Date: Tue, 01 Dec 1998 22:19:48 -0500
From: Jerry <jerryli@systec.com>
Subject: Arin Part 4

The following story contains scenes of boys having sex with other boys
 and/or men, depending on what I decided on by the time I got around to 
writing it. ;) It is science fiction and fantasy, and as such contains
things which simply don't happen in real life. If your imagination is
not good, you won't enjoy it very much. As for the sex thing, if this stuff
is against your personal moral codes, don't read it. If there's anything 
you don't understand, ask your parents or friends or whoever you think will. 
If you like the story, feel free to write me a letter at jerryli@systec.com.
You're allowed to do anything you like with my story with the following exceptions:

1. You may not place it on a system which charges people to read it unless you 
   request permission from me first. I have no problem giving you permission, but
   there will be a slight one-time fee. ;) 

2. You may not post alterations to the story, or write sequels to it, 
   without my permission. 

Happy reading! 

=====================================================================

Chapter 16

    At first, we allowed the boat to drift during the night. The stream
carried us at a gentle pace, and we were close enough to the village border
that we weren't worried about anything big and nasty coming after us. On
the third night we pulled the boat up on to the shore and set up a campfire
by the river.

    It was a beautiful way to spend a cool spring night, that was for
sure. Cedra cuddled up close to me and we watched the moon sparkle against
the clear water. Every now and again a fish would jump up and the light
would sparkle on it's body and it would land back in the water and ripple
the waves. A beautiful sight under ordinary circumstances, but with Cedra's
head against mine and his hands in mine it seemed like more then just
beautiful. It seemed wonderous.

    Dejana and Tarus were cuddled up in the same way upstream. I hadn't
even known they were a couple so it was totally out of nowhere for me.  I
decided to break the mood with that very objection. "Hey", I cried out,
"when did you two become lovebirds?"

    Tarus giggled and Dejana cooed into him, kissing him lightly on the
cheek. "I dunno", he called back, "when were you and Cedra born?"  With
that he turned to Dejana and gave her a long, passionate kiss.

    In a sort of subtle way, it turned into a competition. Straight couple
and boy couple, each eager to prove that the feelings between them were
were stronger and more powerful than the other's. Cedra and I began
tenderly kissing each other's necks, and I put a small hickey on his chest,
right where the birthmark was. It looked funny, when I was done - a small
mound of red with a brown dot in the middle.

    Rath grumbled something on the far end of the campsite. He was leaning
up against a tree, reading the incantation for some kind of spell. Studying
the way it worked, how it moved the streams. He was the only one without a
partner, which made me feel a little guilty. I whispered so to Cedra, and
he nodded his agreement. We decoupled slightly, but we stayed in a subtle
embrace as we fell asleep. We didn't have the tents, but we had the fire
and each other to stay warm.

Chapter 17

    The next morning, we ran into a merchant caravan coming down the river,
on their way to Tiarna. They had sleeping bags at cheap prices, so we were
able to get a few.  Enough for one per couple, anyway, and you could curl
totally inside them in case it rained.

    That night the keep was in sight in the distance, although we would
have another hour's travel in the morning to reach it. I was on watch and
Cedra stayed awake to keep me company.

    Okay, I admit it, I wasn't exactly watching the appropriate things as I
was sitting in front of the campfire, listening to the crackle it made as
it burned twigs and leaves. Instead of searching the woods for intruders, I
was searching Cedra's eyes and basking in the passion that burned
there. Instead of feeling out the way the wind moved in the night, and
smelling for some warning of company in the forest, I was feeling the bulge
in Cedra's britches for signs of his definite erection, and smelling the
sweetness of his young boy face as we kissed again and again, warmly and
softly and with more burning desire than I'd ever felt before in my life.

     Slowly we took off our shirts and, barechested, we continued to make
out. I loved the feel of his soft boy back, the skin so smooth and
silky. The heat from the fire was hitting both of us, making us feel even
more intense and more empassioned.

     He pulled away from me, looking into my eyes and slowly running his
hand down my chest. "This is great, Arin."

     "Yes", I agreed.

     "Arin?", he said, in that shy boy way.

     "Yeah?", I replied, wondering if this was it. Was he going to tell me
what I'd been waiting to hear?

     "I think...", he began, and my heart was fluttering in my chest. "I
think I, well, it's just that, you're so cool and we get along so well and
all..." Yes! This was it! He was going to say it! "...I just think you
should know that, well, there's a dark elf behind you."

     I had barely picked up on the change of tone and expression, his face
going from tender and warm to alarmed and afraid, and when he finished the
sentence I almost didn't pick up on what he had said. When I realized it I
grabbed my sword from the ground and jumped up and around as quickly as I
could.

     There, before me, was a dark elf child around my age. He was dressed
in a dark grey suit of armor with a strange symbol embriodered on the
chest, and a dark purple cloak that glimmered in the light of our camp. He
carried a sword, like mine, and he had it out and ready as he
approached. Behind him I could see a rustling in the trees, and I believed
it to be more of his kind.

     Cedra wasted no time. He immediately hopped back and started to stir
the others. I stared at the trespasser and demanded, in as menacing a voice
as possible, "Who are you and what do you want?" It didn't sound quite
right with my little boy soprano voice.

     He was obviously intimidated, but he held it in very well. "I am Kurl
Prachek of the Kynex Alliance. You are not welcome on our land." His
company came out of hiding then, two adult dark elves in warrior's garb.

     "We're just passing through", I explained. "We should be gone soon
enough."

     "Does your business include anything in the keep over there?" He
pointed towards our destination.

     "No", I lied, "we're passing by it, but we're not headed for it."

     That seemed to satisfy him, but he was not done tormenting us. "This
area is in dispute. Your safety is not guaranteed." I nodded, picking up a
piece of creature meat from our last altercation.

     "We can hold our own", I replied. He grunted something, and without
further word he turned away into the night and the others followed him.

     I turned around. The others were all behind me, weapons at the ready
but lowered, now gaping between me and Cedra. "What exactly", Dejana began,
"were you two up to before they showed up?"

     I began to reply, but Tarus cut in. "You were on watch, man. If the
danger is going to come from the inside of Cedra's mouth, that's one thing,
but--"

     "Okay", Rath said, coming to my defense. "I think he's gotten the
idea." He turned to me and crouched down so that we were eye to eye. "Maybe
you and Cedra should calm down a little bit while we're out on
missions. This is the second time you've been caught off guard."

      I picked up Cedra's shirt and handed it to him. "I guess", I mumbled
dejectedly.  One thing was certain - I was now more eager then ever to get
that box and go home.

Chapter 18

      The rest of the night was pretty uneventful. Cedra and I made
smalltalk for the rest of my watch and then I woke up Rath and we went to
sleep. It was tough to keep from kissing him, but I did the best I
could. It was easier knowing that there was a fully armed drow elf patrol
out there somewhere.

      When morning broke, we loaded our things and pushed our boat back
into the water.  Cedra looked a little worried, occasionally glancing over
his shoulder for the dark elf patrol. I didn't know much about Orcs or that
funky looking thing that tried to make dinner of us, but I was pretty
knowledgable on drow elves, so I assured him that they wouldn't be out in
the daylight.

      "Like Vampires?", he asked.

      "Not quite", I replied. "They won't be killed if they stay in the
sunlight, but it does hurt them and they don't like it."

      "That must be a weird way to live", he mused.

      Tarus and Rath stopped rowing as the keep loomed over us, a short
distance away.  "Well Cedra", he said, "this is the spot. Work your
miracles." With that, Cedra closed his eyes and began to pray.

      His slow chanting droned on for a few minutes, occasionally repeating
a word here or there. I have absolutely no idea what any of it meant. It
wasn't a spell; he was grabbing at streams of magic and manipulating
them. It was more of a ritual, a simple appeal to his deity to work her
wonders on us. After awhile he opened his eyes and said, "Everyone jump
into the water."

      "With our stuff?", I asked. Tarus didn't wait for any kind of a
reply; he picked me up by my neck and my nuts and threw me square into the
river. The others were close behind. Once we were in the river, it was the
same chanting and praying, interspersed with swimming and bobbing up and
down.

      I was about ready to complain about exactly how long I was going to
have to tread water with a bag full of now wet equipment, when I began to
feel a change on my neck.  My neck was growing apart from itself!! Three
small slits were sinking into it, pulling the skin back and apart. I felt
queasy, like I couldn't breathe. I started panicking.

     "Go underwater", he said, and in an instant he was submerged. I tried
to take a deep breath, but my lungs weren't working right anymore. So I
just went down, and to my suprise found that the slits in my neck were
perfectly working gills. It was like drinking and breathing at the same
time, only the water came back out afterwards. It was strange, but also way
cool. I was a fish!

     I tried to speak, but there was no longer air going to my vocal
cords. Besides, I doubt I'd have made many noises underwater. Dejana
motioned to a spot on the reef deep underwater, and we kicked off and
headed for it.

Chapter 19

     I spun around under the water, watching the schools of fish swim
by. We'd been going deeper and farther in the last half hour then I'd ever
been in the water. I squirted up and playfully bumped past Cedra's side. He
responded by flipping and punting back at my leg. It was a fun game, but it
split us off from the group for a minute.

     It's funny, how two people who share a close bond can communicate
without using any words at all. Cedra looked at me and saw the worry in my
face. "Uh oh, I'm scared, we should find them", it said to him.

     He smiled at me and patted his chest. "Don't worry", was what he was
saying. Then he pointed down towards a spot in the reef that was about 200
feet up and 1500 feet away.  "That's where they're going", his actions
said. Then he made a motion to his lips and a michevous smile. The meaning
was obvious - "Let's try an underwater kiss." I started to turn off in that
direction when I caught a chance look to my left.

     Blue and grey, moving fast! SHARK! Instinctively I dove down as fast
as I could go, and the shark flew past my side. I swam over behind a school
of small trout, hoping to hide there. But he flew through them, chomping on
a couple as he came. Luckily, the impact and the chewing slowed his speed
enough to back off a little from him. The shark turned again, ready to go
for me, when something clanged against it's tail.
 
     Cedra. He had propelled something at the shark, trying to draw it away
from me. Putting his life at risk to save mine. If I hadn't been in love
with him before that moment, my heart would have flown to him then and
taken refuge there. But the look of worry on his face as the shark turned
on him told me he didn't have a plan past that point.

     So now it was my turn. I had the means to stop the shark, now that it
was properly distracted. And the sacrifice would show Cedra that I care
about him too. I was going to show him the one thing I hadn't shown anyone.

     I swam over to the now-distracted shark. It was a challenge to keep up
with it, especially with my weighed-down equipment on me. But I made it
there as it was backing Cedra into a corner. Luckily, the spell I was
focusing on could be cast without words.  I placed my hand on the shark's
flank and concentrated. I didn't really understand what DNA was, but I felt
the shark's flow through my fingertips and into my body.

     I closed my eyes and concentrated, and slowly I could feel my body
begin to change.  My legs fused together and got larger, and then my skin
became tough and scaly. My face bulged out into the shark's bloated mouth
and my teeth became large and serrated. I felt a growth on my back - the
shark's fin. And my fingers melted together and stretched out to become the
shark's flippers.

     As I changed, the shark had turned from Cedra, confused by this new
prey whose scent was changing. Now he was staring at a carbon copy of
himself. He swam around Cedra to protect him from me - this was his kill,
and he wasn't going to have me muscling in on it.

     But I arced around and found a good angle to dive down on. I dove at
him, overpowered by the polymorphed shark mind. It wanted to feast on Cedra
as badly as the other shark did.  Luckily, Cedra's reflexes were apt to
move him out of the way. I fought for control of the shark body and turned
to charge the other shark.

     We crashed head on, each trying to draw blood from the other. But I
had an advantage over the other shark - I had my human intelligence. I
waited for him to circle around. He came at me again, but this time I
ducked under him and caught his tailfin as he swam past.  Blood sprayed
from the wound, and the shark took off, unwilling to fight now that the
odds were against him.

     Cedra was still looking at me with fear, shock, and wonder. As I let
go of the spell and felt my human body come back to me, I thought "Man. I'm
going to have a lot of explaining to do."

Chapter 20

     We reached the sewage tunnel that was dug out under the reef. The area
around it was disgusting to swim in, filled with the rotted garbage of past
meals and the rotted waste of things I didn't really want to think
about. There was a old rotted gate on the entrance, but it had long since
corroded and fallen aside, barely hinged on. It was child's play to swim
past it and into the tunnel itself. The tunnel was submerged for a
distance, but after a short swim we made it to the above water section. My
gills seemed to melt away and my lungs started working as soon as I crossed
the barrier from water to air.

     The others were still a slight distance ahead; we could hear them, but
we didn't take great pains to catch up. Cedra didn't waste any time getting
to the issue at hand.

     "So Arin", he asked, "how exactly did you just turn into a shark back
there?"

     I sighed. "Well, I may have studied a little bit more about magic then
I've let on?", I said, ending my statement with the uncertainty of a
question even though it was fact.

     "Uh-huh", he said. "And you were going to tell me... when?"

     "Hey", I said, "you guys kidnapped me, remember? I wanted to make sure
I had an ace in the hole, in case you turned out to be psychos."

     He smiled. "Well, I guess I can understand that." With that he leaned
over and gave me a playful peck on the cheek. I smiled warmly at him. The
tunnel had gotten large enough so that we were standing in it comfortably.

     "Hey, catch me!", he cried. He bolted down the corridor at a frantic
pace, shoes splashing in the murky water.

     "Wait up!", I yelled, darting after him. My stuff was still soaking
wet and my shoes also made that squishy sound as I trampled down the
corridor. I ignored the musty air and the dirt and the grime and the rather
large rats that I had to dodge as I weaved through the tunnel. I was in a
state of giddy boy happiness, running and playing with Cedra.

     Reality hit me, not for the first time, a few minutes later. Cedra's
footsteps were getting closer, as I closed the distance between us. Either
he was letting me win, or my boy legs were FINALLY outmatching someone. The
corridor was opening up towards the end, with side drains in the adjoining
areas. I bolted past the side drains, about to burst into the alcove, when
a hand yanked at me and violently pulled me back. I tried to scream, but a
hand covered my mouth.

     "Shhhhhh", Tarus whispered as he held me down tightly. "Look."

     I looked ahead into the alcove. It was a typical dank room, stairs
leading up into the keep's galley, a couple of skeletons against the wall,
probably victims of the lord's cruelty or the chef's cooking. Nothing
particularly weird. That is, not until one of the skeletons moved it's bony
hand and started walking in patrol fashion around the room.

     "They're moving", I said, stating the terminally obvious.

     "Yes", Tarus agreed. "Would appear this place is haunted."

     The skeleton moved in our direction...

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More soon. Keep writing! It helps me to know people actually read this.