Date: Sun, 29 Apr 2007 08:38:58 +0000
From: Jack Smith <js_mas@hotmail.com>
Subject: New Beginnings 6

     WEEK SIX - THE EXPEDITION

     FIRSTDAY

     Yue-Sin was waiting for him as he entered the weapons
room.  Behind him was a young man of muscular build.  Beside
him was Ba-Nol.  In front of all was a table covered in
fisal, on which was a gleaming sword.  The face of Ba-Nol
glowed as he looked between me and the sword.  "It is very
beautiful," was all I could find to say.
     "Try it!  Pick it up!" said Ba-Nol.
     I hefted the sword, feeling its weight in my hands
after the lightness of wood.  Felt its balance and poise.  I
swung a few strokes.  In truth it was like an extension of
my arms.  Yue-Sin pick up his sword and took guard.  I faced
him, then we made a few well rehearsed thrusts and parries.
"It is wonderful, Ba-Nol.  Thankyou."
     "My pleasure, my Lord."
     "It feels very dangerous though.  All I would have to
do is slip and I could cut off someone's arm!"
     "That is why I would like you to take your wooden sword
with you when you travel, as well as this masterpiece."  Yue-
Sin gestured to the young man behind him.  "This is Do-Si.
He will be travelling with you as your personal guard.  He
is handy with a sword, and I would suggest you take time to
practise.  It will do you both good.  You can spar with him
now.  Thankyou Ba-Nol."
     "My pleasure, sir."  Ba-Nol bowed to me before backing
out of the room.
     When the door had shut Yue-Sin continued.  "Do-Si has
another talent that will serve you well while you are away.
It is a talent that make he and I competitors, but while I
can't be with you I'll release you to him.  He will keep
your lizlion warm, won't you Do-Si?"
     "It will be a pleasure, sir," he said, a knowing grin
stretching his round face.  The hint of a moustache marked
his upper lip.
     "I hope the pleasure will be shared, Do-Si."
     "I'm sure it will, m'Lord."
     "Take your positions," called Yue-Sin, throwing wooden
swords to both of us.  "Start!"
     Do-Si was a cunning fighter.  He was quick with a feint
and thrust, he read well the play.  I managed the first hit,
but it was pretty even overall.
     "18 to you, 14 to Do-Si," Yue-Sin said as he commenced
to massage.  "He will be good practice for you.  When we
meet up on the Expedition of Lord Srotyr I will test you to
see if you have improved."


                     BOOK 2 - CONTINUED

     CHAPTER 2 - CONTINUED

     Cavon put down his knife and fork.  The food had indeed
been delicious.  Sjorb and Svena had told him that they
didn't like the synthesised food, that it wasn't as good as
the real thing.  This was why they grew their own fruit and
vegetables and had real meat and grains shipped in.  Cavon
had looked on this with suspicion, but now he had to admit
that there was truth in what they said.   Svena, commenting
on his life on Nu-Chin, said that it must have been
wonderful having fresh food to eat at all times.  Cavon had
replied that he had known nothing else at that time, so
didn't notice, but that the variety that existed in the rest
of the galaxy way overcame the scant quantity of food types
he had grown up with, however fresh.
     That night they had eaten what he had been told was a
vegetable curry.  Because of the cost of importing meat
Svena and Sjorb said that they ate little meat.  The curry
had been rich and hot, eaten with lots of rice.  He enjoyed
the rice.  It was better than any he had eaten at home, more
fragrant and light, and much better than that produced by
the food synthesiser on his boat.  He had eaten way too
much, and drunk way too much also.  He felt very content,
better than he had felt in all his time on Planet T7G8, but
somewhere deep inside alarm bells had not quietened down.
     Sjorb took up the initiative when the meal finished.
"Now, come and sit and have a port with us."
     "What is port?"  In all the reading he had done port
had only referred to a place for boats to shelter.
     "Port is a sweet wine.  Fortified."  This comment had
been preceded by the usual brief eye glazing.  Cavon had
begun to wonder if Sjorb knew anything himself.
     "Wine is a drink made from grapes?" Cavon asked.
     "Yes."
     "I've never seen grapes.  What do they look like?"
     In a moment the flowing mountain scenes that had
occupied all the walls were replaced by fields of broad leaf
plants trained on long, linear wires.  The image zoomed in
on bunches of small, shiny purple balls.  "These are
grapes," said Sjorb.  The images then showed mechanoids
collecting the grapes, looking as if they were eating as
appendages with tumbler-like endings enveloped each bunch,
snipped them off then pushed them into a mouth like opening
in their front surface before reaching for another.  The
story continued to show the making of wine, mechanoids
racing around amongst vats and bottles, demonstrated the
different wine types, including port.
     It all served to emphasise how much there was to know.
Wine was such a big topic that people dedicated large
portions of their lives to its production, with the best
being exported around the galaxy to be consumed by the same
people who could afford XTC.
     "Yes.  I would like to try some port," Cavon replied
when his education had finished and icy mountains once again
had replaced hot fields and dusty wine vaults.   It proved
to be sweet and strong, with a delicate flavour that he
suspected it would take many years to master.  Very good.
He could feel his head sagging forward with sleep.
     Svena spoke next.  "Now, before you go to sleep we have
one more thing to offer you.  You are a handsome young man
in the Chinese style.  We have been on this island for 35
years and have not seen any other human in that time.  We
would like to invite you to share our bed, to add a bit of
spice to our love making.  That is if you wish.  We are
versatile and can fit in with whatever you like.  And of
course we will throw in freshly picked XTC."
     Cavon found himself suddenly alert.  Sex?  No one had
offered him sex since he had arrived in Planet T7G8.  The
closest he got were pornographic holograms that he had found
on the ships computer, and of course the holograms he had of
Father with William.  He knew he was tempted.  But he also
knew had been set up to be tempted, lulled with the bucolic
comfort of alcohol and food.  He did not sense danger, but
sensed that he would feel an obligation so great that no
matter what he found during his inspection that he would not
be able to bring himself to report it.  So he stumbled to
his feet, thanked Svena and Sjorb for their hospitality but
claimed excessive fatigue and asked if he could maybe take
up their offer on the next day.  Both Svena and Sjorb
appeared discomforted but had little choice but to accept.
     And next day Cavon found the reason for the solicitude.
Baby XTC plants grafted to all sorts of exotic plants
growing in their "vegetable garden".  One of the contractual
items that a farmer signed to was to not experiment in
anyway with the growing or genetics of XTC plants.  This
attempt to find a host plant that could be grown off world
explained why people from such a wealthy planet as NewSweden
felt the need to isolate themselves for fifty years on such
a desert world as Planet T7G8.  Cavon tried to subtly take
photos, though knew that through the lurking servitor
animals the island computer was seeing every move and
relaying it to Svena and Sjorb.  They took no action though.
They were gentle, good people at heart, though possibly way
too greedy.  He did not say anything, feeling too sad to
face them again, and let his computer look after the police
action that would be initiated by his report.  He found out
later that they had a second computer, that had no
connection with the first, which looked after their
research, though not surprisingly it was an empty husk by
the time Lind Inc's technicians had a chance to look at it.
Much later still he heard that Svena and Sjorb were in the
employ of a company of their home planet, a competitor of
Lind Inc, and were involved in intentional corporate
espionage.


                     BOOK 1 - CONTINUED

     WEEK SIX - THE EXPEDITION - CONTINUED


     SECONDAY

     Riding beside Wi-Su in early morning mist so thick that
the horses' feet disappeared in mist.  Wi-Su stayed close
and we made slow progress, taking care to not stray from the
road.  Every now and again our legs brushed.  Do-Si and the
field worker rode ahead, invisible, but a stretched rope
tied to the back of Do-Si's horse and knotted onto Wi-Su's
pommel indicated their presence.  A pulling on my saddle
reminded me of the packhorses that followed behind.  Silence
contained us, as did the mist.  Somehow the white that
swirled around us, leaving my eyebrows and lizlion coat
dripping water, seemed to absorb any tendency to speech.
Father had seen us off at the gate.  Wi-Su had been wanting
to wait for the mist to lift but Father, more experienced of
the road, suggested that we would not have problems as long
as we kept the pace slow, and we would be well advanced by
the time the mist lifted.
     I had little idea where we were.  Occasionally bows of
trees loomed out of the mist as we veered too close to the
left hand side of the road.  Occasionally Wi-Su's horse
walked in dirt as we veered to the right.  Overall we
maintained a straight path.  It seemed like we would ride
forever hidden from the world, like we were riding up into
the land of The One.  Eventually though we became aware that
the sides of the road were visible, the rope had become a
little longer in front and behind.  Wi-Su gave a tug on the
rope, and soon Do-Si and the field worker who were
accompanying us appeared in front where they had stopped to
wait.  "I think we can make more pace now.  Let's keep the
rope though until the visibility has improved a bit
further."
     "Yes sir," replied Do-Si, flicking his reins to start
his horse into motion once again.
     By the time the mist had lifted enough to see our
surrounds we had reached the place where Xi-To had fallen in
the hole that had broken his leg.  The light suggested it
was late morning, but no field workers had ventured forth as
yet.  Working in mist was dangerous, as lizlions liked to
take advantage of its cover to stalk prey.  They covered the
ground silently, but seemed aware of any noise around them.
They did stay near water in a mist though, so we had been
safe on the road.  Wi-Su called a halt and had the field
worker build a small fire from dry wood stored on a
packhorse to make tea.  Do-Si and the field worker took
their tea apart.
     "Its good being out on the road," started Wi-Su.  "Even
though we have covered very little ground, it is different
than when I ride out to inspect something for Lord Srotyr.
I feel I am escaping into freedom."
     He was wearing old trousers again and with the way he
was sitting, hunched forward onto his bent knees so that his
shirt lifted and the pouch of his trousers pulled up tight,
his dick was nicely outlined.  I wondered if I would get to
see the contents of that pouch while we were away.  Though
sitting with him now, sipping fragrant tea and relaxing, was
heavenly enough.  "This is something new for me.  It does
feel different.  But I think it is more excitement I am
feeling, going to places I have never been before."
     "I can still remember my first expedition.  I was a
little older than you are now, and I was accompanying the
mason to whom I was apprenticed.  He was searching for a
source of stone to build the house in which you now live.
The King had brought him up here, but when he had not been
happy with the stone that was immediately available the King
suggested a location up river.  I can understand your
excitement."
     "How far did you travel?"
     "Another day further than we are going to be going on
this expedition, but when we started we had no idea how far
we were travelling, did not know what we would find.  It was
more like Lord Srotyr's Expedition, riding into the unknown.
Oh, I didn't tell you, I will be joining you on the
Expedition when it passes."
     "That is wonderful Wi-Su.  I will be happy to have your
continued company."
     "It will be a real expedition.  Exploring a cave that
maybe goes right through the mountains!"
     "It will," I replied, joining in his enthusiasm.  "What
do you think we will find?"
     "I have no idea.  But whatever it is it will be new,
not seen before by man."

     Before we mounted again the rope joining Wi-Su to Do-Si
was removed.  A quicker pace was commenced, something that
the horses could maintain over a long distance.  The mist
gave way to a fine day, giving a magnificent view of the new
land I was seeing.  The rising hills on our left had the
same red cover of whintox and miscal as I was familiar with
close to home.  The miscal was white with flower, its scent
making the air fragrant.  Golden insects hummed the air in
their never-ending nectar hunt.  The river flat was covered
in a reddish grass, grazed by innumerable lizrabs.  Those
closest fled the sound of the horses, on one occasion onto
the road instead of away causing Wi-Su's horse to shy and
lift.  With difficulty he controlled the frightened animal,
then called a stop.  It was lunch time anyway and a small
stream cut across the valley floor, ducking under the road
in a large pipe.  This I had not seen before and I explored
while the field worker prepared a cold lunch and Do-Si
prepared a sleeping area.  The pipe was of a white, finely
grained substance.  It reminded me of Wi-Su's sedimentary
rocks, but it seemed impossible that such a perfectly
circular structure could be carved from a stone.  Wi-Su said
that he had never seen such stone except in pipes and
thought it was probably manufactured in a way similar to the
road surface. As there was no indication of rain the tents
were not mounted.  We ate then slept, but for only a short
time as we didn't want to waste any more daylight than we
had to.  As dusk closed in we stopped again.  Fatigue made
my limbs heavy, riding all day made them stiff.  I decided
to help Do-Si look after the horses and set up the tents, so
as to stretch a bit.  Wi-Su disappeared into the red forest
of whintox and miscal that remained the constant vegetation
of this side of the river.  Maybe higher up in the hills
there was some variation, but I had not entered so far in
the past. The scent of miscal that had been powerful by day
was cloying by night.
     Do-Si bent over so that his pert backside was in my
face.  He wriggled it and then looked around at me
mischievously, a wicked smile creasing his plain face.
"When will be get to be alone long enough to had some fun?
That Wi-Su hangs around you like a bad smell."
     "Maybe when we get to the camp.  There he will be busy
supervising the work."  Thinking at the same time that I
hoped he didn't leave my side for even a moment.
     "I hope so!"  wiggling his arse again.
     He had a nicely rounded arse and I couldn't resist
giving it a smack.
     "Do that again or I'll scream," he joked.
     "I'll do more than that when we get the chance," I
responded in tone.
     "Promises, promises!"
     He was being quite forward, but he had shown discretion
to date so I decided to ignore it.  "Wi-Su approaches."
     "Spoilsport," he said softly, then as Wi-Su came near,
"The tents are ready sir. I've set up a lamp and laid out a
blanket.  I'll bring your meal when is ready."
     "Thankyou, Do-Si."
     The field worker proved to be a good field cook.  We
ate a tasty stew of chicken with vegetables that had been
brought fresh from town, with greens and rice.  A little
rice wine was drunk as we stared out into the dark.  "I feel
a little on edge," I said.  "Its like the reverse of this
mornings mist, lost in black rather than lost in white.
I've never been out away from NewTown at night."
     "It is a good feeling, when you get used to it," Wi-Su
answered.  There are no dangers.  Lizlions sleep at night.
Think of it as a comforting blanket under which you are
hiding, and it is not so bad."
     "That is a good image.  I will hold on to it."
     "Good.  Now lets go to bed.  I want to make an early
start again tomorrow.  We should arrive in the camp if we
make a good pace.  Lord Srotyr's suggestion to start out
despite the mist has proved to be a good one.  Come over
here and empty your water first," he finished, moving
towards the edge of the bush.
     I stood at his side and heard his stream land in the
leaves of the miscal.  It was too dark to see anything and
the scent of miscal covered the odour of his water.  My dick
was hard which made it a bit difficult to get started, but
eventually a second rattle of leaves joined the first as my
water released.  I could vaguely make out him shaking
himself, or at least a movement of his whole body that
suggested that.  He waited for me to finish before turning
back to the tent, lit internally by the lamp.  Do-Si waited
outside.  He would sleep in the foyer, on guard.
     We crawled in.  This was a low tent, one for
travelling.  It was not possible to stand.  Wi-Su stretched
out on his sleeping mat.  I was disappointed when he did not
take off any clothing before pulling his blanket over
himself.  "Goodnight, my son," he said quietly.
     "Goodnight," I replied, adding "father" sotto voce.  It
surprised how good it felt being called "son".  I slept
quickly, content, though the ground was hard and uneven
under the thin mattress.


     THIRDAY


     Morning was wet and grey.  Our coats, discarded once
the mist had lifted the previous day, were donned before we
exited the tent.  The field worker had a small fire going
under cover of a cloth held up on four stakes, and had tea
and hot rice ready.  We ate sitting under the partial
shelter of the trees while Do-Si and the field worker broke
camp, then, after completing morning nature calls in the
privacy of personal little clearings in the forest we
started another long day on horse.  In the wet the scent of
miscal did not carry as it had.  The air seemed fresher.
The river continued to meander through flat fields of lizrab-
infested grass and the road continued to meander at the edge
above the flood plain. A few new trees started to appear in
the forest with leaves of yellow-green that contrasted so
with the red whintox that they appeared to be vividly
flaunting themselves.  By lunch, when we had paused at
another small stream, they had disappeared again.  The rain
was heavier and we slept in tents, the sound of drops on the
roof so near my head forming a monotonous music to my sleep.
I awoke feeling cold.  Everything was damp and in the
stillness of sleep a chill had entered.  Wi-Su was still
asleep, curled in a ball for warmth.  How wonderful it would
be to be at the centre of that ball, sleeping in his arms as
I did with Father!
     My head was bent low on the rest of the journey,
keeping rain out of my face.  I saw little past the neck of
Kito.  Our pace picked up as we were eager to reach the
comfort of the camp.  The horses needed little guiding,
accustomed to following the formed road, until Wi-Su
suddenly called a halt and pointed to a muddy track that
parallelled the gorge cut by a more vigorous stream up into
the hills.  "This is it.  We turn here.  Pay attention for
the track is not good."
     The horses picked their way through the heavy mud and
fading light.  It was almost dark when I thought I could
here some noises foreign to the forest coming from up ahead.
Then soft lights appeared, and finally we were entering the
edge of the camp.  The field worker supervisor came to greet
us.
     "Good evening sir.  I miserable day for riding."
     "Yes, Zo-Lo.   It is good to arrive.  Is the tent set
up in the usual spot?"
     "Yes sir.  I'll get a torch and lead the way."
     The field worker who had accompanied us joined his
fellows while Wi-Su, Do-Si and I followed Zo-Lo further
upstream, beyond the noise and bustle of the camp.  We
dismounted and handed off the horses to field workers who
accompanied Zo-Lo, then we started to climb, moving slowly,
concentrating on keeping to the path as the torch's light,
threatened by the heavy rain, did not cast very far and the
path was quite steep and narrow.  After what seemed a long
climb the ground suddenly levelled out, the path passing
between two pedestals.  "Here you are, sir.  It needed very
little clearing, even though no one has been here for a
year.  The soil cannot be very deep."
     The torch illuminated only a small circle of flat
ground and a tent looming in front.  Zo-Lo lifted the flap
of the tent to show us inside.  Using a bamboo taper lit
from his torch he lit a lamp that sat on a low table.  The
tent was quite roomy, with a foyer of some few paces deep to
remove wet clothing then a area beyond further flaps that
was about 5 paces square, very comfortably accommodating two
sleeping mats, the table holding the lamp along with paper
and writing implements, and clothing racks.  It could have
housed six people.
     "Thankyou Zo-Lo, you have done well.  Do-Si, go with Zo-
Lo and organise our meal.  Give us a little time to refresh
before coming back, but have the field workers bring up our
bundles while we bathe."
     "Yes sir."
     When they had left Wi-Su used a taper to light a fresh
torch and said, "Before you take off your coat let me show
you something that makes this place rather special.  He led
me out of the foyer into the night and turned left.  After a
few paces the tent had disappeared into the dark rain.
"Stay close," he said, sensing I had stopped to look around.
The flat ground gave way to broad stairs that curved away
and down to the left, and after some 40 steps ended in
another flat area, at the far edge of which, some paces
further on, the glimmer of a body of water became visible.
I felt a warmth in the air, and noticed that the little of
the edge of the pool that I could see appeared quite
straight.
     "You'll have a chance to see it better tomorrow.  It is
a rectangular pool of hot water."
     "Rectangular?"
     "Yes.  With walls made of a substance that I have never
seen anywhere else.  And strangely nothing grows.  The water
is clear, the walls smoother than a bath."
     "Can we bathe?"
     "Yes.  It is safe.  No lizlions have ever been seen
near here.  I don't know why, as they usually follow water
up into the hills as they get older and bigger."
     "I meant, could we bathe now?  I feel cold and dirty.
I am accustomed to bathe every day as I have a bath in my
bed suite."
     "Yes, we can bathe now.  The water invigorates and
relaxes after a long ride."
     He led back to the tent.  "Take off your clothes and
put on just your coat," he ordered.  Instantly my dick was
hard thinking that my chance had finally come to see him
undressed.  He left the torch in its holder outside of the
tent.  He took off his coat and hung it on one of a row of
hooks at one end of the foyer, that furthest from where the
guard's bed mat was laid out.  He then took off his damp
shirt.  While it covered his face I took advantage to watch
his torso as it appeared, white with back hair whorling
around his nipples and spreading across his chest.    I
copied his actions, turning away to hide my pouting pouch.
But fear of not seeing him undress greater than that of
exposing myself caused me to immediately turn back.  He hung
his shirt over another hook then reached again for his coat,
replacing it but leaving his arms inside.  His trousers then
appeared on the floor at his feet.  He stepped out of them
and, after extracting his arms, hung them with his shirt.
He then looked at me for the first time.  I had forgotten to
continue my undressing and was still dressed other than my
coat, my hands quivering in front of my groin as if about to
lift my shirt, but waiting for privacy.
     "I'll wait for you outside," said Wi-Su ducking under
the flap into the dark.  Alone I quickly divested myself of
my clothes, not using the shelter of my coat to hide my
lower regions from view as had Wi-Su, but putting it on
before joining him outside.  Wi-Su again picked up the torch
and led back to the pool where he carefully placed it in a
holder located some distance from the water.  His body, a
vague shadow as he stood at the pool edge turned slightly
white before disappearing into the water.  I assume he had
taken off his coat.  Approaching the water I similarly put
down my coat and tentatively stepped into the water, unsure
of its depth.
     "There are steps," Wi-Su said quietly from somewhere
off in the dark.  "They are about a forearm wide and
shallow."
     With less concern I then stepped to find that my foot
met water as hot as my bath water at home then a smooth flat
surface.  After stabilising myself with both feet on this
level I shuffled forward till I came to the edge and again
stepped down.
     "There are 6 steps."
     I wondered how well Wi-Su could see me, wondered if my
arousal had been discovered.  I negotiated the rest of the
steps quickly, finding myself in water as high as my groin.
I dropped my whole body under the water to be sure that I
was hidden.
     "Over here.  Ahead and to your left."
     I didn't see Wi-Su until I bumped into him, then he was
only a slightly darker form in the dark.  I ran into his
arms, outstretched to fend me off, then rotated around to be
level with him and looking back towards the lamp.  From what
I could see he would only have seen me as a dark silhouette,
so I thought that my secret was safe.  But I did not feel
safe knowing he was so close to me and for the first time in
my presence completely without clothing.  And I could see
nothing!
     "It feels good.  There is something different about
this water.  It is slippery," he said.
     "Yes.  And without soap it makes skin feel clean and
smooth."  I was at that moment exploring how it felt with my
hand grasping my dick.  I decided that the only way I was
going to be able to compose myself was to cum, so I noisily
splashed away till I could see the silhouette of his head
above the water as only a small melon.  I manipulated myself
quickly, so pent up that I achieved orgasm in an instant,
and then splashed noisily back.  "It feels wonderful."
     "I was unable to discover the secret last time I was
here.  The water seems to rise through a circular vent at
the far left of the pool, and falls down a similar vent on
the far left.  There is no indication though of where it
goes or from where it comes.  I have no doubt that this is
an artificial structure, but I have no understanding of how
it could be constructed."
     "Is it safe to move around?"
     "Yes.  The water is the same depth throughout, and all
walls are smooth and even.  Low trees grow on all sides but
they don't approach the water.  The torch will always be
able to guide you back."
     I quietly moved away to the right before turning to
continue directly away from the torch, into the night.  I
seemed to have crossed a large distance before finding the
far edge of the pool and the exiting steps that bordered it,
with the hint of ragged dark on dark a few paces further
away presumably being the trees of which Wi-Su had spoken.
I turned.  The torch was just visible.  I suddenly felt very
vulnerable, lost in darkness.  I stood, unconcerned that my
lizlion was going to be on display, to be able to return as
quickly as possible.  It was not until I could again make
out the silhouette of Wi-Su that I felt comfortable again.
He was standing, looking in the direction I had originally
taken.  With renewed desire I slipped down into the water so
as approach silently, to see as much as I could.  I
concentrated on his dick that stood somewhat away from his
body rather than hanging limply down.  Was he hard?  If he
was he was not very long.  Staying far enough away to avoid
discovery I examined him for some time, then backed away to
approach more noisily.  As soon as I made a noise he dropped
under the water, leaving only his head on view.
     "This is truly a magical place," I said.
     "It is.  But let's get back now so we can change for
our meal."
     "You go first," Wi-Su said when we reached the first
step.  He turned away as I left the water and donned my
coat.
     "Okay," I called, unwillingly looking away so he could
come out unseen.
     "Good, now let's hurry."
     The torch sputtered out just as we arrived back,
plunging the outside world into darkness. Wi-Su ushered me
inside to allow me privacy to dress.  Dressed I returned to
the dark foyer.  Wi-Su entered at my call.  He took off his
coat and handed it to me.  It was so dark that he would not
be able to see where I was looking, and I was rewarded by a
quick flash of white as he slipped between the flaps into
the inner room.  A short time later he lifted the flap,
giving me enough light to hang his coat.  We sat at the
table, awaiting Do-Si.
     "Tomorrow morning I will inspect the area where the
black substance is collected.  It is hard work to collect it
as it lies under a layer of compacted soil.  Then I want to
show you a strange rock.  I will say nothing of it till you
see it, as I want to hear your thoughts uncontaminated by
mine."
     I nodded, composing how I was going to respond, when
light appeared in the foyer and Do-Si called out.  "Your
meal, m'Lord and sir."
     "Enter, Do-Si," said Wi-Su.
     Do-Si tied back the curtains, revealing himself along
with three field workers carrying trays.  In the foyer he
took off his coat and kicked off his wet boots then brought
in the trays one by one.  He laid the table with bowls and
chopsticks, then placed covered bowls and a platter in the
centre.  Water in jugs with cups, and smaller cups
accompanying a bottle of rice wine were the contents of the
last tray.  He took the lids off the food bowls and served
rice and stew of lizrab and vegetables into our bowls, then
lifted the lid from the platter to reveal hot roast pork and
greens.
     "Thankyou, Do-Si," Wi-Su directed at Do-Si bowing,
retreating form.  When the flaps were closed Wi-Su bowed his
head to say grace, then we ate.
     Leaning back against cushions, belly over full from
food that tasted very good, sipping rice wine, I felt a warm
contentment wash over me.  Wi-Su pushed the table away and
similarly lay back, rewarding me with a view of his pouch as
his bent leg lifted his shirt.  He was leaning to one side
and his dick and balls could be made out lying against the
prone leg.  I hoped that all his clothes were as old and
thin as the ones he was wearing.  Do-Si entered to remove
the dishes.  "The rain is heavy?" asked Wi-Su.  It could be
heard pounding the tent's roof.
     "Yes sir.  Solid."
     "Are you tired, my Lord," he asked.  It was a
rhetorical question as my eyes were almost closed.  "Let's
relieve ourselves then and turn in early.  I too am weary."
     We donned our coats and pulled up our hoods to venture
out.  Our water tonight was without impact or noise,
obliterated by the solid rain.  As he lowered himself to his
sleeping mat Wi-Su again said, as he had the previous night,
"Good night, my son."
     And again I replied, "Good night, father."  Letting the
"father" appear as a mutter.


     FORDAY

     Morning found the rain had softened.  Zo-Lo, when he
came to wish us good morning, organised the field workers
who brought breakfast to put up the tent awning.  It covered
a large square in front of the tent, increasing our dry area
and therefore our comfort, but it tended to buckle and
collapse under heavy rain.  We ate breakfast in the open
seated on chairs under its shelter.
     "Meet us at the old pit after breakfast, Zo-Lo.  Bring
15 workers with shovels, buckets, mattocks and barrows."
     "Yes sir," said Zo-Lo, as he bowed himself away to
leave us to eat alone.
     During breakfast silence I admired the view of which I
had been quite unaware arriving in the dark.  The front of
our tent looked down the creek and I suspect, if visibility
had been better, across the river valley.  The creek valley
walls where steep and rough, of dark rock sprouting
occasional projections of foliage.  We were on an elevated
area that seemed to hang onto the side of the valley of the
stream, and to our right and down some distance the stream
roared through a bed of broken stone.  The elevated area
appeared to be perfectly flat, though irregularly shaped,
and was covered in a type of grass, dense and green, that I
had not seen before.  It felt like a cushion underfoot and
presumably explained why I had slept so well last night
despite sleeping on the ground as I had the previous night.
To the left the steps curved down to the pool.  And later
when I wandered around a little I was impressed by the
mountains that rose behind, stepping up until invisible in
the feather rain.  I felt like we were near the top of the
world.  I had never been so high before.
     After breakfast Wi-Su showed me where there was, what
he called, a camp toilet.  In reality a hole in the ground
with a seat above it located in an area a little more
secluded.  After our daily functions were complete he again
took me on a tour of the pool, emphasising the regular shape
and the trees.  The latter grew neatly around the edge,
never approaching too close and extending in depth on all
sides, forming a barrier to view from all directions,
including the direction of the stairs, whose curve blocked
direct line of site between the pool and the elevated area
where they originated.  But though the width of the fringe
of trees obscured the view, each tree consisted mainly of
twisted limbs and did not block much light from above,
allowing the growth of a broad leaf grass underneath that
formed a dense cushion like that on the elevated platform.
Each tree was also comfortably space from its neighbour,
with bows sufficiently high, so that walking amongst them
was like walking amongst columns of a hall.  I had never
before seen anything so ordered in the natural world.
     My tour completed I followed Wi-Su down the steep path
back down to the valley floor.  I was surprised that we had
managed to walk up it without problems in the dark as I felt
I needed all my concentration to descend.  Wi-Su commented
that it was easier to go up than come down.  My trembling
knees agreed with that.  The path leading from camp
continued upstream cramped between the edge of the stream
and the curve of the ridge formed by our camping spot. Spray
filled the air from water tormented by a bed of mighty
boulders and our coats were soon running with moisture.
Once around the ridge the riverbank expanded and the path
took its chance to move a safer distance from the stream
edge.  It remained narrow though, also seeking a path
between mighty boulders, and we walked single file.  The
stream continued a broad curve to the right then took a
sharp jag to the left to reveal a view that took my breath
away.  At the end of a short stretch the valley ended in a
sheer wall.  On top of the wall was a broad U-shaped valley.
The stream fell over the edge of the wall in the centre of
the hanging valley forming a magnificent fall of white,
foaming water.  Mountains continued to rise beyond.  It was
an image fit for God.  Earlier I had felt that looking up
the valley had been like looking up a path that led to
heaven.  Now I felt that I had arrived, that heaven was in
that unreachable valley.  I don't know how high that wall
was but a hundred ladders would not have reached it, I was
sure.  Even though we were hundreds of paces away from the
fall the water battering the ground made a sound of such
volume that it was difficult to talk.
     Wi-Su let me stand and watch, open mouthed, for some
time, before pointing to return the way we had come.  He
then directed me up a path I had not noticed, overwhelmed as
was I by the waterfall and its valley, that climbed the
valley wall.  Like all the paths it consisted of rocks
pushed into gaps amongst the tumble of rocks to make a
vaguely passable track.  It rose slowly at first, then began
to climb quite steeply, becoming more like a series of
irregular steps than a path.  Breathing hard we finally
reached the top and climbed over.  Our eyes were greeted
with a bowl shaped area of grass falling downwards away from
us, walls being formed at its back by that we had just
climbed and lowish, sloping scree covered surfaces on either
side.  At its end it seemed to disappear into space after
mounting a low wall that was cut by seemingly man made
channels at various points.  It felt like a dimple on top of
the world.  Zo-Lo was waiting there with the workers. A hole
filled by water and reeds disfigured the smooth surface.
     "This is where we found the black substance last year,"
said Wi-Su.
     "How did you know it was here?" I asked.
     "The King directed us to it.  He drew us a map
indicating the various landmarks we needed to guide us.  It
was as if he had been here before, but he said he never had.
And there was certainly no indication that anyone had dug a
hole here before.  It was completely under a small lake that
we drained with those channels."
     "Very strange."
     "Yes."  By now we were approaching Zo-Lo.  The workers
were sitting in relaxed postures awaiting their orders.  "Zo-
Lo.  The first task will be to remove the water.  Use the
buckets and pour it over the far edge.  Then remove the new
growth so as to leave a bare surface here."
     "Yes sir."  Zo-Lo turned to give orders to the field
workers who slowly stirred themselves into action.
     "Now, come with me," he addressed to me.  "While they
are excavating I want to show you the rock I mentioned."  Wi-
Su headed down towards the far end of the depression.
     On cresting its lip I expected to see another deep
valley like we had just left, but instead undulating plain
spread into the distance, its surface meandered by creeks
and rivers.  "Where does this go," I asked.
     "I don't know.  It hasn't been explored.  But come with
me."  He turned left, carefully picking his way along the
slope.  It was made of a brownish, weathered stone, layered
like one of the samples he had shown me back home.  Little
tufts of a reddish plant grew from crevices formed between
layers.
     "This is where you collected one of the rocks in your
collection."
     "You are observant.  It is the one you suggested was
made of compacted mud at the bottom of a lake or river.  But
look where it is!  On top of the world.  Where is the lake
that cradled its formation?  But this is not what I wanted
to show you.  It is further ahead and down."
     "Here it is!"  He had stopped at an area of rock that
had, from the distance, appeared darker, as if wetter than
the surrounding surface.  Closer it was obviously the same
rock that we had traversed, but was impregnated with a dark,
greasy substance, unpleasant to smell and greasy to touch.
"What do you think of this?"
     The discoloured area was not very big, maybe 10 paces
in diameter.  I looked back towards the point we had
commenced our descent, and felt fear when I could not tell
where the depression was located.  "Where did we descend?"
Wi-Su pointed to a spot not too far away, and once indicated
I could see the marks made by the canals dug into the ridge.
"This smells rather like the black substance when it is hot.
Could there be a fraction of the black substance that is
more liquid that has seeped between the rocks to end up
here?"
     "That is what I thought too.  Good.  But how do you put
all together, this rock that forms on the bottom of lakes,
this strange black substances?"
     I turned and gazed over the massive expanse of land
spreading out till it disappeared in mist.  I could never
have imagined, living by our river in its valley, that such
an area could exist.  I tried to imagine it all underwater.
It would have been a mighty lake.  But how did it come to be
so high.  Such a mighty lake could not be so elevated.
Could the land have risen, dispelling the water that covered
it?  But how could land rise?  Still, that one part couldn't
be explained did not rule out the theory.  "Do you think
that something could have caused this land to lift up?" I
asked.
     "Lift up?" Wi-Su questioned.
     "Imagine that there was a huge lake that covered all
this area.  It would be like the sea you talked about.  Then
somehow the land lifted up and the water fell away.  Then
with time rivers cut ravines in the rock, that in some
cases, like our river, formed huge valleys."
     "It leaves one very large question.  What has the power
to lift up the land, and what is under it to do the lifting.
The hand of The One?"
     "I don't know, Wi-Su."
     "No.  I don't know either.  But I like your theory.
Follow me a bit further."  He continued the tiring sidling
along this slope.  The slope was slippery and slow to
traverse.  The point where Wi-Su stopped was hundreds of
paces further on and by the time we arrived my legs were
quivering again.
     "I'm going to need to rest for a while before we
return," I said.
     "Good.  My pride did not let me stop, but my legs feel
like jelly.  We can use our rest time to look at this."
This was said pointing at the rock under our feet.
     "It looks the same as all the rest," I said.
     "The rock is the same, but look closer."
     I peered where he had pointed from close range.  On the
surface of the stone were wavy lines.  Looking at another
stone that Wi-Su indicated there appeared a pattern that, on
closer inspection, looked like the skeleton of some kind of
fish that I had never seen.  I looked over at Wi-Su where he
was seated on a largish ledge.  "This is what I told you
about.  They fit in with your theory."
     "You think the first is water weed?"
     "Yes."
     "What kind of fish is this?"
     "I don't know.  It is not one I have ever seen."
     "How old must these rocks be?  If these things died and
lay in the mud so as to leave their impressions, how old
must they be?  I can't imagine how long it would take for a
lake to lay down a layer of mud as thick as this rock.  And
this is just what we can see.  How deep does it go down
beneath the surface?  And how big was the lake?  It must
have been as big as the sea you told me about."
     "Your imagination is quick and vivid, my son.  And
convincing.  I have looked at these things and puzzled.  In
a few moments you put together a whole ancient world!"
     "I was only asking questions, not giving answers, Wi-
Su."
     "But your answers are based on suppositions that are
answers themselves.  How old is the rock?  I've never
thought of a rock having an age.  But when you say it is
obvious that rocks, like all things, have a start and
finish."
     "Now, you are not fair.  It was you who said `Where is
the lake that cradled its formation?'  This implies age.  It
was you who put the idea of age in my mind."
     "I said that?  If I did it was just a turn of phrase.
I was not thinking of a lake like a cradle to nurture a new
rock."
     "I guess that says that we make a team that works well
together.  One could say that you load the bow and I fire
it."
     Wi-Su's normally serious face creased into a smile that
lit my heart.  "Cavon, you have such wonderful way of
expressing yourself.  You run around me like I am a dead
log."
     "Wi-Su, you are no dead log.  I could not feel this
good if I was sitting with a dead log."
     "Thankyou, Cavon.  You know how to make an old man
happy."
     I thought of various answers but could not find one
that seemed appropriate.  A comfortable silence fell between
us as we varied our attention between looking for more forms
in the rocks and gazing out over the majesty of this upland
down.  "Wi-Su, I don't know when I have felt so happy."
     Wi-Su looked at me, serious and long.  We were close at
this moment, examining what looked like a strange form
lizlion, but with fins and no legs.  Slowly a small smile
stretched his lips and he leant over and kissed me on the
forehead.  He did not speak.
     Eventually we made our way back to the depression where
Zo-Lo and the field workers were waiting.  It appeared they
had long ago cleaned the cut surface in the hole, but none
were complaining that they had nothing to do.  Wi-Su pointed
the layer of black that underlay a layer of compacted dirt.
"And how do you explain this," he asked me.
     "At this moment I can't, Wi-Su.  But let us think.  It
is near the surface of this plain, so whatever it was must
have appeared late in the lifecycle of the rock.  Maybe the
sea was shallow by this time from so much mud, maybe like a
massive swamp.  If this had been a swamp there would have
been lots of plants growing in it.  What happens to plants
that die and get covered with mud?"
     "I don't know.  But what I have thought is that this
black substance has a smell similar to coal.  I have been
involved in searching for coal, and in some deposits of coal
I have found impressions of leaves similar to what we saw in
the rocks on the other side."
     "So you are suggesting in some conditions coal forms,
in others this black substance, and in others oil like we
saw below."
     "Oil?  Yes, it is like oil.  But no, I wasn't thinking
that.  It is an interesting thought.  Zo-Lo.  I want an area
of some 4 paces square cleared of this superficial soil,
leaving the black substance bare.  Use the wheel barrows to
place the soil out of the way over there. Then dig up the
black substance and place it in the buckets.  Once there is
enough organise a gang to carry the buckets down to camp and
load it into the wagons.  The men can sleep up here.  When I
go back I will send up tents and supplies, and a cook."
     As we walked away Wi-Su continued his conversation with
me.  "Coal is often found deep underground.  This is near
the surface."
     "Now it is near the surface.  But I don't think we are
as high as the valley from which the waterfall drops.  Could
not this land have been as high as that?  And how can we say
that there are not deposits of black substance deep in the
rocks."
     Our conversation continued as we cautiously descended
the steep slope back to the valley floor.  I asked if I
could have another look at the fall so on reaching the
bottom we turned right, still deep in debate.  Finally the
noise of the fall called a halt.  We could no longer hear
each other.  And the magnificence of the view was rather
distracting also.  Though my mind continued to race with
questions.  How?  Why?  When?  Physically exhausted as I
should have been, I hardly noticed our return trip so
engrossed were we in conversation.  My legs, when I
eventually paid attention to them as I sat at our outdoor
table to have lunch, appreciated the break.  I slept like
the dead, waking to find that Wi-Su had risen and gone.



     Do-Si took guard.  The rain was only light feather, as
we faced each other on the clearing that lead to the pool.
I launched a quick thrust, but Do-Si was ready and fended
and counter-attacked.  I fended his stroke and feinted left.
His sword followed enough to not allow the feint to turn to
a strike, but was ready for the return thrust to the right.
And so we fought, well matched, enjoying the mist of
coolness on our faces hot from exertion.  By the time I
called a halt, noticing fatigue in Do-Si as well as in
myself, we were saturated as much with sweat as rain.  I let
my wooden sword fall and plunged fully clothed into the
water.  "Join me.  We have some time alone."
     Do-Si splashed in, obviously surprised by the heat.
"Cold would be better."
     "Don't think so.  It might make me shrivel up."
     "That it might," he said.
     In moments our clothes were off.  I had thought that he
might just bend over to be fucked, like a servant submitting
to a master's pleasure, but he pleased me by meeting me in a
hot kiss.  Our hands explored territory new to them,
clutching buttocks, balls, dicks, nipples.  His dick was
small, but harder than anything I had felt.  A piece of
tough wood.  Eventually he did turn and bend, asking if I
would kiss him first before entering.  I softened him up
with my tongue then fucked him, thrilling in his moans of
pleasure.  I had trouble finding his dick, pulled into
himself in his bent position.  I fumbled for a bit till he
told me not to worry, he was about to cum just from my
fucking.  He didn't need anything more.  Eventually we fell
apart, flushed and panting.
     A voice called out, stopping my heart with fear.
Neither of us responded, but our startled eyes looked
towards the direction of the noise.  I had not taken in what
had been said.  When I saw Wi-Su step out of the bushes that
surrounded the pool I thought I was going to die.  He spoke
again, closer now so more distinct.
     "I said, is there room in that arse of yours for
another?"
     Do-Si fearful expression turned to understanding.  "For
you, sir, of course!"
     "Well bend over, I'm on my way," and with that he
divested himself of his clothes with the minimum of actions
and strode into the water.  I couldn't believe what I was
seeing.  The man that I had been so desperate to look at
that even a flash of white back would send me to heaven was
approaching stark naked, dick hard and waving and bobbing in
front.  It was not short, and stood up at quite a sharp
angle.  As I suspected he had lots of skin, so that fully
hard nothing was visible of its head.  His belly was a bit
saggy but his chest, with its whorls of hair surrounding the
large nipples, was well defined.  He was well built, only a
little fat.  He plunged his cock into Do-Si's arse, wet with
my spit and cum, without finesse and began thrusting
vigorously, holding onto Do-Si at the hips with both hands
to move him in contra tempo to his lunging.  But he did not
cum quickly, though when he did cried out loudly.  He then
pulled out and floated away on his back, dick still firm and
lying flat against his belly, head out on show and leaking a
bit of cum.   "Thankyou Do-Si.  Your arse is a Godsend after
three days away from home.  You can go now."
     "Thankyou sir.  It felt good for me also."
     I wasn't sure if he really meant that, as his gait was
different to his normal step as he gathered up his clothes
and left the pool.
     When we were alone Wi-Su said.  "Having someone like
that, a man who is happy to give his arse, makes these
expeditions bearable."  He was still floating on his back,
all the modesty of the previous days vanished.  His dick was
slowly shrinking, the skin enveloping the head and tucking
it well away from view.  "How did you find out about him?"
     "I can't really say, Wi-Su.  It just happened."
     "Ah, the lust and directness of youth.  I always fear
what would happen if I was reading the situation wrong.  But
I have been looking at his arse since we left home.  It is
nicely formed."
     "You have done this before?"
     "It is common on expeditions.  Men on their own need
some release.  Usually the supervisor knows who will `put
out', and introduces him to me.  This time he has been
sleeping in my foyer.  Under my nose and I didn't realise."
     I just nodded, lost to words.  Flooded by lust and
emotion, flabbergasted by what was being revealed about the
man I loved, desolate and hopeless.  It was clear that Wi-Su
was not talking about love.  It was physical satisfaction
only.  There was no concern for the one on the receiving
end.  Luckily Do-Si had been well opened and lubricated by
me or he would have been limping even more noticeably than
he was.  And it was equally clear that Wi-Su did not want me
in the same way.  He did not want my arse, let alone my body
in his arms, my lips against his.  I knew that even to make
a suggestion that I wanted him would cause him to shy away
in disgust.  Watching his handsome body, his dick floating
up in the limpid water in a nest of long hair, his thighs
muscled and lightly dusted with black fur, everything
revealed to me, I felt further away from him than I had when
I had not seen as much as his bare chest.  He reached down
and unselfconsciously pulled back his skin so as to extract
the hair that had followed the retreat of the head, then
rolled it down again free of obstructions.
     "I can never stop saying, this water is beyond
description.  Before entering I was tired, irritable.  I was
coming to get you to show you something I had come across,
but I was angry that I had to look for you rather than have
you at my side.  Now I am relaxed and content."
     "It could have been something other than the water."
     "Yes.  That is relaxing also.  But I have noticed this
effect without receiving sexual release.  Just floating here
it seems that all age is removed from the muscles, like I am
young again."
     "You are not old, Wi-Su."
     "So you have said before.  The calendar says otherwise,
my son.  You don't mind if I keep calling you son.  It must
because we have shared sex as this morning we shared our
minds, and we are now together without clothing, that I
truly feel you are my son.  It doesn't offend you?"
     "No.  I feel like you are my father also.  And while
Father is not here, I'm sure it can do no harm if I call you
father and you call me son."
     "Yes, I would like that.  As I said, I am proud of my
son.  But I would be more proud if you were my son.  You are
magnificent in everything.  I watched you sparring with Do-
Si.  You are very good.  He didn't have a chance against
you, and I would judge him to be a good swordsman."
     "You watched us sparring?"
     "I just said that."
     "And you watched what came after?"
     "Yes.  Oh, I see.  You are worried that I saw you
kissing him.  No, my son, this is something that happens
before you are married, when you don't have your woman to
provide love.  It happens with many men.  I can remember
doing so with a few special friends.  As you know I married
late so I was a long time without female love.  But once you
have your woman you don't need it any more.  Don't feel bad.
I don't think less of you.  Tell me, are you betrothed?"
     "Yes, I am."  I now felt even more lost than before.
This man who I wanted to ravage, this man who I loved beyond
all others, telling me that he had once made love with men
in the way that I knew.  I felt a desperate hope that I
might be able to turn him round, that he might allow me to
lick his neck, nibble his nipples, kiss his lips and put my
tongue in his mouth, make love to his dick.  Yet I felt that
there was no hope, that he was as far away as someone on the
other side of the grave.  He lay floating in this medicinal
water, his dick still swollen and red from recent activity,
all within a simple arms reach.  But I could not touch.
     "Ah.  Who is it?"
     "It is something I really shouldn't say."
     "You can tell your dad, can't you," he wheedled.
     The desire to touch was unbelievable.  I had to touch.
"I guess I can."  I had to touch.  I had to find a way.
Then came the inspiration.  "But only if you can wrestle me
into submission.  Hold me under water until I give in."
     "Okay.  But how will I know that you give in?"
     "I'll grab your dick."
     He was only half way through nodding agreement when I
leapt on him.  He was old, but he was also well muscled.  As
well as supervising he obviously did a lot of the physical
work involved in his position.  He was strong.  Not with the
strength of Yue-Sin or Hi-Tui or Ba-Nol.  They would have
rolled me over and had me down in moments.  But enough that
my young body was not going to be any match.  Not that I
wanted it to be.  I wanted to grab his dick, to feel it in
my hand, to squeeze it.  But it did not want this to be over
quickly either.  I wanted to feel him against me, our bodies
pushed together.  So I struggled and rolled and slipped away
out of his grasp, to come back to grab him again to start
struggling and twisting again.  Eventually he got me in a
hold I could not break.  I was under water with my head
between his legs, my body upside down and embraced by his
arms.  I almost had my nose in his arse, and I wondered how
he was coping with my stiff dick pushing into his chest and
my balls tickling his chin.  I would have happily died at
this moment, but wanted badly to hold his dick before I did.
So I slipped my hand in between our bodies and lovingly held
it.  It was soft, relaxed in the hot water.  He rapidly let
go, spreading his legs and leaping backwards to free me, and
I came to the surface gasping and spluttering.
     "You are too good, Wi-Su," I finally got out.
     Wi-Su was puffing heavily, his face red.  "Not by
much," he said between strangled breaths.  In a few seventy
days the result will be the opposite, that I can see.  You
are fairly strong, but more you are quick and agile.  And as
you grow you will become stronger."
     "Yue-Sin gives me many exercises to do."
     "That is why your muscles are so well formed.  But now,
I have earned my answer."
     "That you have.  Her name is Win-Som."
     "Win-Som.  Ah yes, I know.  The daughter of Win-Bui.
She is a stunner, my son.  She was at your party.  I
remember now.  You were dancing with her.   I can see that
soon you won't be wanting the arse of Do-Si for
satisfaction.  She is hot!"
     "She seems very nice."
     "I don't know her except by face.  But I don't think a
girl who looks that good could be other than nice."
     "She is nice.  And she seems to like me."
     "That is not a surprise.  A lad as handsome and
intelligent as you!  And the future Lord!  There is not a
girl in the land who wouldn't like you."
     "You think I am handsome, father?"
     "You are close to the ideal of youthful beauty, my boy.
I can't say I have seen anyone as handsome as you."
     "Not even Father."
     "Lord Srotyr?  Yes, he is handsome, in a rugged way.
But he did not come close to you as a young man.  He is
quite different to everyone else.  His features are all
formed differently.  His cheeks are strong, his eyes lids
don't hang so.  His chin is proud, his jaws square.  He does
not have the features that match with masculine beauty.  As
don't I.  I have some of those features also."
     I had come close to him by now.  "Yes you do.  And you
have hair like he does too," I said as I twirled my finger
in his chest hair.
     "Lord Srotyr has hair?"
     "Lots of hair, all over."
     "That I didn't know.  That is something only a wife and
son can know."
     A silence, close and warm, fell over us.  I watched Wi-
Su, remembering the feel of his body against mine.  I
wondered why he made no comment about my hard dick, still
hard now.  Maybe he just assumed it was a function of my
age.  I now realised that what he said was true.  His
features were similar to Father's.  I wondered if the King
had sowed his seed in other fields as well.  If so that
would make Wi-Su my uncle, even if not by blood.  I was
broken from reverie by Wi-Su.
     "Let's go.  I still want to show you what I found."
     I collected my clothes from the points to where they
had floated - our various thrashings had moved them some
distance - then I joined Wi-Su where he was waiting at the
stairs and we exited together.  He did not dress and we
strolled through the misty rain naked, letting it cool our
skin, hot from the pool and exertion.  Seeing his dick now I
noted that it did stand away from his body, as if held up by
a string, so what I had seen in silhouette in the dark of
the previous night had been his relaxed state.  I now knew
that his erect member was much longer.
     We waved to Do-Si who was seated on the pedestal at the
top of the track that led down to the main camp.  He was
dressed, wearing his coat against the mist.  He had left
towels hanging over a rail under the awning of the tent.  He
bowed and waved back.
     "He is good, this Do-Si.  He looks after us as well as
a woman.  In all ways," said Wi-Su with a leering grin.
     I nodded.  "That he does.  He seems to be an honest man
too, doing things because he likes to please not just out of
duty."
     "That's what it is.  That's what makes him like a
woman.  He wants to please.  But I guess being Lord that
everyone wants to please you.  I am probably only receiving
the reflection of his attention to you.  I am not accustomed
to it though.  It is nice."
     "You are right.  I am always treated so.  I know no
other way.  People don't always behave so?"
     Wi-Su was towelling his hair vigoursly.  His whole body
shook, his dick wagging back and forth like the tail of an
excited chicken.  Suddenly I found myself hard again.
     "No, they don't," he said when he had dried his hair to
his satisfaction.  "No they don't."
     We dressed inside, together.  We put on our coats,
together.  We put on our swords together.  We left the tent,
together.
     "Do-Si," called Wi-Su as we exited.  Do-Si dutifully
trotted over.  "We are going to walk up into the hills on
the far side of the pool for a little," he said, pointing in
the direction of the pool.  I intend that we will be back
before the light begins to fail.  Could we have dinner when
it is dark."
     "Yes sir.  I'll let the kitchen know."
     "Come, my Lord.  There is a way into the hills that
starts in the trees around the pool.  Follow me."
     Wi-Su took a direct path through the trees on the far
side of the pool until we came to a steep wall of jagged
rock.  Though steep, it was not too difficult to climb
because of numerous projections of stone, and soon we were
again looking out over the broad expanse upland downs.  "I
would like to explore this," I said, waving my arm towards
the limitless undulations."
     "Yes.  It would be an interesting.  It would seem that
it would be a good location to build a town.  The soil
appears rich.  It would be easy to dam some of the streams
to form dams but there is not enough water for lizlions to
live.  But come, let me show you something," concluded Wi-Su
and commenced directly down to slope.
     Gradually the surface changed from steep, brown
"mudstone" with little tufts of red grass to and equal
spread of mudstone and grass to an unbroken spread of long
red grass.  Wi-Su stopped to get his bearings, then headed
left towards a small run of water that formed a pool after
having descended the rock face.  The water of the pool was
brown, its shore made of smooth, dark mud.  By the looks of
it the pool rose and fell depending on how much rain it
received, and when full enough fell over a small barrier to
join with others of its kin that wandered across the downs.
I could see human footsteps breaking the smooth mud at one
point, presumably of Wi-Su.  Wi-Su made to this area and
pointed.  "Look here."
     I squatted, careful to keep my clothes out of this
rather sticky mud, and noticed some marks breaking the
smooth surface of the mud.  On closer examination I realised
that they were foot prints, but of something I did not know.
They appeared a little like the splayed foot of a sieden,
but were bigger by at least double, and they had one toe
extra.  There appeared to be the markings of a number of
animals that had either come to the water to drink or had
left the water and returned.  By the nature of the
impressions I thought that they probably had two legs.  "I
have never seen the like," I said.
     "Neither have I, and I have travelled widely.  The
water here must have descended since the heavy rain
yesterday.  The ground must be porous because it has no
where else to go but down."
     "To have a horse up here would be wonderful."
     "That it would.  But I doubt if your Kito would make
the climb that we made to get here."
     "No.  I doubt also.  But there must be some easier way.
Look at the area where we have our tent.  That area is not
natural.  Presumably it was made by the same race that made
the road.  What power they must have had!  They must have
had some way to get up other than the steep path that we
take.  You have looked for another way?"
     "Yes.  When I was here the first time I had lots of
time to explore once the water had been drained and the
black substance found.  I looked all around and other than
the path we use, and one other on the back of the pool area
that is even more difficult, all is shear.  I wonder if they
had some kind of transport that could fly?"
     "Fly!  A transport that could fly?  And you say I have
a good imagination!" I exclaimed.  "Nothing can fly!
Chickens and siedens do best, and they manage only a few
awkward flaps before coming to ground.  And anyway, if they
could fly, why did they build such magnificent roads?  Roads
means wheels, no?"
     "I have no answer for that, my son."
     "Neither do I father.  Let's walk out a little into
this plain.  See if we can find this animal."
     "Okay.  But we must be careful.  It is very easy to get
lost.  It all looks the same."
     I looked up at the steep slope we had just descended.
"Look at that projection there, it looks like the head of a
lizrab.  We can use it to guide us," I suggested.
     "Still, we need to be careful, as from different angles
it can change in shape and become unrecognisable."
     "Yes.  I did not think of that.  But our river must be
over in that direction, so if we could always find the river
then use it to guide our return."
     "Let's not go too far, and keep our eyes open."
     So we started out, frequently looking behind to keep
our bearings.  The grass became longer as we travelled and
the ground wetter and softer, making movement difficult as
grass wrapped around our ankles and our feet sunk in mud.
Following streams, though easier walking, proved
disorientating as one's sense of direction vanished in the
constant twists and turns and junctions, and monotonous as
one only ever saw what seemed to be the side of the same
hill, and after a bit the heights from which we had
descended disappeared from view.  So we decided to climb
what appeared to be a larger hill to regain our bearings.
We struggled up through the slippery grass, needing hands
and feet to maintain traction, eventually finding ourselves
at the top, waist high in the sweet smelling plant.
     "It appeared so easy looking out from above," I panted.
     Wi-Su was looking quite red and tired.  He also was
breathing heavily.  "I have not ventured this far out on my
own.  The cliff is only just visible, so I don't think we
should go any further."
     "Shh," I whispered.
     Wi-Su stopped instantly.  We both stood still and
listened.  Eventually we were rewarded by another rustling
in the grass seemingly not too far away but behind us.  We
turned, standing with one hand to ears and other ready to
draw sword.  Our patience was rewarded by another rustle,
this time accompanied by a movement in the grass.  Nodding
we silently made for this point, to discover there a narrow
trail that lay under the surface of the grass.  We started
to follow, though it was difficult as its direction was hard
to determine, but we were rewarded soon by the site of a
dappled red coloured animal scooting away along the trail in
front of us.  I began running, but soon realised I had no
chance of finding it in its home territory.  It was a
strange looking creature, standing on two powerful looking
legs but not sieden-like for it had two small arms.
Presumably it, or one of its brethren was the owner of the
footprints we had discovered.  I made my way back to Wi-Su.
     "There could be thousands of these beasts here and we
would never know," I said on getting back.
     "I wonder what else lives under this grass," said Wi-
Su.  "I think we had better return, and keep our ears alert.
No talking to give us some chance of hearing something
approach."
     Feeling a fear now that had been absent on the outward
trip we attempted to follow streams.  Our footprints
initially helped but somehow we made a mistake and lost
them.  Soon we suspected we were travelling in a circle and
realised we had no idea in what direction we should head, so
again we struggled up the slope of a hill to find that we
were no closer than we had been.  It appeared we had largely
travelled sideways.  So we decided instead to fight our way
up and down the slopes to allow us to keep a straight line
with our destination.  Exhausted but relieved we finally
found ourselves at the crest of the slope that gave on to
the river valley, but the light was fading and we had
difficulty in finding our path down to the pool and home.
It was Wi-Su who finally spotted it after we had wandered up
and down a few times and we made our way down by feel as
much as by sight.
     My legs were jelly by the time the ground levelled and
trees became visible as shadows in the gloom.  Wi-Su
suggested we hold hands so as not to be separated from each
other and he led the way back.  His hand was trembling.  But
despite exhaustion I was buoyed up by the relief at getting
back and holding my loved one's hand in mine as we walked.
"We may feel better if we bathe," I suggested when we had
reached the broad steps leading up to the area where our
tent was erected."
     "Yes.  But we must inform Do-Si that we have returned.
He will be concerned."
     Sensing that he was near collapse I said, "I'll do
that.  You can sit on the steps and enjoy the water and I'll
be quickly back."
     Noting a movement in the dark that I took to be a nod I
started the weary climb back to the tent.  A couple of times
I stumbled in amongst the trees as I missed my path, clouded
as I was with fatigue and darkness, but eventually I saw the
light of a lantern that guided my steps.  Do-Si was seated
under the awning, concern clear on his face.  The table was
laid for dinner, covered bowls sitting on standings with
small candles underneath to keep them warm.  When I came out
of the dark his worried look was replaced by relief, to be
equally quickly replaced by concern again when he realised I
was alone.
     "Where is Wi-Su?" he asked.
     "He is down by the pool.  He is weary as we walked a
long way, but he is okay."
     "I did not know what to do.  I thought of leading a
search party, and climbed up to the top of the ridge on the
far side of the pool to try to decide.  When I saw how much
land spreads out there I thought that a search party would
have been useless.  So I came back here to wait and hope.
It is good to see you."  This was said as he clasped me in
his arms.
     "Thankyou, Do-Si," I replied, kissing him.  "Could you
get me a torch, I need to return to Wi-Su.  We will be back
for dinner shortly."
     "I had the cook bring heating candles, so there is no
hurry."
     "Thankyou, Do-Si, you think of everything," I said,
kissing him again once he returned with the torch.
     "My pleasure, m'Lord," he said, fondling my dick
through my trousers.
     The walk back to the pool was much quicker and easier,
and soon I was putting the torch in its holder, near Wi-Su.
I was shocked by his poor colour and the fatigue that showed
in his face.  He was seated, but otherwise seemingly had not
moved from where I had left him.  I helped him out of his
clothes, then supported him as we made our way into the
water.  I sat him on the penultimate step, where the water
was still shallow enough to leave our heads above water and
then sat beside him with my arm around him.  My love swelled
out to comfort and heal my ailing father.
     "I think it was a bit much for you," I said quietly,
giving him a squeeze.
     "I think you are right," he replied.  He let his head
rest on my shoulder.
     I was in heaven, dick rigid as if it was not attached
to my weary body.  I gently kissed the top of his head.
After a while I rearrange our positions.  I moved up to a
shallower step so that he could recline back and rest
between my spread legs.  I gave no thought to what he would
think of my stiff lizlion sticking directly into the base of
his neck as he rest his head on my exposed belly.  He seemed
to pay it no heed either for he soon fell asleep under the
influence of my hands stroking his head, neck and shoulders.
I dozed a little as well, propped up as I was, to be woken
as I lost balance and fell a little sideways.  Wi-Su was
still breathing regularly.  I kissed him again on the head
and gently played with his chest hair and nipples, trying to
bring him back to consciousness slowly so as not to startle
him.  Eventually he stirred.
     "I feel better.  This water is truly magical," was the
first thing he said.
     "Sleep is good too," I replied, laughing, but
continuing to tease his chest hair.
     "Yes, sleep is good.  Did you sleep?"
     "I did."
     "Then you don't know if we have been here very long."
     "No."
     Wi-Su held up his hands, trying to catch to light of
the distant torch to look at them.  "They seem quite
wrinkled, so we must have been here a while.  Let's head up
for dinner."
     Reluctantly I let him out of my hold, but admired his
naked form as he stood.  I carried the torch, he carried our
clothes.  I was surprised at how much my legs had recovered.
It certainly seemed more than a short nap could explain.
Back at the tent we dressed in fresh clothes and sat down to
our meal.
     When we retired to sleep Wi-Su asked, "What do you
normally wear to bed?"
     "I usually sleep without clothes, father."
     "Good.  So do I.  I think we can be relaxed together,
no?" he half asked, half said, at the same time as pulling
his shirt over his head.
     I required no encouragement to follow suit and soon we
were both naked seated on our bed mats that were placed
parallel to each other with only a short space between.  For
the first time Wi-Su commented on my arousal, though not
directly.
     "Do-Si!" he called.
     "Yes sir," Do-Si replied from his bed in the foyer.
     "Take off your clothes and come in.  Lord Cavon is in
need of your services."
     Soon Do-Si was lifting the flap to enter.  His dick was
already hard.
     Wi-Su continued his instructions.  "Lie down here, on
the Lord's bed mat, on your belly.  Now, my Lord, you can
take your pleasure."
     I felt very uncomfortable approaching Do-Si in this
way.  I lay on him, letting my dick question the entrance of
his arse without trying to enter.  I said softly into the
ear away from Wi-Su, "Sorry Do-Si."
     "No problems, m'Lord," he replied equally sotto voice.
"I was in the middle of a wank anyway so I am ready."
     "You are not too sore?"
     "No."
     By the feel of things he has also applied some kind of
oil to himself as my dick slipped around quite easily.  I
slowly let it enter, but now my eyes were turned to where Wi-
Su was seated, only an arm's length away, cross-legged on
his own bed mat.  As I began a slow thrust, enjoying the
sensation, I noticed that his dick lengthened.  Soon it was
standing up straight.
     "Ah, Do-Si," Wi-Su said, seeming somewhat
uncomfortable.  "Do you think your mouth could accommodate
me while Lord Cavon is busy there?"
     "It would give me great pleasure sir."
     Soon Wi-Su was seated cross-legged at the head of my
bed and Do-Si was actively attacking his rigid member with
his mouth.  This was too much.  Watching the back of Do-Si's
head move up and down I wanted desperately to see Wi-Su's
dick entering Do-Si's mouth.  In truth I wished it I who was
doing the sucking.  I sped up my activity and soon managed
to cum.  I slipped my still rigid lizlion out and slid up to
lie beside Do-Si, my head resting of the knee of Wi-Su's
crossed leg so I could have a good view.  Wi-Su seemed to be
enjoying himself immensely.  His eyes were closed, his body
rigid, his hands on each side of Do-Si's head moving it in
the rhythm he wanted.  I had to touch, to get involved.
Cautiously I let my hand slip up under his balls where they
bounced on the sheet in the gap between his thighs, and at
what I assumed was a grunt of approval explored up further,
surveying the skin that ran from his balls to his arse.  He
grunted again, then soon was crying out in orgasm as my
finger, slippery with sweat and from saliva that had
dribbled from the mouth of Do-Si, found his hole.  I managed
to pull out before he had opened his eyes.
     After Do-Si had left and we were lying in the dark
awaiting sleep, Wi-Su said quietly, "My son, was that your
finger that was exploring while Do-Si was sucking me?"
     "Yes father."
     "That felt quite exquisite.  I've never had anyone do
that to me before.  Thankyou."
     "My pleasure father," I replied.  Emboldened by his
comment I stretched my hand across the short distance
between our sleeping mats to find his face turned to me.  My
head followed my hand and I placed a quick kiss on his lips.
     Wi-Su sighed and initiated another quick kiss.
"Goodnight, my son."
     "Goodnight, father."


     FIFDAY


     A bright morning.  I had thought that my legs would be
stiff after the exertion they undertook the previous day,
but they felt good.  Wi-Su said he felt good as well, which
surprised him even more than I.  We breakfasted and bathed
once again in the invigorating pool, then organised
ourselves for the climb up valley to inspect the work in
progress.  I suggested that it might be more interesting to
approach by the "back entrance", climbing to the top of the
valley wall on the path behind the pool and then travelling
along its edge till we came to the small valley that
harboured the black substance.  We didn't expect that we
would find anyone working too hard. The field workers' scout
would only be watching the valley path so we would catch
them unawares coming from the other side.  This wasn't the
motive for the secretive route, though.  I wanted to re-live
the broad vista that was presented from the cliff top, to
examine the rocks on its exposed surface.  We found more
impressions of animals, noting that they were quite
different in type than what we had found at the point we had
examined the previous day.  Some of the impressions appeared
to be of animals with some kind of leg structure, though
still with fins and swimming tails.  We chatted about the
possible reasons for this, with the two locations being
quite close to each other.  Wi-Su commented that it would be
like finding completely different animals outside of New-
Town compared to what was found a short horse ride up river.
I agreed, and tried to see some other reason.  Lizrabs, for
the short time that they survived human predation after
hatching near New-Town, were not any different in appearance
from those we had seen for the whole two days of travel we
had undertaken up river.
     After a time of silent thought Wi-Su said, "The animal
we saw yesterday was different to a lizrab.  It also is not
very far from the lizrabs we know in the valley. Maybe the
animals found on higher ground were different to those found
on low ground?"
     I thought about this, then slowly began.  "Our
supposition is that this rock is formed from mud on the
bottom of a giant lake.  Many of the impressions are of
water weed and fish, suggesting that it was an underwater
environment.  If it was all underwater, then there would be
no "height"."
     Wi-Su nodded in agreement.
     I continued.  "We have spoken of this rock being formed
from mud deposited on the bottom of a lake.  How long would
it take to deposit mud to a height, say, an arm's length."
     "I don't know.  Some time, I would say.  Years?"
     "How many arms length are we above the place we were
looking at yesterday?"
     Comprehension dawned on Wi-Su's face.  "Many arm
length's.  Hundreds."  He suddenly became animated.  "Look
here, at this rock.  You can see lines running in its
substance.  Theses are lines that I have learned from
experience where the rock will fracture to form a flat
surface.  OK.  What happens with water in the town tank?  At
some times of year there is more sediment deposited in it,
sometimes less.  By the time we dig out the sediment every
few years it has formed quite a firm material that holds its
form.  In that form you can see lines.  These lines
represent the times when the deposition was slower, being in
summer.  Each line represents a year.  These lines could
also represent a year.  In an arm lengths of this rock their
must be a thousand lines.  From here to the other place low
on the cliff must be many, many thousands of years
difference."
     "And maybe the animals change over time," I
interjected, caught by his enthusiasm, "so what we are
looking at is not a difference in location but a difference
in time.  The lower impressions are of animals that died,
and then were covered by tens of  thousands of years of mud
before the animals that left the impressions we were just
looking at died."  I then stopped, puzzled.  "How could
animals change?"
     "I don't know.  But this idea fits in with our other
theories, so it must be correct.  However, as you said,
because we can't explain everything doesn't disprove what we
have concluded.  Only The One knows everything."
     "Hmm."
     We entered the little upland valley where the black
substance was found to find the field worker's sitting round
drinking tea.  For appearance sake Wi-Su shouted a bit, at
the supervisor and the field workers.  For appearance sake
they got up and started digging.  It seemed that they had,
however, achieved a fair amount yesterday, with numerous
buckets of black substance waiting to be carried down the
valley.  Zo-Lo informed Wi-Su that he was awaiting the
return of the first empty buckets from the valley.
Transparent as was this excuse, Wi-Su accepted it so as Zo-
Lo could preserve face, then suggested that now a greater
number of men should be put on carrying detail and less on
digging.  Zo-Lo exaggeratedly complemented Wi-Su's power of
thought and set field workers to carrying the remaining
filled buckets.  This must indeed be unpleasant work,
carrying heavy buckets on a pole supported on one's
shoulders down the steep, rough path back to camp, and I
could understand why all preferred to rest than volunteer
for this activity.
     Once this was started Wi-Su suggested they we could
spend some time exploring the valley of the waterfall,
looking at the rocks there, trying to understand what could
have been the origin of such a massive cliff.  We picked our
way down the steep path into the valley of the stream then
turned right.  On turning the corner we were again assaulted
by the noise of water crashing to its end on the floor of
the valley.  Today we clambered our way through the
fractured ground until we reached the wall down which the
water fell.  Interestingly it was possible to walk behind
the water and though the mist was so thick it felt we were
breathing water, it was relatively dry compared to a pace or
two further "downstream" where the water was falling. Trying
to peer through this massive curtain of water was very
interesting.  I had never seen anything like this.  The
water appeared like a solid substance, not the soft liquid I
knew.  Trying to touch it was like trying to touch fire, in
that it almost burnt with the force with which it's flow
tried to pull my finger downward.  It surface was smooth,
almost like glass, and it really wasn't possible to
penetrate it.  I tried with a piece of rock, but before it
had more than broken the surface it was wrenched from my
hand.  Yet here was I standing as if standing in the middle
of a field, safe and protected, unaffected by the might.
Where it hit the ground the fall had dug itself a hole, so
by standing behind it we were effectively standing on a
ledge.  It was so dark behind the fall that we couldn't
examine the rocks of its wall.  Finally satiated with this
bizarre vista we moved laterally along the ledge to where we
were free of the water's embrace and shadow, but there was
still not much to see.  The rock was quite sheer, and had
been cut at not far of 90ø from its deposition lines, so
there was little chance of seeing any more impressions of
things long dead.  The fractured rocks were all quite
weathered, even away from the falling water.  I imagined
that in winter the volume of water must increase, for the
hole into which it currently fell extended in a shallower
form the whole width of the cliff.
      All in all we spent a delightful morning together
without advancing our knowledge much further, and eventually
returned to camp feeling deafened but happy.  I had never
seen Wi-Su so animated, thrilled as he was as if parts of a
puzzle were falling into place.  We ate, then Wi-Su took up
where he had left off while we entered the tent for siesta,
as if the meal had only been a single breath.  Here, without
any pause, he undressed, and soon was standing in from of me
naked, continuing to gesticulate and talk.  He had branched
onto all the other rock types, particularly puzzling over
the differences and similarities between the rocks that were
common here and those that he had used to roof our house.
My thoughts did not focus all that well, distracted as they
were by how his dick bounced and weaved as he moved around.
I remained fascinated by the way it stood out from his
balls, even though not hard. Eventually I thought to say,
"When a potter makes a bowl from clay it is soft.  Clay is
something found on the bottom of lakes, or dry on the banks
of lakes, is it not?"
     "It is.  We get our clay from the river delta."
     "So clay is something like the mud that we believed has
formed these rocks, just finer.  Sediment collecting on the
bottom of water."
     "Yes," he replied, his body temporarily still while he
tried to see where I was heading.
     "But the bowls we use are not soft.  Nor are they like
clay.  The heat of the oven changes clay to the hard
material that makes our bowls.  Now the rocks here are
already hard.  If they were heated, hotter than a potter's
oven, say more like a blacksmith's forge, might they also
not change?"
     "And so change from this soft rock to a hard rock!"
exclaimed Wi-Su with glee, suddenly seeing my line of
thought.  "You are marvellous, my son!"  He took me in his
arms and embraced me with passion.
     Wi-Su was a little taller than me, my forehead resting
on his nose.  My stiff dick was pushed downward
uncomfortably into some part of him that I couldn't
determine, and I could feel his dick low on my belly.  I
could feel that it squashed, so there was no hardness
involved in keeping it jutting out.  He hugged and hugged,
finally breaking sufficiently to kiss me, and repeat.  "Ah,
my son.  You are marvellous!  Now let's try and sleep,
though I think I may be too excited to do so."
     "We have walked a long way, father.  I think my muscles
will take over and tell my mind to go to sleep."  I didn't
think that they would quench my unsatisfiable lizlion, but
did not say this.
     "Yes.  Maybe you are correct.  Let's try," he said,
letting go of me.  His dick had not changed an iota, I
noted.  Soft as ever.
     "Let's try." I replied.  We lay down.  Wi-Su closed his
eyes and seemingly immediately assumed the regular breathing
of someone deeply asleep.  For a long while I admired his
body, then decided that my dick had to be satisfied if I was
to have any chance of sleep.  I thought of disturbing Do-Si,
but it was Wi-Su who I wanted so this did not seem fair.
Instead I let my hand provide the activity required to tame
my rampant beast as I continued to contemplate the sleeping
form of the man I loved.  Once I had cum I did manage to
fall asleep.
     To awake to Wi-Su saying, "But wouldn't they crack if
they became so hot?"
     "What?" I asked, surfacing and not comprehending
anything other than that Wi-Su's dick was swollen, though
not hard, as he stood over me.
     "The rocks here.  I have placed them in hot fires and
they have cracked, making a noise like a whip cracking."
     "Oh."  The dick above me was slowly shrinking.  Had I
missed seeing his sleeping erection?  "Have they?"
     "Yes.  We'll have to think more."
     "We will."
     Wi-Su was dressed when he asked, "Can I spar with you
before you start with Do-Si?"
     "I would be delighted."
     "You'll have to be slow with me.  I was never a great
swordsman, never had much need nor much time to practice,
but watching you yesterday has made me want to refresh what
skills I have.  With the way the world is heading one never
knows when one might have to defend oneself."
     Do-Si watched as Wi-Su and I stood our ground, then
attacked.  He was correct in saying that he wasn't a good
swordsman.  His reactions were slow, his anticipation poor.
He had strength, but not equal to some I had fought with
over preceding weeks.  Soon he called a stop, breathing
heavily and red in the face.
     "Will you spar with me every day?  There is little else
to do here so we will have time."
     "Of course," I said, and if I can't Do-Si will."
     "Good. I have lost so much condition, and we have a big
Expedition ahead.  I need to improve."
     "You will."
     Wi-Su sat on a bench to watch Do-Si and I spar.  With
hope I thought he would join in with the lovemaking that
would follow, but as soon as we stopped, sweat soaking our
clothes, he stood and said, "I'm off to check on the work.
You are both artists.  I'll see you at tea."  Without
turning back he climbed the steps out of sight.
     Do-Si smiled nervously.  "Do you think he will sneak
back to watch us again?  He's a bit of a perve.  He really
gets off on watching us fuck!"
     "You think so?"
     "Think so!  He almost drools, and that old dick of his
certainly still knows how to stand to attention!  It tastes
good too!"
     "No, I don't think he'll watch.  I'll think he'll allow
us our privacy.  You know he saw everything yesterday?"
     "I thought he might have.  I was sure I saw something
moving amongst the trees while we were fighting.  Did he
enjoy it?"
     "He said he understood.  That when he was young and
didn't have a woman he had done the same."
     "When he didn't have a woman!  The old poof!  He fucks
anyone willing.  At home and in the field."
     "Really?"
     "I though he must have had something with you, the way
he looks at you and stays close."
     "No.  He thinks of me as his son."
     "Maybe.  But he acts as if he has the hots for his
son."
     "I don't know.  He doesn't show it to me.  But talking
about hots.  How long are you going to stay in your
clothes?"
     "Until you take them off me!" laughed Do-Si
mischievously, pretending to try to get away.
     When we had finished and were cuddled together I said,
"That makes up for last night."
     "What was wrong with last night?  It was a damn good
fuck!  Your dick was like a ram rod but you were gentle.
And I got off on sucking Wi-Su, especially with you watching
close."
     "You liked me watching?"
     "Yeh.  If only you could have been fucking and watching
at the same time it would have been heaven.  Yue-Sin has
obviously given you lots of practice!"
     Do-Si spoke more crudely than any man I knew, except
maybe Xi-To, but unlike with Xi-To, whose motives I
understood poorly and who made me feel sullied, I enjoyed
being with Do-Si.  He was full of joy of life.  Everything
was exciting.  Everything was good.  He never had a word of
complaint.  And he was a good fuck.  He did things with his
arse that I had not experienced before.  He was not so good
looking, but he was lithe and young.
     "That he has," I found myself replying, to my own
surprise, catching myself in fear of what I may have given
away.
     But Do-Si was true to form.  "He is a wonderful man.
He has taught me much, looked after me like a father.  My
father died when I was young, so he is my father, in a way."
     "Have you had sex with him?"
     "Naw!  We both want the same thing.  I was introduced
to him by a man who was fucking us both a few years ago."
     "Who was that?" I asked innocently.
     Do-Si suddenly stopped, for the first time seeming
reticent.  "I don't think I can say."
     I looked at him, then comprehension dawned.  Was I game
enough to expose him?  We watched each other for a while
then I decided to speak.  For all his cockiness and
crudeness, Do-Si always treated me with respect, and I
suspected never said anything that he thought I didn't
already know.  This fact he thought I wouldn't know, and he
had accidentally lead into it.  "Was it Lord Srotyr?"
     "You know about the Lord?" asked Do-Si credulously.
     "Yes.  I know."
     "And he knows you know?"
     To this I only nodded.
     Suddenly his mischievous grin returned.  "Then maybe I
could have you both fuck me!  Lord Srotyr has a magnificent
cock!  You could loosen me up then he could fill me up!"
     Despite the crudity I found myself laughing at his turn
of phrase.  The language of the common people was so
different to that which I was accustomed.  So relaxed and
expressive.  I found myself feeling very comfortable.  I
kissed Do-Si and gave him a hug.  His face expressed
surprise.  After a bit he said, "Can I speak freely,
m'Lord?"
     "I had the impression you always spoke freely, Do-Si,"
I replied.
     "Yeh, I do have my way.  It will get me killed one day,
I'm sure.  But that is not what I meant.  I just wanted to
say something a bit personal."
     "Go ahead."
     "You have probably guessed that I have been with many
men.  I love sex and will take anyone who will fuck me.  But
until I have been with you I have never felt that anyone
cared about me.  Not sincerely.  I was just a good fuck, a
hole to put their dick in.  You are different.  You care.
And it makes me care back.  I think I'm beginning to love
you, m'Lord."
     "I'm not terribly available to be loved, Do-Si," was
all I could think to reply.
      "I know that, m'Lord.  But I don't need you close.  I
can be happy just being of service when I can."
     "Thankyou, Do-Si."
     We flaunted our nudity to the cooling air as we
sauntered back to the tent, hoping no one was around.  It
seemed that Wi-Su had kept his word for there was no sign of
him.  We dressed then I told to Do-Si that I was going down
to the main camp.  I had not seen it, and I wanted to see
how the loading of the black substance was going.
     "I have to take our clothes to the camp laundry,
m'Lord.  May I accompany you?  I don't think our camp here
is at risk if I leave it."
     "You will be welcome, Do-Si."
     And it was good that he did.  He introduced me to the
men (secretly telling me which one's he had fucked and how
big their dicks were) and showed me around the main camp.
Down stream from where we were camped the valley broadened.
One bank was flat and soil covered, making an excellent
place to set up a campsite.  Three large tents had been
erected, one larger but without walls for cooking and
washing, two others for sleeping, one for the guards and
field worker supervisor, one for the field workers.  Do-Si
took me on a tour of all but on meeting with Wi-Su left me
to look after his duties.
     "The work is going well.  The first wagon is already
full, and there is enough dug that I think the second will
be filled before lunch time tomorrow" said Wi-Su.
     "What will we do then until Father arrives?  He told me
he thought he would not be here until SeconDay, as he wanted
to stay for the service on Godday."
     "It is pleasant here, is it not?  I am going to set the
wagons and field workers on their way on Godday, after the
service, if all goes to plan.  We can spend the next few
days relaxing and exploring."
     "Who will hold service?"
     "That is the duty of the Lord, when there isn't a
clergyman."
     "Me?"
     "Yes, Cavon.  All you have to do is read from the Book
though, you don't have to write a sermon."
     "I'd like to write though.  I feel out of practice.
And the majesty of this valley makes one feel close to The
One."
     "I'll be interested to hear what you write.  Your mind
is so fine and sharp.  What part of the Book shall you use?"
     "With what we have been looking at and theorising,
maybe the Creation would be appropriate."
     "That it would.  Not that I can think how you could
talk about sedimentary rocks during a sermon."
     "No.  I don't think I am that creative, Wi-Su.  I was
thinking on things ancient and unknown."
     "Will you need very long to write?"
     "Not that long.  Why?"
     "Tomorrow morning I was thinking that we might again
climb the path behind the pool, but this time go right and
follow the ridge down toward the river.  I was hoping we
might find another way up to these grasslands that was more
accessible than the valley of this stream."
     "To what purpose?"
     "Hu-Wi is always asking me to make more space available
for winter storage of hay.  If easy access can be found this
upland would make an excellent winter pasture for the bulk
of the horses, relieving the town of the necessity of
finding all that space.  The only other thing that would be
needed would be to organise a barge that was large enough to
take horses back and forth across the river.  That would be
easy to organise mid summer when the water level is low.
The only challenge would be to make a rope long enough."
     "You don't think the water levels might rise during
winter?"
     "I think not.  I don't know where it goes, but I think
it has good drainage."
     "I could write the sermon tomorrow afternoon, after my
sword practice."
     "Yes.  That would be a good time.  While the men
bathe."
     "The men bathe?"
     "I like to have them clean for GodDay."
     "They bathe all together?
     "Yes.  Ah, I see.  Men, when they are away from
civilisation, especially when they are away from women,
don't worry so much about being naked in public view.  As
long as all in the same state they just enjoy the water.
Besides, the practicalities of organising private bathing
for so many are a bit daunting."
     "Interesting."  Thinking how it would be interesting to
watch all these men naked together, especially after the
description that Do-Si gave me of some of them.  I had never
seen any more than two naked men at any on time, and less
than a seventyday ago that I had never seen a naked adult,
so the concept of seeing twenty together was quite novel.
"The guards are happy to be with the field workers?"
     "That is another distinction that slips a little when
civilisation is a long way away."
     "Since I have known you, Wi-Su, I have learnt a lot
about the common man."
     "You grew up separated from them.  I did not.  I came
from their ranks."
     "Hm."


     That night as we undressed for bed Wi-Su, observing my
rigid manhood, asked if he should again call in Do-Si.  I
nodded, hoping to see him excited once again, but this time
he just sat cross-legged, back erect, on his bed as I fucked
Do-Si for the third time that day.  His lizlion barely
stirred, just rested above his balls amongst its entourage
of dark hair, though I noted he observed us closely.  When I
asked afterwards if all was okay he just told me that it was
his age.  He could not have sex every day.  Yesterday, twice
in one day, had been very unusual, and had probably happened
as he had not had sex for a few days before we left on the
expedition as well as the time away from home.  Maybe by
tomorrow night he would be recharged.

     SIXDAY


     The walk along the ridge towards the river was
difficult.  The rock here was more fractured, with ledges
ending suddenly in steep drops that required considerable
backtracking to find a way down.  We had intended to stay on
high ground but instead found ourself at the base of what
had become a cliff, struggling once again with the long
grass.  I remembered the trip up the stream valley from the
river valley on horseback.  It had seemed fairly long, but
it had been dark causing disorientation in time and
distance.  Walking now though it seemed more than fairly
long.  One thing we learnt walking amongst the grass though
was that the two legged animal we saw two days previously
was not the only one on this plateau.  Initially we noted
footprints imprinted in drying mud, small feet and many.
Then we caught glimpses of little things running in amongst
the grass stems.  Finally we accidentally trapped one in a
blind indent in the rock.  It appeared harmless so I tried,
successfully, to grab it.  From its teeth it looked like it
ate seeds or grass.  It had a small head with a long snout
with up pointing nostrils and eyes on up pointing
protrusions, a short body with four short legs ending in
broad toes, and a stubby tail.  Linear holes scarred its
long neck.  I imagined that it was the lizrab of these
plains, while the other animal we had seen was the lizlion.
Its skin was brown.
     "Its colour is strange," commented Wi-Su as we closely
examined the little animal that was stiff with fear.
     "Maybe the colour allows it to blend with the shadows
under the grass?"
     "A bit of red would let it hide better, not this brown.
It is brown like the trunk of a whintox."
     When we let it go its colour was explained though.  We
had noticed lots of little indents in the mud around
streams, and had wondered regarding their origin.  Thinking
of what had happened in my hot pool near NewTown  I
suggested that maybe gas bubbles erupted from the source of
heat that heated the pool in which we bathed and when they
popped on the surface they left these impressions in the
mud.  The escaping animal made directly for the nearest
stream and with a wiggling action of legs and tail
disappeared under the mud.  On close inspection it was
possible to see its nostrils and eye balls just above the
surface, its colour though was identical to the mud.  Once
we saw the traces of our recent captive we became aware of
numerous other little nostrils and eyeballs breaking the
wet, brown surface.  We sat back on a dry rock near by and
soon our patience was rewarded by the witnessing of the
explosion of a little animal from the mud.  In its place was
a hole, similar to those we had puzzled over, and its little
footprints puckered the surface as it scurried for the
nearest grass.
     "Nostrils that point up would not seem real practical
if it rained," I commented as we continued our interrupted
way.
     "No.  Maybe they have something that can close over,
like an eyelid."
     "Then how would it breathe?"
     "You don't think those marks on its neck were gills,
like fish have?" asked Wi-Su rhetorically.
     "Of course!  So when under the surface it can use its
gills, but when on land or when the mud is too thick, such
as when it's not raining, it can open its nostrils!  We'll
have to catch another to dissect it to see."
     "That may not be so easy," commented Wi-Su.
     "That it may not."  However we were soon distracted
from these zoological thoughts by a sudden change in
terrain.  After a significant rise trees appeared and the
land began to slope steeply down.  Presumably we had reached
the edge of the river valley.  The trees were of a type I
had not seen, but which Wi-Su identified as Ironwood.  He
said it was a timber that he had not seen around NewTown,
one that was valuable in building for its hardness, but
likewise difficult to work with.
     "Ironwood.  They look different from other trees.  The
leaves are smaller, with lots of them.  The branches twist
and turn at all sorts of angles.  Whintox and lantern trees
and all the others just have a straight trunk and branches
that spout out from the top."
     "There are more differences too.  The trees you
mentioned are made up of a soft material that looks more
like lots of thickened grass blades stuck together.
Ironbark has rings that spread out from the centre.  With
the other trees you can see some kind of similarity, this
one though is different to all others, and just that there
are so many here makes this area valuable, not only for us
but for trade.  They could be hauled down to the river then
floated to NewTown and beyond to the river delta for sale in
the KingsTown."  Wi-Su was quite enthused.
     "If we find a way down that won't break our necks," I
countered.
     "There is that."
     But we did find a way.  After struggling in grass that
grabbed our ankles and trees that blocked our way till we
thought we would have to turn back beaten, we were surprised
by the appearance of a small stream that cut down from the
upland.  Its bed was broad for the amount of water it
carried, evidence of its winter might, and formed from a
jumble of what we had come to call mudstone in our
familiarity with its appearance and proposed origin.  It
made a relatively easy path down into the valley.  About
halfway down, a good 1000 paces horizontally and half as
many down, I estimated, ironwood gave way to the softer
whintox and miscal with which I was familiar.
     "What tree is above the whintox near NewTown," I asked,
having never climbed any depth into the rise on the opposite
side of the river from NewTown.
     "More whintox and miscal, with some lantern trees and
few others.  Most better trees have been already cut.  No
ironwood though.  I've not seen even one ironwood.  And here
there is nothing else!"
     Legs having achieved what seemed their habitual state
of quivering we finally broke clear of trees.  We didn't
have to speak to decide on our means of return to camp, just
turned downstream on the wonderfully even and flat surface
of the familiar road.  It was good being back amongst
familiar surrounds after the strangeness of the uplands,
though I was keen to understand better the mysteries that
hid there.  We talked of the feasibility of horses climbing
beside the stream we had just descended, of getting logs
down to the river.  Wi-Su suggested that the stream itself,
in its winter state, could transport logs down, and that
netting or a rope where the land levelled off might be
enough to stop them being lost in the flood of the river.  I
pointed out that the stream was conduited under the road,
which would make an easy trapping point.  Wi-Su nodded in
response to the obvious.
     Compared with how long we had taken to follow our
upland path we travelled the same distance on the permanent
road and were climbing back up the path toward camp in a
very short space of time.  Even so we were late and the men
were already abed.  We hushed our conversation and forced
our legs up the steep climb to our campsite.  Do-Si was
waiting for us, yawning broadly.  Lunch was set up so we ate
at once, discovering a hunger that our fatigue had been
trying to hide.  I suggested to Wi-Su that we have a soak
before lying down to take the weariness from our legs, and
soon we were arm in arm in the water.  Sleep was not to be
deferred too long though so tiredly carrying our dirty
clothes we climbed the stairs.  Despite all his self
discipline Do-Si had fallen asleep where he sat waiting for
us.  I gently woke him and showed him to his bed, with us
following close behind.  A quick good repose kiss with Wi-Su
and I was asleep.


     The sound of men's voices drew my thoughts from what I
was writing.  The creation was an interesting topic, and I
found it even more appropriate than I had originally
thought.  It was easy here in this virgin land to imagine
The One creating the world.   The image of twenty naked men
though broke my concentration.  I left my quill and paper
and followed the voices to where they trailed down the
stairs.  At the waterside I was greeted with the site of
many men casually dropping their clothes in piles on the
ground and sauntering naked into the water.  Dicks of all
sizes and shapes waggled in front, briefly showing
themselves to be quickly hidden as their owners headed
deeper into the water.  Not surprisingly the men were less
shy of their backsides than their dicks, and I was
constantly exposed to flashes of white as the men swam and
dove in the water.  None seemed concerned that I was
watching, along with Wi-Su.  Do-Si was bathing with them and
I'm sure, by the faces of some near him, he was grabbing
dicks he had previously pleasured.
     That night Wi-Su again called to Do-Si.  I had decided,
as Wi-Su had already watched "normal" love making between Do-
Si and I that I was not going to hold back, so when Do-Si
lay on his belly I asked him to roll over.  I lay on top and
we began kissing, then I moved down to use my mouth on other
sensitive areas.  My eyes, though, were always peeking to Wi-
Su.  His dick had lifted, but was not hard, and did not
become so even when I lifted Do-Si's legs and entered his
well-wetted arse as we kissed and seemingly tried to swallow
each other's tongues.  When Do-Si had returned to his bed Wi-
Su gave me a good night kiss before turning down the lamp.
His dick had already returned to its resting size.

     GODDAY

     The sermon went well.  The men were enthralled by my
descriptions of the land being formed by the thoughts of The
One, animals and plants coming into existence, and the final
creation, to rule it all, mankind.  Wi-Su complemented me on
my writing as well as my oration.  We then saw the men and
carts off for their journey back to NewTown.  Do-Si and two
field workers remained to look after us.  We spent a lazy
morning.  I taught Wi-Su how to play squares, and for some
time we played this enthusiastically.  Do-Si spent the
morning with the field workers, who by chance were two who
he had told me had rather attractive dicks, and who were
quite well built and good looking.  Despite their personal
entertainment our lunch arrived on time.  After sword
practice Wi-Su and I wandered back up the valley so as to
sit and contemplate the majesty of the waterfall.
     That night I again took full liberty with Do-Si, and
this time Wi-Su became aroused also.  I was so excited by
the sight of his swollen lizlion, head still covered but
clearly outlined under his skin, that I came quite quickly.
Wi-Su politely asked Do-Si if he would suck him again, to
which Do-Si naturally consented.  Do-Si was on his back and
to put his dick in Do-Si's mouth Wi-Su knelt over him,
straddling his shoulders, and began fucking the waiting open
mouth.  This placed my nose in Wi-Su's arse, and I had an
interesting downward view from balls to underside of dick to
Do-Si's chin and lower lip.  As I noted that Wi-Su was
becoming more excited I again began fucking Do-Si, who
moaned in pleasure through his full mouth, but at the same
time I couldn't resist the parts of Wi-Su presented to me.
I started licking and sucking for all I was worth, which
drew moans of pleasure from Wi-Su, especially at the times I
took his balls into my mouth and when I stuck my tongue
inside his hole.  The sounds of his moaning as he came
tipped me over and I joined him.  I then remembered Do-Si
and reached to help him achieve his climax, but his dick and
pubic hair was already slippery with his sexual fluid and
his dick was soft.
     We made our way down to the pool to clean up, listening
to the mysterious noises of the night as we soaked in the
hot water.  Wi-Su put his arm around my shoulders and kissed
my forehead.  We were a contented threesome that climbed the
stairs hand in hand, me in the middle, on the way back to
our beds.
     "Goodnight, my son," said Wi-Su as he leant towards me
to kiss me good night.
     "Goodnight, father, I replied after our lips had
parted.  Unbelievably my dick became hard once again and Wi-
Su let out a ruthful chuckle and gave it a tap with his open
hand as a comment about its inability to remain quiet.  He
then turned down the lamp, removing the vision of his beauty
from my eyes, but my dick still felt the touch of his hand.
The first touch.