Dark Stag Ch. 03

"I know you tried him..." He said.

"What?" I asked, taken aback by his blatancy.

"Don't front. It's all in your eyes! You wanted him but he didn't want you. He probably was your true and utter wakeup call..." Jon said. I had never known Jon to be so raw and outspoken. I wasn't quite sure if I liked it either, but it made him all the more alluring during this moment of tension. A smile came across my face.

"I guess so." I giggled, blushing. Jon wrapped his arms around my neck, drawing me in for a kiss. It was straight fire! My insides were flustered as we had finally rekindled a flame we both considered extinguished.

My brother seemed happy to know this went over well. Kijus met up with him, equally delighted to see Jon and I had made up. As things heated between Jon and I, Kijus and Richard made themselves scarce.

"You think Roi will be fateful?" He asked.

"Maybe, but he's still young so I wouldn't put it past him... He's full of raging hormones, wants and needs. He's also a pretty demanding little cat and doesn't like opposition in the slightest...but I can see he's a challenger. If he doesn't win the first go round he'll get it one way or another..." Kijus said. Richard looked at him in surprise, not expecting such a response.

"I kind of like seeing them together. Jon is such a sweet kid ya know. But, I see what you're saying. Now he knows how to deal with my brother, keep him wanting more and nothing less... Damn..." Richard sighed, "Curse my virginal status... I want to experience so more but the shit is scary..."

"Hey, you're not the only virgin with fears..." Kijus chuckled, thinking a bit, "How'd your brother lose his virginity?"

"When I asked him, he'd get really defensive and say none of my business so I'm left to guess his first experience wasn't all that good. But, it was enough to jump start his sexual craze..." Richard sighed. He was more so curious than condescendingly prodding.

"So do your parents know you're gay?" Kijus asked.

"They know Roi is, found out when he was a kid and my father was just brutal on him for years after. If I told him I was, he'd probably commit suicide or something..." Richard chuckled.

"Damn..."

"He keeps trying to put me on slave girls but I'm like...virgin for life all in front of him, but all and all, I'm gayer than Roi. Roi is just...fluid to put it plainly. He more so gets off on actual penetration and the idea of it rather than the idea of being attracted to subtle femininity, brooding masculinity, or more sensual stuff. He's a rather simple, low maintenance type of guy comparatively, speaking."

Kijus looked at the boy, full of skepticism.

"Really, he's low maintenance?" He asked.

"I said comparatively speaking. If you don't believe me, come see my room!" Richard responded.

The two boys took the brisk walk back to the palace. They entered Richard's room and it was such a contrast from mine. It was black ebony wood on the floor, grey walls with white floor trims, vaulted ebony ceilings and more modern furniture. He even had a very expensive television set as well as various radios and receivers. His room was far more organized than mine too.

"Whoa." Kijus said.

"And I don't let any cleaning maids come to my room. I clean everything myself, because I have my own personal rituals that it seems the maids fail to follow. Everything must be alphabetized, numerated, folded, pressed, squeaked, scrubbed, and cooked the way I like it....I'm a bit of a brat." Richard laughed.

"I have a tent...A bowl, and a hide to sleep on." Kijus replied with an even heavier laugh.

"That sounds like it's sooooo difficult..." Richard said, feeling empathy for Kijus.

"It's actually not. This is difficult, living in a giant house where there is so much stuff to do to meet a specific custom. Where I'm from, we get up and go and that be it. I mean I'm starting to like it here a bit better, having to adjust and all, but I find this way of living to be a little too much."

"Okay, I want to try your little style of living...It can't be that damn good..." Richard smiled.

"Hey, I think this style of living is good, just too extravagant for me." Kijus responded in his defense.

"I mean, I want to try something different. I generally have the same highly systematic routine, day after day." Richard continued.

"Yeah...maybe one day really soon we can do it. Right now, I got to make sure your brother doesn't get Jon pregnant or some shit... he has to wake up early tomorrow to finally clean out Silver's enclosure. God, it's going to be an undertaking..." Kijus sighed.

"I'll help." Richard smiled.

"Really?"

"Yeah..."

"Ok, because two hands aren't enough. Don't wear anything cute tomorrow... we're playing with poop." Kijus said as he walked to his suite.

"Alright!" Richard laughed.

The next morning had come. I woke up startled to see both Richard and Kijus standing over my bed.

"Good morning..." Kijus smiled.

"Why are you in my room?" I asked.

"Well, we need to clean Silver's enclosure and since it is a lot of work, we need to get started on it right away." Kijus said. I looked at my brother. He had this oddly pleased smile on his face.

"And you agreed to this?"

"Yep." He laughed.

I climbed out of bed and walked the long distance to my closet. I threw on the rattiest clothes I had and made my way down stairs.

"Are we even going to eat?" I asked.

"No...we can eat after... food will always be here." Kijus said.

"UGH!!!!" I growled from displeasure.

We entered the aviary, heading towards Silver's enclosure. Upon entering, the smell and condition of the room hit me. Poop was everywhere and many of the platforms were rotting and in need of a rebuild. Surprisingly there was plywood, nails and hammers already brought in. I already knew this was going to be an incredibly busy day.

Silver sat at the top of his perch as we spent hours scraping and cleaning the disgusting pin. It was heart breaking to know we kept him in such a decrepit location for years. As the middle of the day came, we finally had gotten all the crap out of the enclosure. Now that was left were some pieces of rotting wood.

Kijus stood there staring at the platforms. He chewed his fingernails, jostling his thigh anxiously.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm assessing something..." He responded.

Our attentions were grabbed when Silver jumped down and ran to the mesh. Standing before him was Bazahra. It was the first time either of the two had seen each other closely. They were cautious, completely unsure of each other. They then began mirroring each other's movements until they were both running up and down the mesh.

"Wow..." I said.

"Someone help me pull up these nails!" Kijus said, standing atop the rotting platform.
"I got ya..." Richard said, hopping up after him.

"Careful, you can go right through this stuff." Kijus warned.

"Alright." He said.

A few hours later, we had gotten all the rotting plywood out and placed fresh the boards on the platforms. We then began sprinkling softwood pulp on the freshly cleaned floor. We looked at our finished work, feeling proud.

"Now it's time to eat..." I sighed.

Things for our family have not gone this well in years. Days eventually elapsed into weeks. It was like a piece of heaven for us. Silver no longer needed to be kept in his enclosure, eventually imprinting on me. He and Bazahra got along well and Jon and I were still going strong. Despite the fact that we were doing well, Kijus seemed to become more and more withdrawn. When we encountered one another, his smiles lacked the same warmth of earlier. It was clear he felt trapped.

Of all people, Richard was the one to take notice. Kijus would often go missing for days at a time but like always, Rejon and Bazahra were in their normal locations. Eventually we found him one day. He was in the stables, sitting at a workstation writing a long letter. He had just received a huge sum of money from my father for his efforts. It seemed certain, he was leaving. It was more than heart breaking to stand here to see this.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Handling business." He responded, still writing swiftly.

"You aren't leaving are you?" Richard asked.

"I'm not..." He responded.

"It certainly seems like it." I sighed.

"Like I told you before, I have a family to take care of..." He said.

"Are you leaving or not? This is kind of confusing..." Richard asked.

Kijus walked over to Rejon who was standing in his pin, eating some dried grass. At the sight of Kijus, Rejon whistled in delight. He grabbed Rejon's reins and walked him out of the pin. He stuffed the bag of money into a pouch hidden under Rejon's main. The giant antelope was lead out into the pasture. Richard and I followed, unsure what to make of Kijus's bizzare actions. He had the letter in his hand rolling it up and placing it in the pouch.

"Go find ma." He said softly to the antelope. He then slapped him on the hind quarters. The black stag took off in a blazing sprint, straight towards the perimeter wall.

"What is all this about?" I asked.

"My family needs money." He chuckled. It was so bittersweet sounding to hear. The loneliness was written all in his eyes. Though he tried to hide it, he was no fan of this place. I was getting worried about him. Richard though, was just an utter ball of concern.

"Where have you been disappearing to, though?" He asked. A smile came across Kijus's face as he walked back to the palace.

"Don't worry about all of that." He giggled, obviously wanting to keep his business extremely private.

"Well..." Richard started but didn't finish. He didn't want to say anything to offend Kijus. He sighed as he watched Kijus walk away.

We made it to the lounge of the palace. I could just see Richard was out of his mind concerned about Kijus.

"You're mighty quiet..." I said. He looked at me.

"I just want to know where he disappears to and why...and HOW!!!!" Richard sighed.

"You must be getting really into him?" I asked.

"Truth be told, I was into him since that first breakfast." Richard sighed clenching his head.

"I'm going to be a bad big brother and stay out if this because I simply don't know how to advise you. I will say this though. You stand a much better chance at getting him than I do..." I laughed.

"I could never be the one to take our friendship to the next level...just the thought of even attempting it, makes me freeze. It's like he's on a higher level of being than I am and I can never amount to anything that he does! I just feel he's just so unattainable."

"That's exactly how I felt but hey, it didn't stop me."

"Um, that's because you like ass and holes and tight shit that throbs!" Richard teased. I couldn't help but laugh at such an unexpected jab.

"But you also must look at this. So many people want you but you turn them down. They obviously feel the same way about you..." I laughed.

"They'd feel the same about you if you'd cut all that creepy hair off your head. Like, you can't see your eyes or nose, only your chin and the tip of that pointy ass nose." He continued.

"Yeah you're right. It's about time I start you know, taking care of myself." I sighed.

"You want to go into town, to one of those...what are they called.... I read about them!!!!" My brother suggested.

"If it is food related, most certainly!" I smiled.

We got on horseback and went to the middle level of the city. There, we put our horses in the valet service and entered the restaurant. We took some seats in the rear hidden behind a veil. A server came to meet us. He handed us menus.

"Welcome to Gasto's Mediterranean Cuisine. Are you ready to order?" He asked.

"No way..." Richard said, looking through the thin veil to a booth in the center aisle. I put down the menu, wondering what had grabbed his attention.

"What?" I asked. He pointed out to the booth. Sitting in a booth a little ways away was none other than Kijus. He constantly looked back, expecting an arrival at any moment. It was heartbreaking for Richard.

"What the hell man..." Richard said, full of shock and hurt.

"He has his own little life besides us..." I chuckled, a bit surprised too.

"Who's he here with?" I asked curiously. Richard looked at me hoping that he was simply here alone but chances were that he was seeing someone.

"Do you want me to come back?" The server asked kindly.

"No, it's fine! I'd like some chukar tortellini with sautéed broccoli on the side. For a drink, I'd like some wine." I said back.

"I'd like some charred salmon with assorted Alfredo pasta on the side." Richard said.

"And what would like to drink?" The server asked patiently.

"I'd like some raspberry and mango tea." He said.

"Alright, your food will be out momentarily." The server said with a bow. He then left the veil, disappearing into the kitchen.

We both watched as an incredibly tall and handsome Illisian sat at the booth with Kijus. His complexion was slightly richer than Kijus. His eyes were the same vivid honey though. His brow structure was exquisite, protruding in a masculine way. The eyebrows themselves were rather thick but gave his handsome face much character. He wore glasses that added such appealing symmetry to his face. He had chiseled cheekbones, and a nose that was narrow but fanned into a rounded bulbous end. It gave him this fierceness that couldn't be overlooked. His lips weren't nearly as perky as Kijus, his having a more rounded and gentle crown. However they were quite juicy, the top being considerably darker than the bottom. That wasn't a trait shared by Kijus. Both of Kijus's lips were the same smoky bronze color. The Illisian's hair was dark brown hair, the same as his complexion, loosely slicked back into dense curls. He just seemed so familiar. I had to know him from somewhere!

The two exchanged tense glares before they broke into laughter. I finally recognized him. He was a law enforcer of this kingdom. How he and Kijus met was beyond me but the two looked damn great together. However, there were so many questions. Were they a couple? Were they in love? Was this tall dark Illisian the reason Kijus was so hard to find for the past few weeks? Was this the very reason that made Kijus often seem like a rock in a hard place? More importantly, did Kijus and this Illisian have plans on marrying one another? If so this would be such a debilitating blow to my brother.

I looked to my brother who simply looked horrified. With such a gorgeous competitor for Kijus's affection, I could see why he was experiencing such terror. The Illisian was taller; some might think more handsome and had more allure. The Illisian also just looked more exotic, well in Kijus's case, closer to home. It was the closest thing Kijus had to home in this crazy land. Knowing my brother, he had already made this realization. This in itself was beyond crushing to witness.