Sky waits for him at the school gates.
"I've heard that you are free this afternoon."
"Yes, to go to the festival at the West Temple."
"I know, in fact, our friends are waiting for us and keeping our places. You'll come?"
Friend is happy for these attentions from Sky. For sure, from the places reserved for them, they could watch the rites from a better position and in more comfort. When Sky lightly holds him by an arm, he quivers, and feels slightly ashamed; thinking that, notwithstanding all his intentions, just the previous afternoon he had gone again, full of excited anticipation, to the tavern.
When Finedear saw him arrive, he gave him a broad smile, full of warmth, and took him immediately to the room. He undressed the boy with his usual haste, touching him, like he was able to do, and at once strongly lighting the boy's desires. It was something animal, but terribly agreeable. Just the smell of Finedear's strong muscled body made his head spin. Friend willingly gave himself to the soldier; moaning with him, at the intensity of their pleasure. Finedear, while hammering in him with sheer passion, swore to him that, since he met Friend again, he hadn't taken anybody else into that room. Friend believed him. Finedear seemed unable to lie. Even the coarse compliments from the soldier, while having sex, gave the boy a strange pleasure. And each time the enjoyment was incredibly intense. But soon after, Friend felt an impelling need to run away.
Now, walking near Sky, he knows that with him he would never feel the need to run away, after. But, he asks himself, will there ever be an "after" with Sky? The way he is leading the boy towards the temple, through the narrow capital roads, is something protective, possessive. He feels the man's desire and yet, besides his caressing eyes, nothing reveals his desires. Why? Friend asks himself, with sorrow.
"You are silent today." Sky says to him, with a sweet smile.
"Yes." Friend simply answers.
"I don't know if you are more beautiful when you are thoughtful or when you smile." Sky notes, then says: "Anyway, you are really beautiful."
Friend, emitting a short sigh, says: "I hope to always be beautiful, for you."
"I know you will." Sky answers, quietly but sure, lightly squeezing the boy's arm.
They arrive at the temple and reach the place reserved for the aristocrats. Friend notices a few students from school, each sitting near his protector. Gazelle and Flower welcome them with a smile.
"So then, Friend, you are again one of ours." Gazelle kindly says, while the two newcomers sit next to her.
"Thank you." Friend says with simplicity.
"You didn't have to think, to come out with just with a thank you!" Flower merrily says.
"Yes, why?" Friend asks.
Sky smiles: "Wonderful answer, Friend."
"Eh no, after the festival, he has to come with us to say thanks, and he has to compose a poem for the occasion!"
"I'm not yet so skilled." Friend said, coyly.
Sky gives him a light, fleeting caress on his arm and says: "That, I don't believe. You have poetry in your soul."
Friend blushes, pleased by the compliment.
The festival starts. Friend let himself be absorbed by the rites, songs and dances. But he also feels Sky's presence at his side, and feels happy.
"In a while, it will be the festival of the Victorious Sun: we are now nearing the Summer Solstice. Will you come with us to the Sun Temple?" Gazelle asks the boy.
"If you want me." Friend answers.
"Sky for sure, will not let you escape. It seems that he cannot even breath, without you at his side." Gazelle whispers to the boy. Then adds: "I've never seen him so happy, since he met you. All the sadness of past years seems to have vanished, thanks to you."
Friend is grateful for these words. Flower asks them to be silent. Friend resumes following the rites. Unconsciously, he moves nearer to Sky, and the young man put his arm around the boy's waist. Friend's emotions want to take control. He wants to embrace him, even here, in front of everybody, to let him feel how much he desires him. And yet, he clearly feels that, even that affectionate gesture from Sky, unhappily is nothing more than a friendly gesture, devoid of any erotical meaning.
The rites over, they leave the temple; and Gazelle invites them all to go eat at an inn. It is an old building, in the high part of the city, almost at the border of the forest that encloses it on the south side. They sit at a table in the open, divided from the others, by a bush and a reed wall. During the meal, Friend asks the question that was deep in his heart.
"Why has Sky been sad for years?"
"Oh, an old story, it happened four years ago. Sky was in despair, having lost his first love." Flower says with a smile.
Sky nods, serious: "The first disillusion is the worst." he says with a tragic tone.
Flower continues, as if she was telling one of the stories of the Creations Book: "Sky was madly in love with Calm-Wind-Of-Robinia-Forest. A boy of the Coyote tribe, two years younger than him, they met during a hunting beat. Wind gave himself to Sky without hesitating, but when he realized that being Sky's lover meant spending more time naked than dressed, horizontal than vertical, and that after uniting one, two, three times; Sky was ready to start again from zero. Wind was scared and fled, not wanting to see Sky any more."
"No, that's not right. It was that he wasn't able to part with his loincloth. In one month, I was only able to make love with him just three, four times, and that after much insistence. He played to arouse me, then refused to do anything. It was his fault, not mine."
"Be that as it may, Wind disappeared, and Sky entered a tremendous crisis. To distract him, we took him to the festival of the First Maize Beer, where everyone knows young boys are available for easy sex. In fact, they go there, just for that purpose. Everybody freely drinks and does not try to hide their desires. In fact, in a short while, we saw him withdraw with a young beer maker and we were all happy for him: between the lad's arms he would forget Wind. But after a little while, he reappeared, dead drunk, saying he just wanted to lay down and die."
"I tried, but couldn't. He was not Wind..."
"After that day, he shut himself in his sadness. He didn't want to be with anybody, even for just one night, and he just composed poems about death... until you appeared and a smile came back to his lips. Here you are, and this is the story."
"And from then... love without sex." Sky says.
"Or else... sex without love." Friend thoughtful says.
"We're okay, we four together. Didn't we become inseparable?" Gazelle says.
"Yes, like the four cardinal points." Friend says.
"Right, and Flower is the North, the shining sun." Sky says.
"And then, Gazelle is the South, the sweet sun." Friend says.
"Sure, and Friend is the East, the rising sun, and Sky the West, the setting sun!" Flower merrily exclaims, then adds: "Yes, we are the inseparable, the four cardinal points. I propose to ask a goldsmith to prepare four arm bands with the symbols of our four points, so that everybody will understand who we are."
"Excellent idea, I'll donate them." Sky, joyfully says.
Friend feels he is more and more tied to the gentle Sky, and yet, as the day of the mouse afternoon comes, he is back at the tavern, to spend it with Finedear. He never felt so good with the soldier, as he did, on this day. Evidently, he always had full satisfaction in Finedear arms, or else he wouldn't have gone back to see him; but this afternoon, it is some how different, new. The fact, that having sex with the soldier, without sharing with him, anything of his life, without even communicating, is just that, sex without love; giving him a sense of freedom that he never felt before. Also the soldier is interested in just sex, nothing more.
This time, after having sex, Friend doesn't run away immediately. Finedear feels that something is different, and when he sees that Friend doesn't immediately get dressed again, he starts to caress the boy between his legs, awakening once more his desires, so that they start again to have sex. Finedear is radiant, and brings Friends to peaks of pleasure; taking the boy again, with the same vigour. This time, they mate even longer than the first time, with reciprocal, deep enjoyment. They smile at each other, glad to share such an intense lust. The young soldier seems tireless, the young student insatiable.
Friend is dozing, today is an holiday so he can rest a little longer than usual. Later, he will start to study. From behind his door, he hears the warden's voice telling him that some one is waiting at the gate. He lazily strands up, dons his loincloth and skirt and goes to the gate.
"Hey, Friend!" Sky greets him merrily, "You are free today, right?"
"Are you always so well informed?"
"Sure, when it concerns you. Come spend the day with us."
"I was going to study."
"So, come on! Don't you want to be with me?"
"Sure, yes, but..."
"Come, let's go!"
"My hair is ruffled, I didn't even take a bath."
"You are perfect the way you are." Sky says to him, looking at him with a kind smile and, taking his hand, leads him away.
Friend feels stunned. He follows Sky to Gazelle's house.
"Ah, good, he succeeded in tearing you away from your studies!" Flower says with a wide grin.
"I won the wager," Gazelle says, "so, now we can leave."
"Where?" Friend asks, and he thinks that he feels really comfortable with his three friends.
"Morning has a house, out of the town, near the Feather; it's on a small lake and he is waiting for us. He said he will prepare some food, and Morning is skilled in that. We will swim then eat. We will have a wonderful day, together." Flower announces.
"And we will also sleep there." Gazelle adds.
"But tomorrow morning, I have to be back to school..."
"And you will be, I promise you." Sky says to him.
They leave. Friend is unable to say no to Sky, and in truth, he doesn't want to say no to him. They arrive at Morning house, and the young man welcomes them with joy. He is no longer sad, like the first time they met, on the contrary, he is now the living image of happiness. The small house, built of stone, has just one floor, with a wide terrace on the roof and a small room in a corner of the terrace. It is built on the edge of the small lake, between trees in full bloom: the place is enchanting. The sun is reaching its zenith and the air is sweet and warm.
While Morning finishes preparing the food, the four friends undress and dive into the water for a good swim. It is the first time that Friend sees Sky completely naked and hopes he dove into the water fast enough to have hide his sudden erection. But Flower swims near him and says:
"He has that effect on you, eh, Sky?"
Friend blushes.
"But you must be patient. He is also attracted to you, very much, but he is not yet ready."
"Ready?" Friend asks, not sure he understands.
"He is afraid of being deserted again. He wants to know you better, don't you understand? He really suffered a lot for Wind, and he doesn't want to be hurt again."
"Yes, I see. And what can I do?"
"Nothing. Simply let him know you."
"Simply." Friend repeats while Flower swims away.
Back on shore, Friend immediately dons his loincloth, contrary to the other, that just pick up their clothes and go to the house, naked. Friend follows them. They sit at the table, eat, then go out again, stretching under the sun. Morning also wears his loincloth, so that Friend doesn't feel uneasy. They are chatting of this and that when, at one point, Flower says:
"I understand."
"Do you understand? Really do you understand, Flower?" Sky asks with a strange air.
"I'm not stupid, am I?" Flower answer, pretending to be offended.
"Understand... What does it mean, according you Friend, to understand?"
"Well, to understand... it means to grasp the true essence of things." the boy ventures.
"To understand. It is not just to grasp. You grasp a flower, you hold it in your hand, you can even believe it is yours, but... to understand, do you really understand that flower?"
"I can study it, examine it, analyze it..." Friend then says,
"Yes, parting it petal by petal, stamen by stamen, and pistil by pistil. But in the end you no longer have a flower. That way, you can know it; but not understand it." Sky objects with a smile.
"But, then?" Friend confused asks.
"To understand the flower means to become the flower. To assume its colours, to diffuse its perfume, to welcome the bee and then to become a fruit or a seed. To be the flower."
"Then I will never able to understand a flower, or even just a sand grain."
"No, you are right."
"Therefore it is impossible to understand." Friend says.
"A flower, a sand grain... but a man can understand a man, some times. Know and then understand. But you need a deep humility." Sky says.
"Oh, that... it doesn't seem to me, we have too much of that, you included, Sky." Flower says teasing him.
"It is enough to have it, when it is important." Gazelle says.
"And when is it important?" Morning asks.
"When you want to understand somebody." Friend answers, and sees an approving smile on Sky's and Gazelle's lips.
They weave a flower crown and start to improvise poems. After each tour of poems, they decide who has to wear the flower crown and one of the others writes down the chosen poem. It is evening, and after eating again, they start a game of shells and the loser has to sing a song. Then, they ask Friend, to tell the story of the First Creation, and the boy narrates it in a beautiful tone and accent. At last, they decide to go to bed. Morning assigns the rooms: Flower and Gazelle in the West room, Sky in the North room, himself in the room near the stairs, and Friend in the small room on the roof.
Friend goes up with a lantern, pulls off his loincloth and lies on the soft bed. He blows out the lantern, and from the window, gazes at the crescent of the growing moon in the clear sky, quilted with stars. He had hoped he could sleep again next to Sky; but he couldn't object to the lord of the house's decision. He falls asleep, excited, thinking about the beauty of Sky's body.
"Friend, Friend..." a low voice awakens him. The room is now dark, he just indistinctly sees a silhouette.
"Who are you?" the boy asks sitting up. A naked body leans against him and pushes him on the mattress. "Morning..." Friends murmurs, recognizing the young man.
"Yes... everybody is asleep." the man says and Friend feel that his host is aroused.
Morning tightly embraces Friend, and with his lips searches the boy's lips and kisses him deeply. Friend shudders, with excitement, and after a short hesitation, embraces and pulls the man against him, caressing his sturdy and virile body. Friend is astounded, how Morning is able to touch him in all the right spots, in the right way, and how he seems to be ubiquitous. The young man has no indecision, no hesitation or doubts. Friend feels void of thoughts, totally engrossed by the conscience of the unforeseen visit. He feels wrapped, surrounded and encircled by Morning, in growing circles of deeper and deeper physical sensations.
Friend is slightly panting, his heart beats strong, his temples pulsate like he was a victim of the fever. When their two bodies merged, tightly interpenetrate, without any effort, he feels like the boundaries between his body and the young man's ceased to exist, like each part went to its place by itself, a law of nature. And yet, strangely enough, Friend feels that Morning is an "alien". This doesn't lessen the pleasure he is feeling; but Friend knows, he doesn't belong to the other. These moments, these sensations are beautiful, and Friend decides to thoroughly enjoy them.
Morning accompanies him, step by step, on the road to pleasure, until he brings the boy to a peak at the same time he does. The two united bodies, shake with pleasure, like leaves in the wind, throbbing in unison, in a strong, intense orgasm.
"It has been great." Morning sighs, satisfied.
"Yes, great."
"I like you a lot."
"But I... I'm in love with another."
"I know, you love Sky, and he loves you. But nothing yet, right?"
"You know? Then, why?"
"Because you needed it. I needed it. And because, I felt that with you, it would really be wonderful, even if it was just one time."
"I'm sorry, Morning, but I..."
"Shush, you don't need to... It has been beautiful, and that's enough. Lucky man, Sky, when he decides. If, without love, you are so splendid; with the man you love, what can you possibly be?" Morning says caressing his cheek. Then he gives him a light kiss on an eye, stands up, and whispers to him "good night."
"Friend... wake up!" the voice of Sky penetrates his dreams and brings him back to consciousness.
He opens his eyes, and seeing the young man's look, remembers he is naked. Instinctively, he wants to cover up, but he doesn't.
"If you get up immediately, we will be in time for your school. The others are still sleeping, so be quiet."
"Yes." Friend answers, rising from his bed.
Sky's eyes don't abandon him for a moment. He ties his loincloth, dons his skirt and prepares himself.
"Let's go." Sky says.
As they rapidly approach the Capital, Sky asks him: "How was it?"
"How was what?" Friend asks, not understanding.
"With him, last night." Sky says, stressing the masculine pronoun.
"You know? Did you see him coming upstairs?"
"No. I just saw how he looked at you all day long."
"Very good... but without love." Friend answers, slightly embarrassed.
"I see, like on the afternoons of the mouse days?" Sky asks in a quiet tone.
"Do you spy on me?"
"Spy? No. I simply noticed that all those afternoons you are not at school, so..."
"Why do you ask me?"
"Because I want to know you; understand?"
"That is also... without love. Then, that's all, believe me, nobody else. Don't judge me too badly."
"Who am I to judge you? You are a boy, and you like sex. It's just normal. We really are the four cardinal points, love without sex and sex without love. Right?"
"No. Flower and Gazelle have love and sex."
"That's not right, you know? Sex without love. That's what they have too. They are friends, sure, but not lovers. Gazelle at times goes with men, like with Morning. And Flowers has other women. They just feel good together."
Friend is silent. Then, quite afraid to ask such a thing, he says: "And you, sex?"
"Nothing, at least for the moment."
"It's Wind's fault?"
"No, not any more, anyway. I don't think of him any more, not as a lost lover, anyway. Possibly, I too, made mistakes with him. I demanded that he live for me."
"Isn't that normal, for a lover?"
"No, it was for me, to live for him; and if he loved me, he would have lived for me, as his choice. It wasn't so, I didn't live for him and demanded him to live for me. He was right to flee. It was me, that made him flee."
They both become silent.
When, in front of the school gate, Sky says: "Anyway, you are so wonderful, naked. I would like to always see you, as you were this morning, when I came to wake you up." Without saying any thing more, he turns and leaves.
Friend watches him, and feels that he is deeply in love with the young man.
Winter arrives, and with it, the end of the first year of school. For several days, Friend doesn't meet any of his friends; but he continues to meet with Finedear. He immerses himself in his studies, preparing for the final competition. During the long nights, by the light of his lantern, he carefully rehearses the books and his notes. He sleeps just few hours; but he doesn't feel tired. The only one little relaxation, he concedes to himself, are the afternoon meetings with Finedear, but after that night with Morning, the soldier seems to him more and more inadequate. Surely, pleasurable, but nothing more.
The final competitions arrive. Friend passes all of them, and qualifies first in all of them. His teachers, even the most severe, congratulate him. And his fellows students, envy him, not always kindly. The day to award the prizes comes. The Emperor returns to the School. Friend, in formation with all the other students, awaits Him, with his heart in his mouth. They have explained to him, punctiliously the ceremonial, and made him rehearse it, hundreds of times, so that he doesn't make mistakes when he has to go to stand in front of the Emperor.
When they all prostrate, Friend trembles from his hair to his toes. When they stand up, he looks at the Emperor and again feels a burning love. He loves Sky, but... for the Emperor he is ready to give his life. "I would live for Him; but He will never live for me." he thinks, with regret. But then he tells himself that his thought is blasphemous: the Emperor is a god. How can he just dream, to be loved, by a god? That a god, could even consider, to live "for" a common mortal?
The dean of the school calls his name. Friend leaves the formation of the first years students, reaches the centre of the courtyard and prostrates himself on the ground. The Emperor's voice exclaims, clear, loud and resounding:
"Last-Friend-Of-The-Moon! Come forward!"
Friend stand up, his eyes steady on that splendid figure sitting on the golden throne, arrives at the foot of the stand and again prostrates himself on the ground. The Emperor stands up.
"Last-Friend-Of-The-Moon! Come!"
Friend stand up, the Emperor looks at him with a light smile. The boy hesitates, climbs the stand's stair and again prostrates himself.
"Stand up!" the Emperor says.
Friend obeys, and he is in front of the god on earth. He trembles. The Emperor makes a slight gesture, and an aristocrat pulls off Friend's white skirt without drawings. Another aristocrats girds the boy with a skirt with a sun; the yellow eyes and mouth closed. The Emperor looks straight into the boy's eyes. Then takes the head band, with the coloured feathers, of the various tests he placed first in and puts it on the boy's head. Friend bows his head deeply and now looks at the Emperor's feet; enclosed in the golden sandals, and thinks that they are really beautiful, that he would like to kiss them. The Emperor says, in a low voice:
"I know that you passed all the competitions, qualifying first. Several years have passed, since any one has done so well. Don't disappoint me, next year, Last -Friend-Of-The-Moon. I will remember you."
Friend feels like fainting. He repeats, the three ritual prostrations, and walking backward, resumes his place. He hopes the ceremony will end soon, because he is not sure his legs can hold up him up much longer.
When all is over, his fellows crowd around him: "What did say the Emperor to you? From here, it was impossible to hear."
"He said, that if he continues this way, he will appoint Friend as his private bog cleaner!" a boy says with grudge.
"I will be proud even of that!" another boy protests.
"No, he must have said, Friend, fuck more and study less, if you are a man." another said, laughing.
"What did He tell you? Come on!"
"Words suitable to the occasion..." Friend answers, feeling his head spinning.
"That is?" another boy insists.
"Not to disappoint him, that he will remember me." Friend murmurs.
"Oh, dear you! I wouldn't be in your place, then!" a fellow exclaims.
Friend leaves, almost running, going to his cell, and throws himself on his bed, shaking.
He felt the Emperors hands on his head, when he was putting his head band on. He had been touched by his god, by the descendant of the Eternal Sun! He feels consecrated, different, transformed.
He falls asleep, exhausted.
Now he has twenty eight days of vacation. Most of the students return home, but he, like some of the others, live too far away to be able to go home. Friend makes a program: in those days, he will continue to study, so he will be ready for the beginning of the new course. He will just sleep a little longer than usual, because he really needs some rest.
He is five days into his vacation. It is mid morning, he is in his room. studying; when he hears his door opening. He turns, curious, and sees Finedear in front of him.
"You? How could you enter? Why are you here?" he asks, standing up, troubled.
"Yesterday afternoon, I waited for you, but you didn't come. I wanted to see you." Finedear says and starts to undress.
"Hey, wait!" Friend says, but Finedear is already naked and his muscled body is already on the boy. Friend is scared, not afraid he will be hurt, but because he feels wanted and feels that the soldier expects him to participate, in what ever he demands.
"No, stop!" Friend says, stepping back, but the soldier starts to untie the boy's loincloth.
"Let me fuck you." Finedear says holding him in his muscled arms, and lightly biting him on his ear, lifts the boy, and brings him to the bed.
Friend closes his eyes, astounded at such erotic energy, conquered by the intensity of the young soldier's desire to possess him. Finedear is slow, methodical, knowing how to control his own desires, enough to modulate and protract his own pleasures. He knows how to control the boy's desires, enough to keep it at the highest level and to easily subdue him to his will. Until, in a kind of sudden frenzy, he folds the boy under him, he transfixes the boy's ass, with a single, long push, and then he starts to hammer in him, with such a vigour, that Friends feels about crying out, for the incredible excitement that the young man is giving to him. And finally they both reaches an orgasm. Everything seems to become white, empty, silent; while Finedear throbs in him in a last spasm of the pleasure.
"Uuuuuhhh!" Finedear murmurs shaking his head with a wide satisfied grin.
"Let's get dressed..." Friend says, terrorized at the idea that somebody could come and catch them.
"No! I want to do it again, in a little while." the soldier says keeping the boy's hand away from his loincloth; throwing it across the room. "Stay here. I like feeling you."
"How could you enter here?"
"A piaster to the watchman. Now that it's vacation time, they are not so strict."
"You shouldn't have come here."
"Come on, Friend! You like being fucked by me, no? And to suck my meat. Look at it, it's all ready hard again, ready for a second round."
"That's enough, let's get dressed."
"Come on, you like it, no? Kiss it."
"Finedear, either you leave immediately, or..."
The soldier looks at him, astounded: "You are serious!"
"Sure."
"But what's up, now? I made you enjoy it, no?"
"Yes, but enough is enough."
"You are not talking, just about today." Friend looked at him, fairly stupefied: he didn't consider the other being so sensitive. "Hey, tell me, are you giving me a brush off? What did I do wrong? I like you a lot, I don't want to lose you. I never found somebody, to fuck as good as you are. I don't want to lose you, Friend, for real! I'm not able to speak well, I'm just a soldier, but... Friend, I want you!"
"You want, want, want! I'm not an object! You want! And I, what do I want, did you ever ask yourself that?" Friend said, angry.
"But... this, no?" Finedear answers, sure, shaking his erect member.
"No, don't you understand. Can I desire something else?"
Finedear lightens up: "Piasters? Gifts? Why didn't I think about that! You have to forgive me. I'll give you presents, I promise. I know how to be generous with some one I like, and I like you too much. Come on, Friend, let's make peace, now. I still want you, now." the soldier says caressing the boy between his legs.
Friend feels he is near surrendering and reacts with anger: "Don't touch me, or I'll start to shout and call the wardens." he hisses, firmly.
Finedear stops, astounded: "I don't understand you."
"Right."
"All right, I'll go. I'll wait until you've calmed down. I will be at the tavern, every afternoon of the mouse day." he says getting out of the bed, he puts on his clothes and rapidly leaves, without saying any more.
Friend dresses, but lies again on his bed: would he never get rid of Finedear? So dull but so sensual? He wants to stop that relationship, at any price. Friend thinks that life is weird; he loves the Emperor, desires Sky, has sex with Finedear... What will he become? Yes, for a start he has to get rid of the soldier, but there remains the Emperor and Sky, the Sun and the Sky... Let's forget the Sun, there is nothing there for him, but if at least, Sky would decide for himself... he thinks, confused.
He is told somebody is waiting for him at the gate. He hopes it is not Finedear again. It is Morning.
"Friend, I came to fetch you to go to an excursion to the Sand Hills."
"The Sand Hills? Where are?"
"Near the sea, North of The Beautiful. Where all the beau-monde gathers when there is fine weather, like today. The others are waiting for us."
"Ah... I wanted to study..."
"It's not enough to be the first? Sky is really proud of you, he's prepared a gift, don't you come to take it?"
"You know how to tempt me: Sky and a gift at the same time."
"Eh, I know your weak points, boy! And I love them, you know it."
"Don't try to be gallant with me, it doesn't work."
"I know, I know. Are you coming, then?"
"All right, tempter!"
Crossing the Stone Town, that is the elegant wards, then the Mud Town, that is the crowded conurbation of the slums, of the poorest people; they take the paved road going North. Taking a narrow path, they cross a small forest and arrive on a wide stretch of sandy beach, strongly undulated, spotted here and there with thick bushes, until they reach the shore.
Morning takes him rapidly to the point where Sky, Gazelle and Flower are stretched, completely naked on some mats.
"Hurrah, here you are, at last!" Flower shouts as soon as she see them, standing up merrily, to greet them.
Sky sits up and, screening his eyes with his hand, looks at them and smiles.
"Get naked, the weather is splendid, winter is nearly over." Gazelle says.