." Why should he hurt him? He never voted or did anything against him. Okay, he heard that Drew and his twin didn't like coming to the games room and he was one of the "big kids" who was supposed to be a problem. But still, he was a little kid maybe nine or ten. Robert Charles wanted his first kill to be some kind of a challenge, not two boys tied up, one of them not even a teenager yet.
He could see, even in the dark that they both were scared. His test was simple. Was he going to be loyal to the Shkah who saved him, to Vordkan who was becoming his friend, even if he was a bit queer, to the girl he met in the barn? Shit, he thought, to her? I fucked her and don't even remember her name. Or should he be loyal to two boys he hardly knew and who didn't like him? In the end the real question was, which decision would give him the most power - untying them and running off with them to the big valley they had come from, where he would end up under Douglas one more time, under the boy he hated so much? Or was the way to power to go to battle with the Shkah, because he knew that war was coming. Even without knowing the language, he watched warriors practice, they went to get the laser rifles, and he saw them blow up the "Moonduster". He figured they did it to impress him and to make sure nobody else could use anything from it.
So, again the question went through his mind.....was he going to be loyal to his own kind and help them escape, or was he going to murder two boys, one his age and one almost five years younger so he could try to find power. A voice shook him from his thoughts.
"What are you going to do, Robert Charles?" Ryan asked, trying hard to sound brave. "You going to show how brave you are by slicing the throats of two boys tied up in front of you? Going to show your bravery and leadership?" Ryan was trying to sound tough. He was trying to make a challenge to Robert Charles. But it was all he could do to fight off tears.
Drew wasn't even fighting. They were pouring down his face. "I don't want to die...please...." he sobbed.
Robert Charles looked at them. Ryan with his bravado. Drew, a frightened little boy. He dreamed of killing his enemies in a fight, of showing Douglas, Alex, and Mike who was the bravest and the toughest and the most powerful. But killing these two boys was cold blooded murder. Was getting power worth taking their lives? Did he really want to have green and blue hair and be loyal to a group of aliens who were so different he couldn't understand what they said or understand half their customs?
He felt his long green and blue hair. He thought of Vordkan dying it, of Vordkan in bed with him making love to him. Shit, he thought, not making love. Fags did that. Fucking him is what he did. But it was so good, he thought. And the Shkah would take him into the battle he wanted and make a man out of him, not that he really wasn't one already. He was the true leader of the "Starkeeper" boys, and he was going to prove it by beating them in battle. And to do that he would have to pass his test.
"Guys, I'm sorry I have to do this. It's nothing personal." Maybe if he thought of it that way it wouldn't be so bad. Drew was shaking he was crying so hard. He didn't even have tears left. Ryan felt his tears coming. Even Robert Charles couldn't go so low as to walk up to them and cut them with his knife.
Robert Charles decided the kindest thing he could do would be to take care of Drew first and not make him suffer by watching Ryan die. He thought of the Shkah down below in the caves and wondered why they weren't up here? Were they too cowardly to watch the two boys die? He knew Vordkan wanted to stay, which meant a lot to him. But the Shkah men, it was like they were willing to have him use the knife as long as they weren't around. Oh well, nobody said he had to like them. All he had to do was use them to regain his lost power over Douglas and his misguided followers.
He walked up behind Drew, his little naked body shaking with cold and fear. He put the knife blade up against the little boy's throat. He remembered doing this same thing on the "Moonduster," putting a knife to a throat, getting a drop of blood out if it. Robert Charles was surprised that his whole thing was getting him hard and excited. He put the knife down a second and took a deep breath. This was it. And now that it was so close, it was exciting him. Suddenly he wanted to do it. It really was power! Power of the biggest kind, the power of life and death.
"I'm really, really, sorry, Drew, but I figure you'll be ending up in a nicer place than this fucking planet." He put the knife back up to Drew's throat and the boy screamed at the top of his voice.
Next: Chapter 35 Sabotage
Author's Note: Drake and Drew were late additions, not originally planned in the story. I got to here and had to wonder if Drew would be making an early exit now. I suppose you're all wondering the same thing. The question is, how low will Robert Charles stoop in his quest for power?
Constructive comments are welcomed. E-mail me, Douglas DD, at TheHakaanen@Hotmail.com