Shadows in Sun

Fennick froze dead, his heart pounding so hard he was sure it would explode, and he did not seem to be able to breathe as the slim warrior pressed forward and his soft, moist lips grazed over Fennick’s. The first tentative touches seemed to last forever and sent his thoughts scattering like startled birds, and it was only after he heard himself moan in delicious pleasure and anticipation that he realized that he could actually still move. He reached up and once more tangled his hands within the thick platinum mane of Kendel’s hair and pulled the blonde closer firmly against him, sealing the kiss.

Kendel whined softly in his throat as Fennick finally realized what was going on and began petting the long cornsilk strands of hair that seemed to be all around them, as the sand-cat’s rough-textured tongue slipped over his lips and into his mouth, making him arch his back and tremble. The fear and excitement running through him burned his blood and made him thrill to feel the press of Fennick’s wet mouth against his, the strength of the body he was half-falling into, the hard evidence of the sand-cat’s arousal pushing against his lower belly. Kendel shifted to straddle Fennick’s lap, his mouth never leaving the other’s, and his hands slipped over the sun-bronzed flesh of the ‘cat’s exposed chest. He squirmed with growing excitement, his nails scratching at Fennick’s firm back, his kisses growing more frantic and hungry. His tongue flicked into the hot, wet cave of Fennick’s mouth, tracing over the ridged upon the roof, dancing over the points of the ‘cat’s needle-like fangs.

Fennick pulled back, gasping for air and staring at his flushed companion, upon whose face was written a sort of desperate hunger. “Kendel…” he breathed, running on finger along the smooth angle of the blonde’s cheek. Pausing there a moment, he looked almost tenderly into Kendel’s eyes before grinning wildly and tugging with clawippeipped hands at the blonde’s soft cotton shirt.
“I want you…” Kendel ducked his head and grimaced as the claws scraped his back. “I need you…” The shirt got stuck in the yards of gleaming blonde hair. “I…” Fennick paused in the middle of his declaration, tossed the article of clothing to one side and took a deep breath. A mixture of anguish and delight and anticipation swirled across Kendel’s face. Fennick stopped his runaway mouth by clapping back down upon Ken’s, and stretched his hands over the silky skin of the blonde’s back.

If Kendel was offended or disappointed, it did not show. He arched his back under the scrape of Fennick’s rough hand-pads—the black-skinned, fat-cushioned heavy calluses on his palms that made his hands resemble the bottoms of an animal’s feet—and moaned against the fang-lined mouth once more upon his lips, his own hands outlining Fennick’s hard, dark nipples, then diving to pull fitfully upon his drawstring-tied waistband. “Beautiful,” he managed to murmur thickly, “So beautiful.”

Fennick paused for breath, lazily grinning at Kendel before trailing a string of passionate kisses and nips down the blonde’s throat. His one hand remained upon Ken’s back and tangled in his hair; the other slipped down against the warrior’s firm stomach, playing over the ripple of muscle, scratching at the boundary of suede that cut across his hips, then slid lower, his strong fingers stroking the bulge that was pushing the suede out uncomfortably tight.

Kendel bucked his hips and cried out, tossing his head at the unexpected sensation, causing ripples in his hair like waves in the ocean after an earthquake. His eyes rolled sightlessly upward, his mouth dropped open to gasp for breath, and his whole body shook on top of Fennick’s like a sapling in the wind. The sand-cat’s nimble tail swept around and gathered the loose mass of flaxen hair, then flicked and curled wildly over Kendel’s back and buttocks, revealing Fennick’s eagerness though the expression on his face was that of bland amusement. He stroked the blonde once more, delighting in the reaction he caused, then wrapped his other arm around Kendel and levered them up and away from the bed.

Kendel pressed against Fennick, dimly aware that the shorter man had somehow managed to lift them both off the floor and was cradling him close one-armed. “Fen…” He hit the bed gently. “..nick?” With sudden clarity he saw the gleam of the sand-cat’s reflective eyes above him, and felt a pair of hands shucking his breeches from him. He shook his head, trying to shake his thoughts into an organized pattern. “Fennick,” he said again, a little more firmly, and he sat up, frowning.

Fennick grinned at him from the bottom of the bed, and undid his purple and saffron hurn’aa—the cape with sleeves and a collar that was the traditional garb of his people. His white-tipped tail coiled and lashed across the bed. Kendel raised a brow and crawled closer, his eyes focused upon the green ones of his companion and his hands reaching for the spring-green tie that held the ‘cat’s loose pants about his waist. The knot was an uncomplicated one, and after a brief moment, Kendel gave the drawstring a yank and sent Fennick’s pants into a violet puddle. And then the blonde just stared.

Though he was well aware that the Nyarr’ma—the sand-cats—were not human, Kendel had thought nothing of the seemingly small differences between the two, and had certainly not speculated upon what might lie hidden under a ‘cat’s clothing.

Most of Fennick’s body was covered by a fine, silky down of nearly invisible blonde hairs, which thickened to an actual coat of soft gold and sepia brindled fur on his forearms, lower legs, and the top of his tail. The trail of hairs that led southward from his navel, however, was pure white, smooth, and soft; and covered his groin front and back until it became the plush white underside of his tail, as well as the insides of his thighs. More remarkable than that, though, was the sight of Fennick’s manhood straining forth from its soft, furry sheath. It was bright red in color, strongly curved, and possessed a crown of nubs starring it just below the pointed tip.

Fennick grinned at the surprised look of Kendel’s beautiful face and flopped down on the bed next to him, his restless hands unable to stay away from their prize, once more setting about petting and fondling the blonde’s flesh. They skimmed over his stomach and the tops of his thighs, consciously avoiding other more interesting places. “Ken…” he sighed, stretching out luxuriously.

Kendel licked his lips nervously, aware of his heart beating in his throat like the frantic wings of a captured bird, aware of the hot, hard push of his own arousal against his leg. Fennick was there, so close, so naked and needful and spread across the bed. Touching him. He closed his eyes and moved to cover Fennick, feeling pleasure jolt through his body once more as sensitive skin met with the cool, sleekness of the white fur decorating the insides of the ‘cat’s legs and his mouth found the throb of veins running through his neck. Kendel heard Fennick’s hissing intake of breath, and felt him arch his legs nd ond out to press himself down against Ken in tempting offer, but concentrated instead upon nuzzling, kissing, and nibbling down the length of the ‘cat’s body, taking his time in tasting the flesh of his lover.

Fennick was squirming beneath him within minutes, his breath quick and sharp, and his tail slithering across Kendel’s back like a furred serpentKen,Ken,” he panted. The blonde’s hot wetness dragged across one dark nipple, his tongue circling and probing.

“Ken…” Fennick arched upward in response to Kendel’s teeth tugging at his navel.

Kendel paused, gasping for breath and trembling with apprehension, and looked into the wide, glazed eyes of the man beneath him before letting his gaze trail lazily down the ‘cat’s body. With a quick, decisive movement, he dipped his elegant head and took Fennick into his mouth.

“Ken!” Fennick’s cry was torn from him, as the blonde’s hot wetness clamped down over his engorged member and his tongue swept over the highly sensitive nubs. Fennick thrust his hips upward, and his claws dug into the mass of white-gold hair pooling upon his abdomen. He had not been expecting such an action from Kendel, and the unexpectedness of the act nearly made Fennick lose all control. He bared his fangs in a feral snarl of ecstasy, and arched upward against the mattress, his breath whistling between his locked teeth

Kendel laid one forearm across the peaks of Fennick’s pelvis, holding him down firmly against the bed. He had gagged at the sand-cat’s first involuntary thrust, and did not wish for it to happen again. He, was, however, pleased to see that he could provoke such a response, and as he wrapped his tongue around the firm flesh in his mouth, Kendel felt the sensuous slide of furred legs wrapping around his waist and the low vibration in Fennick’s belly that was caused by the ‘cat’s heady growls.

Fennick saw—and felt—the blonde head bob slowly downward, and he strained against the arm that pinned him down. His agonized groan of pleasure was more of a snarl, and his tail flogged Kendel’s back wildly, and when Ken’s teeth scraped lightly against him, stars exploded across his vision and one handful of claws sank mercilessly into the blonde’s shoulder.
Kedel’s head lifted and he stared across Fennick’s body with the eyes of a hunted animal, blood trickling unnoticed down his arm. “Do you want me, Fennick?” he asked, and his voice was surprisingly level.

Fennick blinked rapidly. “I wa… I wan…” His chest heaved as he attempted to catch his breath, and his jaw ached miserably from clenching his teeth. “I want…” His vision finally cleared and he stared at Kendel, finally realizing what the question was about. “Oh, Kendel, I do want you, but we don’t have to....” He trailed off, wondering where it was that he lost control of this situation.

“Get up,” Kendel ordered, her eyes narrowed.

Fennick obeyed, gritting his teeth once more at the throbbing need in his loins, and at Kendel’s curt gesture, sank down upon his knees. He cocked his head curiously and flicked his ears as he realized that Kendel had left the bed to root through the ‘cat’s abandoned pants. More specifically, he was digging in the dyed leather satchel attached to the drawstring. Before Fennick could ask, Ken has found what he wanted, and stood up with a small vial of precious oil in his hand.

Fennick blushed at the sight. He wasn’t sure how Kendel had known where he kept that, and he didn’t want to know. Smiling a bit, he buried his red face in folded arms and raised his tail over his back, waiting almost patiently. His nose caught the bright, sharp scent of mint, and he shivered in anticipation.

There was a long pause, then the bed in front of Fennick sank under Kendel’s weight. The ‘cat looked up in surprise.

“I… I can’t,” Kendel confessed, brushing strands of hair out of his face. “I want…” He looked up and pressed the vial into Fennick’s hand. “Please?” He bit his lip nervously.

Fennick got up to his hands and knees, clutching the small bottle carefully, and moved to curl comfortably around Kendel’s back. His tail curled over the blonde’s hip, and he rested his head upon his shoulder, sighing. He could feel Kendel shaking against him, and his sensitive ears could make out the throbbing of his heart. Fennick nuzzled his face into the blonde’s strong shoulder and closed his eyes. “You don’t want this,” he said finally, his heart breaking as he forced himself to say what he knew to be true. “You…” His throat made a soft click as it closed off the horrible, necessary words, and he turned his face away, not wanting Kendel to feel his shoulder wet with the ‘cat’s tears.

“How dare you.”

At first Fennick did not recognize the low, snarling voice as that of the man pressing against him. Kendel twisted against him like a trapped and still vicious animal and yanked Fennick’s head back. He pinned him to the bed, his hand gripping the sand-cat’s ear and hair painfully. The scent of mint filled the room as the slick bottle fell from Fennick’s surprised hand and coated both men in oil. Fennick stared in shock up into the glistening, infuriated blue eyes inches from his; he could feel the ragged, hot harshness of Kendel’s breath against his face. A warm, salty drop of liquid splashed on Fennick’s parted lips, and he licked it away, unsure whether it was sweat or a tear.

“Don’t you understand anything!” Kendel hissed, twisting Fennick’s delicate ear savagely and making the younger man cry out in pain. Fennick closed his eyes, and there was a long pause before the blonde cried out miserably. “D- Don’t y-y-you understand?”

It was raining on Fennick now; a warm spring rain was falling on his closed eyelids, rolling down his nose, dripping into his mouth. He had seen the lightning flash in an ice-blue sky and heard the accompanying low growl of thunder. Of course it was raining. He took a deep breath, savoring the sweet, wet smell. Rain is life, he thought. “You are so full of life,” he murmured, barely aware of the words slipping past his lips. “Ah…!” He felt suddenly as though he were falling and gasped for breath sharply; his claws reflexively sank into the quilt and Kendel’s smooth-skinned arm. His eyes fluttered open and stared blankly through the other knight, filled with something resembling terror. “Don’t let me fall! Ken!”

Shaken, Kendel drew back, trembling as a sliver of ice slide down his spine. No, no… He clutched the ‘cat closer, touching their foreheads together as if to draw the poisonous vision from Fennick’s mind into his own, his hands gripping the smaller body beneath him painfully tight. “Fennick,” he swallowed back a hoarse sob, “Fen… c-come b-b-back…”

“I love you, Kendel.”

The blonde jerked back, staring down at the young sand-cat’s now resolute face. Whatever vision had hijacked his mind before had been swept away, and Fennick stared upward with a surprisingly mature and serious expression. A smile ghosted across his face and he patted the top of Kendel’s head, leaving splotches of the blonde’s own blood dotted in the platinum mane. “My hearts feels as if it would burst, for it is so full of love for you, best-beloved, child of the sun. And there is nothing you can say or do that I would not love, that I would not feel echoing within my own body, my own mind, my own soul.” He stroked a rough-skinned hand up Kendel’s back, the lines of his face falling placid and peaceful with secret joy. “You should get some sleep,” he cut off the blonde’s next words gently. “I will keep guard tonight, and nothing will dare challenge me, not even a night terror.” Though Kendel had told no one of his inability to sleep, the ‘cat flashed his fangs in a knowing grin.

Kendel tried to speak, then shook his head. He let Fennick push him off and roll him onto the bed, tears pouring from the blonde as though there was no end to them. His body was wracked by soft, harsh sobs, and he made no move to push the younger man away as Fennick bent over him to mop up the mint oil and then pull the quilt over his shaking body.

The last thing Kendel saw that late night through tear-blurred eyes was Fennick, wearing his loose violet pants once more, picking up the blonde’s enormous sword—nearly the full length of the ‘cat’s body from toe to ear-tip—and taking a protective stance near the bed; Fennick leaning to blow out the guttering candle.