Date: Sun, 17 Jul 2016 04:40:00 +0000
From: Douglas DD <thehakaanen@hotmail.com>
Subject: The Survivors (Revised)  Chapter 30

THE BIG VALLEY
BY DOUGLAS DD


This story contains sex between minor boys and teenagers.  If such things
offend you, or you are not at least 18 years of age, then please don't read
on.  This story is not true, but who knows, maybe someday it will be.

Welcome back. The "Starkeeper" boys have made contact with the boys at the
lake. Both groups must now figure out what to do next.

Please donate to the Nifty Archive. Keep the stories rolling.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The two groups of boys stood gaping at each other.  The Hakaanen boys said
something to the Earth boys, but Scooter and Douglas had no idea what it
was.  They said nothing in return—they simply smiled and held their
hands out in a gesture of peace.

"I saw that work in a vid," Douglas told Scooter.

"I hope they saw the same vid," Scooter replied.

"I wish we could talk to them somehow.  We can't stand here forever hoping
somebody figures something out."

"I wonder..." Scooter said.

"Wonder what?"

"If you and I exchange our thoughts in language, or if they are like some
kind of energy?"

"Huh?"  Douglas wasn't quite sure where Scooter was going.  Then he
recognized the look of concentration on Scooter's face.  Scooter was trying
to send his thoughts to the native boy just like he sent them to him.  He
could see that Scooter was concentrating so intensely that he wasn't even
breathing. Finally Scooter let out his breath.  The Hakaanen boys hadn't
moved or changed expression. Scooter's idea had fallen flat.

Douglas tried to make contact, too, but all he got was a small headache.

"What about both of us doing it together," Scooter suggested.

"What do you mean?"

"Send your thoughts to me, and then I will send it to the big boy on the
right.  Let's try it, we've got nothing to lose."

Douglas scrunched up his face and sent a thought to Scooter. `We are from
the planet Earth.  We come in peace.'

The Hakaanen boy opened his eyes up wide, his face showing obvious
surprise. The thoughts were loud and Douglas couldn't understand most of
them.  `I am Bandar.  What is your name?  Where is Earth?  How did you get
into my mind?' The questions pounded Douglas's head like the staccato of a
woodpecker banging on a tree.

While Douglas's reception of the alien boy's thoughts blared in his head,
they caused Scooter to fall on his butt.  His eyes were open wide and he
moaned quietly.  Douglas bent over him.

"Scooter, are you okay?" he asked with concern.

Scooter nodded his head.  "Wow...yeah...I think so.  I got hit hard by his
thoughts."

"Did you understand them?"

"No, all I got was noise like static.  Give me another thought to send him,
but we'll try to keep it quieter."

`Send your thoughts back quietly—what you sent was noisy and hard to
understand and it hurt us,' Scooter transmitted to Bandar, the boy in front
of him.

"Scooter, as soon as you feel his thoughts send them to me.  Maybe that
will make the signal weaker."

Scooter set himself, ready, he hoped, for whatever was about to hit him.
He was concentrating on Douglas when a thought blasted him and shook him,
but he managed to relay it to Douglas.  Douglas could feel the power of the
thought, but he held steady.

It is working, Scooter.  I got it.  I understood him.  This is so
weird. The thoughts have to go from me to you to him and then back that
way.  It's like my brain and your brain need to work together, but you
can't understand any of it."

"I'm like a communications satellite or something."

"Exactly. You're like a relay."

They found out that the boy's name was Bandar and that he was called a
Hakaanen.

Douglas decided to try more.  `Bandar, I am Douglas.  My friend is
Scooter. We are from a distant planet called Earth.  Our ship crashed here
and we are lost and far from home.'

`Just the two of you survived?'

`There are thirteen of us.'  Douglas thought it was too complicated to try
to explain about the two different crashes.

`Thirteen?  Where are they?'

Douglas wasn't sure whether to trust Bandar.  Alex had suggested holding
back a couple of guys in reserve in case there was trouble, but Douglas
didn't want to split up the group—they might never find each other
again. Whatever they had to face they would face together.  Besides, they
had been through so much and traveled so far. They had to trust whomever
lived here, no matter what happened, otherwise they could not survive.  He
really had no choice but to trust the naked boy with the pointed ears and
the silky mane standing in front of him, so he held nothing back.

`Across the road in the woods.'

`Tell them to come out.  We won't hurt any of you.'

Douglas turned around and waved to the woods.  The bushes all moved and
suddenly eleven boys came walking out, skinny, scared, with long matted
hair, and even after swimming, still somewhat dirty.

`Where are the adults?' Bandar asked. He was as leery of the Earth boys as
they were of him and his friend.

`We got separated in space and some died.' Once again, Douglas elected not
to confuse the Hakaanen boy with the facts.

`Welcome to the Fire Planet,' Bandar said.

Douglas told the group what Bandar had said.

`We call it Inferno.'

`Good name.'  Bandar smiled at the group. He decided the round-eared boys
with the hairless backs seemed harmless and trustworthy. He could see that
they were nervous and frightened.

The other Hakaanen boys came out from behind their bushes.  Both boys sat
in the grass and Bandar and Douglas continued to exchange thoughts.  Bandar
seemed to be the only one to whom Douglas could send thoughts without the
help of a relay.

Douglas told the story of how they got to Inferno.  He found out why the
Hakaanen had so few cars and fliers.  Bandar told how they had been cut off
from their home planet for so many years, much longer than he'd been
alive. The rest of the boys watched as Douglas and Bandar communicated
silently.

This was a big disappointment.  All the way to the valley the Earth boys
were hoping that whoever lived here could somehow find a way to get them
home.  Now it looked like they were trapped on Inferno for the rest of
their lives.  A lot of the initial excitement left Douglas.  They had been
through so much and gone so far, and it seemed like it was all for nothing.
Now all they could hope for was that these people who called themselves the
Hakaanen were really as friendly as they seemed and would allow them to
live in their valley. Otherwise, there was no way they could survive.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Robert Charles woke up suddenly, wondering who was beside him.  As he
reached over and felt the soft breast of the native girl, he remembered the
night before.  Oh man, he thought, was she ever good in bed. As if to prove
his thought, the girl rolled close to Robert Charles, grabbed his softening
penis, and stroked him to rigid hardness again.  Then, she scooted down and
took it in her mouth, giving Robert Charles a sensuous blowjob that had him
spurting small drops of cum in just seconds. As he lay there, breathing
hard and coming off his high, he figured she was thirteen in Earth years,
but she sure knew her stuff. It wasn't the best thought I ever had, he
thought. That little Matthew kid was the best, even if he was a boy.  Gawd,
what a tight little ass he had.  Too bad that asshole Douglas left him
behind buried in the sand.  He'd love to have that preteen ass now.

He got out of bed to take a pee.  At least these weird people had modern
plumbing, he thought. Some things they had were modern and up to date, and
some were old fashioned.  They were definitely a weird bunch, but if they
wanted to give him girls to fuck, even girls with manes and pointed ears,
hell, he could live with some weirdness.  And if they wanted to kick some
ass, he would help them, especially if that cocksucker Douglas and his
group were on the receiving end.

Robert Charles pissed and went into the kitchen.  Vordkan was sitting at
the table wearing just a cloth around his middle.  Robert Charles could see
it was tented out.  He'd seen Vordkan hard and he was impressive.  Robert
Charles figured that Vordkan was around seventeen.  They were learning how
to communicate through sign language and simple words. Robert Charles was
still naked and had no problem parading around the kitchen with a hard-on.

The way he figured things, tomorrow he would be leaving with his new
friends to find the "Moonduster" and hopefully some weapons.  He wondered
what everybody had planned for today; he hoped it was more sex.  He also
wondered what they had planned after their trip to the "Moonduster" for the
wusses who lived across the hills in the big valley.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Matthew yawned and looked out the window.  He could tell it was late in the
morning and he had slept in.  He felt the warmth of Enghar, who was
sleeping next to him.  Matthew petted the little Hakaanen boy's mane. He
loved touching Enghar's silky mane— it was so soft and smooth.  It felt
like silk. And Enghar loved having his pointed ears touched.

He was amazed by how much Enghar was beginning to mean to him.  He had
learned some Hakaanen words, but somehow they could communicate without
them. He wondered when he would be able to meet some of Enghar's friends,
and if they were like Enghar, who never seemed to be dressed, even when he
went to school.

Enghar lay quietly while Matthew petted his mane.  The Hakaanen loved
having their manes and their ears stroked. For them it was very erotic.
Enghar could feel himself getting hard.  He didn't know it or understand
it, but he was falling in love with the sweet round-eared boy. He turned
slowly over and kissed him; Matthew accepted the kiss hungrily.

"Mattoo, ost lesha drey," he whispered.

"Enghar, I love you," Matthew whispered back.

Without knowing each other's language, each boy instinctively knew what had
just been said.  On Earth or on Hakaan, love was love and couldn't be
disguised.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Douglas was trading thoughts with Bandar when Bandar's thoughts started
breaking up.  Douglas could make out a few words, but most of them were
jumbled.  Scooter yelled at Douglas to stop the exchange of
thoughts. Everything had been going smoothly and suddenly it all
changed. It was like his brain was being asked to do too much.

"My head hurts real bad," he rasped.  "I can't keep going."

`Relaying our thoughts is hurting Scooter.  We have to stop for now,
Bandar.'

`Okay, we'll wait until Scooter is ready.  My head is starting to hurt,
too.'

Douglas could feel the strain as well.  He knew the stress must be doubly
hard on Scooter, because he had to relay the messages both ways. Scooter
lay flat on his back, holding his head.  Ryan brought Scooter some water as
Douglas put his arm around him.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so.  I just need to rest. Being a communication satellite is
hard work."  Scooter managed to eke out a smile in spite of his headache.

This is all so weird, Douglas thought.  Scooter can't communicate his
thoughts with Bandar and I can't do it, but together we can.  And the same
is true with the replies; they have to go through Scooter. The really weird
thing though is that it seems only Scooter, me, and Bandar can exchange
thoughts.  Well, at least they could communicate, and they were finding
that these Hakaanen boys were very interesting people.

The Earth boys gathered together and talked about what they had learned.
By the looks of it the Hakaanen boys were doing the same thing.  The
Hakaanen boys, except Bandar, who was older, looked to be between twelve
and fifteen.  Bandar appeared to be their leader. He was the boy everybody
listened to.  The most amazing thing they learned was that sex between boys
was looked at as being totally natural.  Children rarely wore clothes, and
adults didn't wear them much either.

The Earth boys noticed that some of the Hakaanen boys seemed to be getting
used to their presence. Some were holding hands and kissing and hugging.
Some of the Earth boys held hands but were too tired and hungry to do much
more than get boners.

"Scooter, I need to tell Bandar something."

"What?"  Douglas could tell that Scooter was very tired.

"That we need food, or hadn't you noticed?"

Scooter thought about his grumbling stomach and looked at the group of
skinny boys.  "Only about every five seconds," he said with a little
laugh. He took a deep breath.  "Go for it."

`Bandar, it's been a long time since we had much of a meal.  We are all
very hungry.  Do you think...'

`Don't say anymore, we should have noticed. I am so sorry.  Let's go take
care of all of you.' While Douglas couldn't feel emotion in a thought, he
couldn't help but feel that Bandar sounded somewhat chagrined.

Sending Bandar's thoughts to Douglas is what tired out Scooter.  He could
read Douglas's thoughts almost as easily as breathing.  But going back and
forth between Douglas and Bandar was what exhausted him. Receiving
Douglas's thoughts and then sending them to Bandar so he could read them
took a lot of concentration, but he could handle it.

However receiving Bandar's thoughts was a different matter.  All he heard
in his head was loud static.  Relaying that static to Douglas was different
from sending his own thoughts because he didn't know what it was he was
sending or if he was even sending all of it.  He learned from Douglas that
when he started getting tired Bandar's thoughts started to get jumbled.

After relaying Bandar's thoughts to Douglas, Scooter noticed the Hakaanen
boys starting to get up.

"What did he say?" he asked Douglas

"He said something like...let's eat."

The Earth boys went back across the road to get their back packs.  The
Hakaanen let the Earth boys have the wagon to ride in while they walked or
jogged along behind.  Two of them ran ahead to tell the adults in their
village of their discovery.

Bandar's village was at the opposite end of the valley from Enghar's
village.  There were a dozen villages in the valley, plus two larger
towns. One of the larger towns was the capital city of the valley.  A large
percentage of the Hakaanen were farmers and lived on their farms.  None of
this included the Shkah in the smaller valley over the north hills.

Other than the mayor of the village, the people of Bandar's village knew
nothing of Matthew, so when the wagon full of Earth boys approached the
village, they were totally amazed.  Word would now spread fast.  It was a
lot harder to keep thirteen boys secret than it was one boy.

The boys were taken to the center of the village and into a large building
which was the village school.  The boys were taken to the cafeteria. Some
adults showed up with food items, and pretty soon a meal was being cooked
up.  Before they knew it, for the first time in weeks, the Earth boys were
sitting down to a hot cooked meal made with fresh meat and fresh
vegetables.  On top of that they had salads made of delicious fruits and
vegetables.  They didn't know exactly what it was they were eating, but
they ate until their stomachs hurt.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Jarese, the physical therapist, brought Matthew his new crutches and showed
him how to use them.  Matthew could now work on getting around on his own,
which made him very happy.  When Enghar came home from school Matthew
showed him his new mobility.  The two boys went outside into the sunny
backyard.

Enghar brought a couple of games out.  The electronic games and toys were
all hand-me- downs.  Inferno had no way to make new things. New products
had come from Hakaanen, and contact with the home world had been lost long
ago. Sometimes the parts from worn out toys and games were used to keep
another game going.  But most of the games and toys now were not electronic
and were hand-made.  All of the manufactured items the Hakaanen had were
either wearing out or were worn out and being kept around for parts.  Every
day they kept a hyper-space radio on hoping to get a signal from a ship
coming in from Hakaan.

The game Matthew and Enghar decided to play was a combination board and
card game that was simple to understand, but difficult to play.  It was
simple enough that Enghar could teach it to Matthew without having to use
many words, but hard enough to be full of all kinds of strategy.

The game ended up being quite competitive. But between turns Matthew
couldn't take his eyes off of Enghar.  He couldn't believe the feelings he
had for the Hakaanen boy.  He wished his "Starkeeper" friends and his big
brother were here to share his good feelings.  Matthew was so happy and sad
at the same time.  As much as he was starting to love Enghar he wished deep
inside that he could be with his friends, and way deep inside to be home
with his parents.  As bad as his parents were, they were still his parents.
He never thought he would miss them like this.  "I wonder if they miss me?"
he thought suddenly.  He shook his head trying to get that thought out of
it because the scary thing was, they just might not miss him at all.

Matthew wasn't proficient at the game and Enghar won every time. But they
both could see that Matthew was getting better, and this game was their
most competitive yet.  Enghar sometimes would show Matthew what he should
have done right after he made a play, but this time he let the game flow
because Matthew was playing well enough to beat him.

That turned out not to be the case, but the game was close to the
end. Enghar patted Matthew and kissed his cheek in praise of his good
play. Matthew couldn't understand what it was Enghar was babbling, but he
did comprehend that they were words of praise.

After the game they worked on learning words.  Enghar was helping Matthew
learn the Hakaan language.  Enghar had heard his parents talk about having
a retired teacher start coming in for language lessons.  Enghar decided
that working with the teacher would be easier if Matthew knew some basic
words.  Matthew was very intelligent and was a quick learner. He could now
name dozens of things.  If this was going to be his home for the rest of
his life, he knew he'd need to know the language.

He was also learning snippets of the culture and lifestyle of the Hakaanen.
And if everybody was like Enghar and his family Inferno would be a nice
place to live.  Already he had gotten more hugs and little kisses from
Enghar's parents than he had during the last three years from his own
parents.  They treated him just like he was a member of their family.

They played one more game, which Enghar won.  It was even closer than the
first one.  Matthew enjoyed the game and knew he would soon be the equal of
Enghar.  Enghar gave Matthew a kiss, and they put the game away.  They
moved to a two person seat and sat next to each other holding hands.

 It didn't take long for the two boys to trade kisses.  Enghar's mother saw
them making out as she looked through the kitchen window.  She smiled as
she turned away to give them their privacy.  It looked like her son had a
friend, lover, and maybe a brother.  Now if they could just find out where
he came from and how he got buried under the sand. If she could find who
buried and abandoned the sweet boy in her son's arms, she would tear his
eyes out.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Vordkan and Robert Charles were each on a unicorn.  Robert Charles had
ridden horses on Earth and learned that riding a unicorn wasn't much
different.  Vordkan had given Robert Charles a lesson how to use the swords
before they mounted their unicorns.  Robert Charles picked up the idea
quickly.  He was hitting and slicing melons while on the move and hardly
ever missed.

Slicing melons and other objects while riding was sport for the Shkah. They
hadn't fought the Hakaanen for centuries, but they still maintained the old
skills.  As far as the Shkah were concerned that was going to end.  They
would have to fight the weak majority in the Big Valley if their beliefs
were going to win out. The Hakaanen in the valley didn't know how to fight.
If Robert Charles had the kind of weapons he described to the Shkah, then
the fight to get the Big Valley under their control would be a short one.

Robert Charles went after another melon.  Whack!  Perfect!  Right in
half. Damn he was good.  He wondered what kind of reception the boys were
getting from the Hakaanen.  He hoped they were being treated like the
pieces of shit they were.  He didn't know much about the Hakaanen, but they
must be pretty awful people if they were hated so much by the Shkah.
Already, after a couple of days, he was learning a lot.  And he would soon
be learning more.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The mayor of Awanstor was on the phone talking to the governor of the
colony.  He told him about the boys that were found by the lake.

"They must be of the same species as the boy who was found buried in the
desert," Governor Rebosh said after listening to the mayor's
description. "Now we know some of the story of how they got here.  Amazing
that a group of boys can be so cruel as to bury one of their own alive.  It
is even more amazing that they can pilot a space ship to a planet, land it,
and make it through that hell desert to find a this valley."

"I'm not sure I believe it all. There has to be some adults involved," the
governor speculated.  "How did you find this all out?  Do they know our
language?"

"Not a word. They apparently communicated somehow with Bandar. Our young
ones were vague about that."

"So, if there are adults involved, then where are they?  We need to be very
cautious and watchful here. I am suspicious of these boys."

"I don't think any of our young ones could have accomplished what they
did," Mayor Andorn said, ignoring the governor's remark.

"We spoil our young ones.  They are soft.  Life here, even with our
machinery breaking down, is soft and easy," the governor said. "But
nevertheless, there are adults lurking somewhere. No boys could accomplish
what they did."

"Maybe.  But you and I had the same soft life and we seem to be doing
okay."

"But how long can the valley survive if our atmosphere machines break
down?"

"We can still make parts from other machines.  And Grendon says in five
more years we won't need the atmosphere machines running all the time.  The
atmosphere won't be all we want it to be, but it will remain stable and
continue to grow stronger if we run the machines half the time. But we're
not quite there yet."

"Let's hope we never need to find out what life is like without those
machines running," the Governor said.

"Should we tell the group of round-eared boys about Mattoo, the lone boy?"
Mayor Andorn asked.

"Why not?"

"It is very likely they are the ones who left the boy to die under the
sand. Our boys say the round ears seem really nice, but they are aliens.
We don't know how they think."

"How could young ones act like that?" the governor asked. "Even the Shkah
don't act that cruelly."

"Like I said, they are aliens and we don't know how they think.  Maybe they
act nice to strangers and are cruel to each other.  I think we should wait
until we learn more before telling them about Mattoo."

"You have convinced me.  I'll let the doctor and his wife know what we
discussed.  They will have to tell their son, Enghar, not to let Mattoo
know there are others of his species in the Big Valley.  Mattoo might
become fearful if they are as cruel and evil as you think."

"Thank you, Governor.  Maybe this is all for nothing, but I don't want to
see harm come to that young one.  From what I heard, from the way he acts
around the doctor's little one, he could easily be Hakaanen."

They hung up their phones.  "And how long are the phones going to last?"
the Governor wondered.  Everything is either wearing out or being
cannibalized to make parts for the atmosphere-making machines.  They
weren't supposed to be doing all they were being required to this soon in
the colonization and were wearing out quickly. The colony still needed
supplies from Hakaan, supplies that they haven't seen in 25 years.  He
wondered what was happening now on his home planet.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Bazel and Arkron were discussing their trip to the desert; how much water
to take, how much food they needed, and how much they could trust the
round-eared young one. A couple of other Shkah men were listening.  One of
them thought killing off the alien was a good idea.  As soon as they got
the weapons and learned how to use them, they could make the boy their
first victim.  But that idea was voted down; the Shkah might need him
later.

Also, Vordkan liked the boy, which was a plus.  Finally, as much as the
Shkah were different, deep inside they were still Hakaanen and it was
against their nature to be overtly cruel and sneaky.  But they all admitted
they didn't really trust the alien boy.

From the bits and pieces Robbachass had told them, the Shkah men gathered
that the boys who had arrived at the Big Valley had kicked him out of their
group, and mostly because he tried to be a firm leader.

Well, the same thing had happened to them.  They got kicked out of the Big
Valley because they had tried to be firm about how to use the machinery and
technology that was left after the robot ship came with its message that no
more ships would be arriving from the home planet. So they felt like they
had a lot in common with the alien boy.  But they weren't sure how he would
react when he saw his own kind—whose side would he be on then?

The Shkah man who had talked about killing Robert Charles came up with an
idea they liked.  While Robbachass was leading Bazel's party to their
crashed ship, they would kidnap a couple of the alien boys.  They should
have no trouble learning where they were; the Hakaanen never guarded
anything, including secrets, so the entire operation should be easy.  The
kidnapping would be a good first step in their battle with the Big Valley.

The Shkah went out on occasional small raids, damaging remote Hakaanen
farms.  Now it was time to begin to get back at the Hakaanen by stealing
something right out of one of their villages.  The Shkah were certain there
would be little or no retaliation for the kidnapping.  The Hakaanen would
be less likely to react negatively to an alien boy disappearing than to one
of their own being kidnapped. The mission would have the double effect of
snatching something under their noses while showing them how vulnerable
they really were.

From what Robbachass had told them, the party should be away for a week.
The unicorns traveled fast, but they would also have to locate the crash.
That would not be easy.  The Shkah leaders calculated that with a couple of
days to plan and do some preliminary spying, they would be ready to pull
off the kidnapping in four to five days.  When Robbachass returned, a
couple of his former shipmates would be their prisoners.  How he reacted to
them and treated them would reveal how much they could trust him. It might
even tell whether he would live or die.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The thirteen boys were kept together in the gym of the school.  Cots were
brought for them to sleep on.  Bandar told them that the village council
was going to take care of them for now, and that the council for the whole
colony was going to meet in a couple of days to decide their fate.  For
now, they could all stay together in the gym. The Hakaanen would do
anything they could to make them comfortable.

A table of treats and drinks was laid out for the Earth boys.  The cots
were set up.  Even some kind of vid machine was brought in and Bandar
showed them how to use it.  Bandar had become important since he was still
the only one who could communicate thoughts with the Earth boys.

Bandar was hoping to maybe have some sex with the strange looking visitors
some day.  Even though they looked strange, with rounded ears and no manes,
they also looked very sexy.  Their important parts were no different than
those of a Hakaanen boy.

But he knew it wouldn't happen right away.  He could see that the boys were
tired and a little scared, but he was hoping it could happen soon.  If you
changed the shape of the ears and added a mane they don't look any
different from us, Bandar thought. More than one boy thought the Hakaanen
had a sexy look, too.

After Bandar left, Douglas called a meeting.

"Well, guys, we're here in the valley, warm and fed and comfortable.  But
it still feels like we're lost. The question is what do we do now?" Douglas
asked.

"You mean you don't know?" Jeremy asked and everyone laughed.  They knew
what Douglas meant.

"I know this much," Douglas told them, "we can't let them split us up.  If
we get split up we might never all find each other again, especially if we
get moved out of this village.  This valley isn't huge, but it's big enough
to get lost in."

"But will we have a choice?" Mike asked.

"I don't know.  We don't know what these aliens are like.  The kids are
nice, awesome in fact.  The adults have treated us great.  But that is just
this village.  Who knows what this colony council will decide to do? The
one thing I think we can all agree on is that we won't be thrown into jail
or executed or something like that. But, we could end up spending the rest
of our lives here."

The twins were snuffling some.  They had been upset since they learned
there was no way off of the planet and no way back to their parents and
family.  Right now all they wanted was a house to live in with some kind of
a family.  They looked around the gym and knew that this wasn't it.

"We just have to tell them we want to be kept together," Alex insisted.
"At least we're lucky and can communicate."

"And what if they act like adults and don't listen because they think they
know what's best for us?"  Travis asked.

"Then we do the best we can to hang together.  Is everybody with me on
this?" Douglas asked. "Until we find out more, we don't let ourselves get
split up.  We hang together even if it means running off into the woods.  I
mean we survived a desert with no food and water.  We should be able to
survive woods with food and water."  Douglas looked at the group waiting
for an answer.

"I'm with Douglas," Scooter said.

"We're with you," Mike and Alex said.

When the informal poll was completed, four of them didn't agree.  They
wanted the wandering and moving around to stop now, even if it meant being
split up.  Jordan, Warren, and the twins voted to go wherever the Hakaanen
wanted them.  The vote was 8- 4, with Douglas, as leader, not voting.

"If we do get split up, are you going to stay with the group or leave?"
Douglas asked.

"We need tonight to think about it," Warren answered.

"Fair enough.  And the rest of us will have to decide if we want to leave
you four to yourselves.  All of us need to think hard.  We got here by
sticking together through hard times.  Let's not let what looks like
something comfortable tear us apart. We still have a lot to learn about our
hosts before we can totally trust them."

They went to their cots which they had set up in pairs. Scooter and
Douglas, Alex and Mike, Travis and Ryan, Warren and Jeremy, and Stevie and
Brandon had their cots together.  Jordan was by himself.  The only thing he
was wishing for was some of his dad's vodka.  He wondered if the Hakaanen
had alcohol.

The twins, Ethan and Logan, had their beds close to each other but not
together. They asked Jordan if he wanted to move his cot close to theirs,
but he said he was okay being alone, which was a lie. He was too lonely and
miserable just now to want to take up the boys' offer.

The boys were fed and watered.  They were reasonably clean. Tomorrow, it
was promised, they would be very clean since the showers would be unlocked
in the morning.  And most importantly, they were very horny. They had
little opportunity or desire for sex during their trek to the valley.

Ethan could hear the noises of kissing and sex.  He was very hard.

"Logan, I want to show you what I learned."

"What's that?"

"Just slide your bed over."

Logan did.  Ethan put his hand on Logan's dick.  He couldn't believe he did
that, but after being around this group it seemed totally natural instead
of totally weird.

"It's this." And Ethan started to stroke his twin brother's little cock.

All thirteen had an orgasm before an hour had gone by.  For three of them
it was dry.  And for one it was his first ever.  Nobody but the twins had
thought of including Jordan, who jerked himself to a dry cum.  Ten of them
slept in each other's arms on the double cots.  Only Jordan and the twins
didn't. The lights were out and the breathing deep as the boys slept in
some kind of a bed for the first time since their last night on the
"Starkeeper."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The village council members and the mayor met in the council chambers of
the town hall.

"Then it's agreed," the mayor said.  "We have the homes set aside for them
to live in.  Tomorrow afternoon we move them to families in this village,
the neighboring village, and the farms.  We have enough places for all of
them to stay.  This will be hard on them for now, but until we can figure
out what to do with them, it's all for their own good. We cannot give them
the comfort they should have in that gym. They need a family type setting."

"I agree," Councilman Frodero said. "We'll try to let them get together,
maybe on weekends." He was the councilman who had been put in charge of
taking care of the boys. "But having them in a home for now is the best
thing for them.  We'll move them after lunch tomorrow, with Bandar's help.
I'll talk to him tomorrow morning."

The mayor adjourned the meeting knowing they were doing the best thing for
the young ones. They needed the comfort and safety of a home to help them
acclimate to the Hakaanen way of life. It also would give him and other
leaders a chance to learn what the boys were really like. They did not seem
evil, yet they had cold-bloodedly left a boy to die in the desert.

The boys showered, ate, slept, watched some incomprehensible vids, and for
the first time since they'd been stranded on the "Moonduster" became
thoroughly bored. They talked a great deal about their future. The four
negative votes were still not sure they wanted to run away if the group
should get split up. Douglas was beginning to think they might be
right—all of them were tired of being on the go and living in the wild.

The boys were snuggling close.  Douglas loved the feel of Scooter's arm
around him.  He couldn't sleep.  He was worried about them being split
apart.  He knew it wasn't the best thing for them right now.  They'd been
through too much together to get broken up as soon as they found
safety. Even though they wouldn't acknowledge it, however, they were all
lonely, lost, boys who needed more than just each other to survive on this
alien planet.

As the boys cuddled up for their second night in the gym, Matthew was in
Enghar's bed this time.  He missed his friends, much more than he was
missing his parents. Enghar's parents treated him better than his own
parents ever had.  Although he didn't know how to express it, he was also
in love with Enghar.

Robert Charles was sleeping alone as well.  The Shkah expedition would be
waking up before dawn. He was ready for the expedition.  He was ready to
show the Shkah that he was on their side.  He hoped there would be laser
guns hidden on the Moonduster. While he had never seen weapons there, or
even heard anybody talk about them, he was certain they existed. He ignored
the fact that if the weapons did exist, Douglas would have taken them on a
trip into an unknown land.  He couldn't wait to have a laser gun in his
hand and point it at the faces of Douglas, Alex, and Mike.

There was little sexual activity on the cots. The excitement of finding the
valley had worn off. The events of the past weeks had the Earth boys more
worn out than they would admit. Even though they wouldn't acknowledge it,
they were all lonely, lost, boys who needed more than just each other to
survive on this alien planet.


Next.  Chapter 31.  Education

Comments are welcomed.  E-mail me, Douglas DD, at TheHakaanen@Hotmail.com