The Stargazer and the Toolmaker

Chapter 8

A few days later, Rodne and R'dek were surprised to spot a small group of people making their way up the still fairly muddy trail to Rodne's cave.  To R'dek they were an indistinct blob moving across the landscape, but Rodne recognized them as villagers from Lakeside.

"Aha," he said.  "This will be the first consultation of the year."  To his surprise, as he remembered how reluctant Rodne had been about giving these consultations in the past, R'dek found Rodne grinning as he made this announcement.  Then, turning to R'dek, he made the reason for his happy mood clear.

"Tonight we are going to eat," he announced, elbowing R'dek in the ribs, "the first decent meal we've had in months."

The party from Lakeside consisted of Rinta, Meera's sister, and Buran and Lerre, two siblings of Hallen's.  Meera had, in fact, given birth to two healthy babies –both boys- two moons ago, they happily announced, and preparations were now being made for a naming celebration.  They had come to ask Rodne's advice on the most auspicious day to hold this celebration, and to beg a few things from both Rodne and R'dek to place in the twins' medicine bags.  Rodne was polite enough to wait till his guests weren't looking to roll his eyes at R'dek, but roll them he did.

The medicine bag request was a new one, but evidently word of the inscribed bit of birch bark Rodne had gifted R'dek with at Midwinters had spread, and now Meera had requested that Rodne be asked to scribe one or two of the symbols he used –whatever he thought appropriate- on some smaller scraps of bark for inclusion in the children's medicine bags.  She had a request for R'dek too, which surprised him, but shouldn't have, when he thought about it.

During the time he had spent in Lakeside, R'dek had allowed himself to be goaded by the children who often gathered by the fire to watch him work, into making the 'smallest spear point in the world'.  R'dek took more than a little pride in his skill, and succumbed to the temptation to show off, much to the children's delight.  The results had attracted the attention of some of the adults in Lakeside, and while there could be no practical use whatsoever for a spear point that could rest on the tip of his pinky, people had been impressed.  Now, evidently, Meera had even thought of a 'practical' use for such a thing.

For items of such significance, Meera and Hallen's family were prepared to be generous in their offered exchange, and R'dek found himself grinning right along with Rodne as their visitors opened their packs and laid their trade goods out on the ox hide spread at Rodne's doorstep.  There were bunches of new spring greens and a whole basket of wild onions, as well as a generous stack of flat bread, a crock of fresh yogurt and, wonder of wonders, a big block of aged goat cheese.  Rodne was so pleased he forgot to roll his eyes for the rest of the visit.

Their visitors offered a dinner as well, in exchange for Rodne and R'dek's contributions to the twins' medicine bags and so, while Rinta went off to speak with Rodne about auspicious dates and Buran sat down with R'dek to choose two of the handful of miniature spear points R'dek had made during his idle moments over the winter, Lerre built up a small fire outside and proceeded to cook up a delicious smelling rabbit stew.  It was ready to eat by the time they had all finished their business and, since the evening was a pleasant one, they all gathered at the small encampment the visitors had set up at Rodne's doorstep to enjoy dinner together.  After the meal Rinta and Lerre sang for R'dek, who made no secret of his fondness for music, and for Rodne, who did.  R'dek got out the flask of lightning water as well, so that when Rinta and Lerre had finished singing and begged for a story, Rodne grudgingly obliged.

It was late when the three visitors finally retired to the tent they had set up on the small patch of new grass near the entrance to Rodne's cave, and Rodne and R'dek retired to their own bed.

"Is this always how it is when visitors come?" R'dek asked, nestling under the furs with Rodne.  Rodne shrugged, a gesture which R'dek felt rather than saw.

"More or less," Rodne answered.  "I mean, the scribing things are new.  I can see that's going to be pretty popular from now on; in fact I'm probably going to be asked for a lot of retroactive ones, but I guess that's not so much of a problem.  Just more things people will want to trade with me for."

R'dek nodded.  "Buran said much the same thing about the little spear points," he said.  "Parents of boys will all want them, and parents of girls, he said, might want to know if I can make a tiny cooking knife.  I suppose I had better try making a few."

"Yeah…" said Rodne with a quiet chuckle, and then, after a long pause, "There was one really big difference, though."

"What was that?" R'dek asked, drawing his lover into his arms.

"I've never exactly been… happy… to have visitors before," Rodne said at last.  "I mean, I've always been really happy for the food that comes with the first Spring visit.  Sometimes I've been close to starving by the time I got my first consultation of the year… but today… today was different.  It felt really… nice… to have visitors.  Not that I'll mind when they're gone, but…"

R'dek smiled to feel Rodne's arms pull him in likewise.  "What has caused this change, then?" he asked.

"You have to ask?" Rodne replied softly, a startlingly tender affection evident in his voice.

R'dek felt Rodne's words resonate in his heart and the warmth they engendered there filled him, body and soul.  I have done this, he thought.  I am the one who has, at long last, brought happiness to this man.  R'dek had no words that kisses would not say better, and so he did, pouring his heart into them.  It was late, however, and they had guests camped a little ways outside the door, so kisses were all they shared that night.  Hearts full of happiness, they fell asleep in each other's arms and dreamed only pleasant dreams.

Their guests left early the next morning, and Rodne and R'dek made them a parting breakfast.  The place seemed a little quiet in their passing, but Rodne soon proposed that the two of them go out and check their trap lines, and perhaps set some new ones, since the day was so fair.  Among the mountain forests above Rodne's cave, the air was filled with Spring bird song, and the seeming silence of their residence was soon forgotten.

The cave, when they returned to it late that afternoon, did not seem so lonely or quiet any more, and their own conversation, as they roasted up the couple of squirrels they'd found in their traps, was more than enough to fill space.  Uncharacteristically, Rodne hardly complained at all when a Spring fog rolled up the mountainside while they ate their dinner, and occluded the stars that Rodne might have watched that night.  This likely meant, R'dek thought, that Rodne had other things on his mind, and he was more than happy to indulge him.

The meaningful glances Rodne kept throwing him as they put the food and cooking things away confirmed R'dek's suspicions, but also gave him time to reflect on the question he had posed to himself the other night.  As much as he loved taking Rodne's cock into his mouth, might he also enjoy letting it fill him in other ways?  There could only be one way to learn the answer to that question, so when Rodne trotted back to the pantry to get the pot of goose fat and R'dek knelt by the fire to build it up, he also turned over in his mind how he might propose this to Rodne, and worked on nerving himself up.

He must have born somewhat of a pensive look on his face when Rodne found him, settled comfortably among the furs on the bed, for his own expression was questioning as he lay down beside him.

"I can always tell when you're thinking," Rodne said, fingers lightly caressing R'dek's thigh.  "But I can never tell what you're thinking about."

R'dek let himself smile in amusement, lest Rodne fear he was troubled about something.  "I am," he said, "thinking about trying something new, tonight."

"Oh?"  Rodne asked, his curiosity piqued.  "Like what?"

R'dek drew a breath, trying to hide his nervousness.  "As you have shown me how much pleasure can be had in… in being… taken… as I sometimes take you now…" R'dek paused, knowing his next words could change much between them.  "I would like to try… to let you… I wish… to feel you… inside me… as you have been able to feel me… I want this… I think… Anyway, I would like to try it."

Rodne's eyes were wide with astonishment, his lips parted softly, as the hand on R'dek's thigh stilled.

"R'dek…" he choked out.  "Are you sure?  I mean… this is something you truly want?"

"I cannot know if I will like it until I have tried," R'dek answered, "and I very much would like to know… would like to try.  That is all I can say for certain."

"It's… it's kind of scary, the first few times," Rodne cautioned.  "You should understand.  I mean, with Kip it was scary for me because I didn't really know a thing about him… and I didn't… really… have much of a choice in the matter. But it was more than that."  Rodne furrowed his brow as he sought to explain himself.

"The first few times you feel something… inside you, like that," he ventured finally, "you… your body… it just doesn't feel 'right', even if it doesn't hurt.  There's not supposed to be anything *going into * you there, if you know what I mean."

"But it also feels good?" R'dek asked to clarify.

"Gods yes," Rodne affirmed whole-heartedly, "but you also… you feel really vulnerable… helpless, sort of, and that's scary."

R'dek nodded, gradually getting the idea.  "I trust you," he said simply in reply.

R'dek could see Rodne swallow, his eyes a vivid blue in the firelight, and he reached a hand up to gently caress R'dek's cheek. "You're incredible, you know that?" he asked.

"Well," said R'dek, a glancing away at the praise, "I am not the only one."

Lifting R'dek's tunic off (they'd both done away with their leggings and loin cloths before coming to the bed), Rodne gently pressed R'dek back into the furs, kissing him and caressing the length of his body.  R'dek was content to lie back and enjoy the experience, letting Rodne lead the way.  He sighed happily at Rodne's touch and his kisses, moving languorously among the furs.

Soon enough, Rodne shifted his attentions to R'dek's nipples, licking and nibbling until R'dek was writhing with pleasure.  Rodne's hands, in the mean time, were gently stroking R'dek's rapidly hardening sex, so that soon R'dek was feeling nothing but pleasure and arousal.  He wanted… anything, everything that Rodne would give him.

He moaned loudly when Rodne lowered his head to lick the length of R'dek's cock, taking the head of it in his mouth and tonguing around the foreskin.  One of Rodne's hands was now reaching up to toy with R'dek's spit slicked nipples, while the other… the other was reaching for the pot of goose fat.  R'dek blinked back to awareness of what was to come, evoking a flutter of anxiety in his chest.  Yes, he had wanted this, had asked for it, but still…

"Shh," Rodne calmed, lips brushing against his ear. "I'm gonna go real slow, and if anything isn't good… if it hurts, or you just decide you don't like it, you let me know, and I'll stop.  You know you don't have to prove anything to me, right?"

"Yes, yes," R'dek breathed.  "I know you will be careful.  I know I can trust you, and I do.  Still… I am a little nervous, yes?"

"That's okay," Rodne said with an affectionate smile.  "It's okay to be nervous.  Real soon it'll be good, so good, that you won't be able to think about anything except how incredible it feels to have my cock inside you… Gods R'dek this is going to be so good…"

"Yesss," Radek moaned softly, arching his back, because Rode's hand was wrapped around his cock again, stroking it slowly while the fingers of his other hand were pressing the sensitive place behind his balls.  One finger was now very slick with goose fat, and those slick caresses in that place sent shivers of unexpected pleasure through him.

When the finger moved further back still, to gently circle the puckered flesh of his opening, R'dek stiffened for a moment, then gasped in surprise at how very good it felt.  He saw then just what Rodne had meant when he'd said he would go slow, for now that finger was only anointing the whole area with goose fat, seeing to it that ever surface was covered.  He continued to slowly stroke R'dek cock as he did so as well, keeping R'dek in a state of pleasure and arousal to assure that he remained as relaxed as possible.

Radek was surprised to hear a small sound of disappointment and loss escape him as Rodne removed the fat slicked finger, but it was back again a moment later, with a renewed quantity of goose fat.  R'dek groaned quietly in welcoming.

"Is that good?" Rodne asked with a pleased smile.  R'dek nodded, wordless with astonishment.  "Okay, ready for me?" he asked now, his eyes intense, and R'dek nodded again.

Rodne's finger circled his opening once more, eliciting another groan of pleasure from R'dek, then began to probe gently, which felt strange but arousing as well.  Then it was pressing more firmly, breaching the tight ring of muscle and entering him, just a little ways in.  R'dek made a surprised sound, feeling only the slightest burn at the intrusion, and then Rodne began to move the finger, sliding it in and out a few times, so that it pushed deeper into him each time, and pressing at the sides of R'dek's passage, loosening his opening and spreading the goose fat everywhere.

Before long, Rodne had his forefinger inserted as far as it would go into R'dek's body, and began to gradually fuck him with it, moving it in and out in the same rhythm with which he was stroking R'dek's cock.  R'dek began to pant softly, lost in the strangeness of the sensations and how surprisingly nice it felt.

"How's that now?" Rodne asked.

"Good…" R'dek gasped, "and… strange.  I don't… I don't know why it's good… but it is."

"As long as its good," Rodne breathed, his lips brushing over R'dek's cock.  "Think you're ready for another finger?"

"Yes," moaned R'dek, feeling how easily Rodne's one finger was moving in him now.  "Yes, I am ready."

The burn from two of Rodne's fingers pressing into him was more pronounced, and R'dek began to know that feeling of vulnerability Rodne had spoken of.  They were stretching him, filling him, intruding into his body, and R'dek lay very still to let them.  As before, Rodne began to move his fingers slowly in and out, turning them and spreading them apart to open R'dek further.  This brought the burning sensation back and R'dek made a small, pained noise.  Rodne stilled his fingers at the sound.

"Is it too much?" he asked.

R'dek shook his head.  "No…" he gasped.  "Only… it burns a little… but not too much."

"Yeah, it'll do that at first," Rodne said.  "Here, let me show you why it's worth it."  The look on his face became very intent for a moment, and R'dek could feel the fingers inside him press deeper, deeper, and then shift just a little, and…

"Gods!  Rodne…" he cried, back arching as waves of liquid pleasure surged through his body.  Never, ever in his wildest imagining would he have guessed such intense pleasure could be instigated at a single touch.  R'dek's cock was rock hard and rigidly erect, precum seeping copiously from the tip, and he wanted, he wanted…  "Please…" he moaned.

"Good, isn't it?" Rodne asked, grinning widely.  "Now, imagine how good it'll feel when it's my cock touching you there?"  R'dek could not help but imagine it now, imagined Rodne's thick cock in him where only two fingers moved now, pressing deep and… oh gods…

"Yeah, oh yeah…" Rodne murmured as R'dek groaned loudly in response to Rodne's fingers touching him *there* again.  He leaned forward, fingers still deep inside R'dek's body, to kiss him, to taste the pleasure from him, and share the joy R'dek could see in his eyes.

"Yeah, that's loosened you right up," he said when the kiss ended.  "Gonna go with a third finger now.  You ready?"

R'dek nodded, trying to prepare himself for the discomfort without tensing up.  The emptiness he felt when Rodne's two fingers slipped out surprised him.  He wanted them back, wanted to know the feeling of Rodne inside him again, and he let a small whimper escape.

"Won't be long now," Rodne murmured as he liberally coated the first three fingers of his right hand more with goose fat.  "Gonna stretch you wide open with three fingers; gonna fill you so good."  Rodne turned back to him now, caressing the insides of his thighs gently.

"Won’t by anywhere is big as my cock though," he continued, a world of promise in his voice.  "Nothing can fill you like a cock, nothing so good, so much inside you."  Now Rodne's fingers were pressing at his entrance, and even as R'dek could tell that it would hurt and burn as they went in, he wanted them, and thrust his hips to push against them.

"Gods you are incredible," Rodne breathed as he pressed hard to push his fingers past R'dek's tight entrance.  He gasped at the intrusion once again, welcoming the fullness even as the stretched muscle burned.  R'dek breathed past the pain, focussing on Rodne's other hand, stroking his thigh, cupping his balls.

"You are going to feel so good around my cock," Rodne crooned softly.  "So tight, so hot, so slick.  I am going to fill your ass with my cock, fill you so good, fuck you so good…"

Radek moaned, the burning at his entrance forgotten as Rodne's words fired his imagination, his hands on R'dek's sex filed him with pleasure, and the three fingers pressing ever deeper into him filled him… just filled him and it was so good… so very good.  Now using three fingers, Rodne fucked him, slowly and gently, each inward thrust pushing a little deeper.

Intellectually, R'dek knew that his opening was capable of stretching to accommodate much more than Rodne's three fingers, yet even so, it seemed to R'dek that he was being stretched impossibly wide.  It was, as Rodne had warned, just a little terrifying to let someone do this to him, but at the same time… gods… with every penetration of Rodne's fingers R'dek found himself wanting more, wishing Rodne's fingers would go deeper, fill him more completely.  The mixture of pleasure, pain and fear was heady, intoxicating, and R'dek knew he would never be the same again.

"Please…" he moaned again as Rodne's fingers thrust deepest of all, pressing into him as far as they would go.  He pressed back, pushing himself onto Rodne's hand to take him deeper still.

"Soon, now…" Rodne murmured.  "You're almost ready for me… almost ready for my cock."  He spread his fingers inside R'dek's body, opening him further, stretching him painfully, and R'dek welcomed it.  He heard Rodne's breath hitch as well, and realized that as he worked R'dek's opening with one hand, he was coating his own hard flesh with generous quantities of goose fat with the other.  He was really going to do this… really take Rodne's cock inside him, and he felt both terrified and aroused beyond belief.

After a little while R'dek could feel that Rodne was spreading his fingers as wide as he could in R'dek's opening, and that the burning sensation had passed entirely.  Blinking up at Rodne, R'dek could tell that his lover had made a similar determination.  Stilling his hand, Rodne met R'dek's eyes with his own, intense and direct.

"Tell me you want this, R'dek," he said, voice low and dark.  "Tell me you want my cock in you, that you're sure."

"I am sure," R'dek said, his own voice rough, but mostly steady.  "Please… I want it… I want your cock… I want to feel it inside me."

"Oh gods…" Rodne moaned.  "I can't believe you really… oh gods this is going to be so good."  He slipped his three fingers free of R'dek's body then and R'dek felt them depart with a pang, for they left him even emptier than before.  He would not be empty for long though, he knew, and even as he thought this he felt the blunt pressure of what had to be Rodne's cock pressing against the place where the fingers had just been.

It seemed impossible at first.  Even stretched by Rodne's three fingers, R'dek was sure that his opening could not possibly accommodate the thick cock demanding entrance… but everything was so slick with goose fat and Rodne kept pressing, pressing, holding R'dek's thighs wide open and pressing harder still and then… something gave way.

R'dek gave a sharp cry as Rodne's cocked finally pushed past the tight ring of muscle guarding his opening, and it did burn, and stretched him… surely it was too much; surely it was more than he could bear, but Rodne held still now, crooning soft comforts and gently stroking his face.

"That's it; that's it," he murmured.  "You've done it; you've let me in. Just give it a little bit and it will be better.  It's okay; you're okay…"

R'dek became aware that he was whimpering, small broken sounds escaping his throat, but Rodne was right.  The ache and burn of penetration was fading, rather quickly, and now he could begin to take in the sense of being filled.  He had done it; taken Rodne into his body… but it was only a little way, and there could be more, much more.  Slowly, his whimpers transformed into pants, and his arousal, shattered momentarily, was returning with enthusiasm.

"You ready for me to move now?" Rodne asked, and R'dek nodded, not sure he had any words at the moment.  The sensation of Rodne' hard flesh pressing further into his body was surprising, but also… filling him so wonderfully.  And it seemed to go on forever, Rodne's cock pushing deeper and deeper, until R'dek finally felt his balls brush against his ass, and knew that Rodne was all the way in him, as deeply as he could go.

So much of Rodne was inside him…  It still felt impossible, and frightening too, just as Rodne had said it would, but also, so very good.  Gods, he was so full, and nothing in his life had ever felt so wonderful.  His panting breaths were building to moans now, and above him, Rodne's forehead was beaded with sweat.

"You've done it," he breathed. "You've taken all of me, I'm in you; I'm in you, oh gods R'dek… it's so good, so tight, so hot…"

The sudden realization of the pleasure he was giving Rodne, who had been so careful of him all along, burst upon R'dek's awareness like a ray of sunshine.  His own pleasure seemed to double upon itself as he realized this, the flesh enclosing Rodne's cock pulsing with delight.

"Oh gods, R'dek," Rodne cried, his voice broken with pleasure.  "I… I… please…"

"Yes," R'dek said, understanding what Rodne was asking and wanting it himself, though he had no more words than Rodne did.  "Yes," was all he could think to say.  "Yes, yes, yes…"

Rodne began moving slowly, carefully drawing his cock almost all the way out of R'dek's body, then paused and equally slowly, thrust back in.  The sensations of the veins and ridges of Rodne's long, thick cock passing over the tight muscle at R'dek's opening nearly drove him insane.  He moaned loudly and instinctively lifted his legs and hooked them over Rodne's hips.  R'dek quickly found that this position allowed him to impale himself even more deeply on Rodne's cock by arching his back and thrusting his hips.  It was almost too good to be borne.

"Oh gods… oh fuck, R'dek," Rodne groaned.  "So good… damn, so good… wanna show you… show you…"  And he shifted a bit, angling his cock a little differently and then… R'dek's whole world seemed to dissolve in pleasure.

It was as if lightning water coursed through his bones, as though his very blood was made of pleasure and nothing else.  R'dek cried out loudly, his back arching in sheer pleasure which had the additional effect of driving himself harder onto Rodne's cock.

"Yeah," said Rodne breathily, "Oh yeah… found the spot, didn't I?"

R'dek made an inarticulate, needy noise by way of affirming this, and Rodne chuckled and did it again, pulling out with careful, deliberate slowness and sinking back in, making sure that the head of his cock stroked that special place deep inside him once more.  Wailing with ecstasy, R'dek arched and thrust and grabbed at the furs beneath him helplessly.  His cock spasmed and wept, aching to be touched.

"Gonna… gonna fuck you now," Rodne gasped.  "Gonna fuck you so good… make you come… make you come around my cock… So tight and hot and… oh gods R'dek…"

True to his word, Rodne settled into a regular rhythm after that, not too hard or fast, but steady, and hitting that special spot nearly every time.  R'dek wanted to beg Rodne to touch his cock but the words had been driven right out of him.  He made several garbled attempts and finally came out with, "Please… oh gods, please…"

Rodne seemed to know what he wanted, though, flashing him a grin between panting breaths.  Shifting to support his weight on only one arm, Rodne lifted the one he'd freed –still slick with goose fat- to wrap around R'dek's hard cock and stroke it in rhythm with his thrusts.  A moment ago R'dek could not have imagined it possible to feel more pleasure, but here was a whole new level of bliss, suffusing his whole body, inside and out.  R'dek began to tremble, feeling his completion draw near, and moaned aloud with every thrust of Rodne's cock into his body, every stroke of Rodne's hand on his cock.

"Yes, yes, yes…" Rodne was chanting as he thrust, his own body covered in a sheen of sweat.  "Almost… yeah… almost… wanna feel you come… so hot… gods, R'dek… come around my cock… do it, do it…"

As if commanded by Rodne's words, R'dek felt himself give way, breaking open and spilling his pleasure out in hot, liquid pulses, escaping between Rodne's fingers.  As his body shuddered through its completion, he could also feel it contracting and seizing around Rodne's cock where it still moved deep inside him.  The feeling of fullness, of connection that this brought, drew the pleasures of his climax right down into his very soul.

All but shattered with ecstasy, R'dek watched Rodne release his cock to place his weight back on both his arms and thrust, hard, two or three times, and then saw his face go slack with pleasure.

"Yes, yes…" he choked, almost sobbing, and then, "oh gods, oh gods, R'dek…!"  Above him, Rodne's body convulsed in completion, and within him, R'dek could actually feel the hot pulses of Rodne's release.  Once again, the sensations, and the knowledge of what they meant, seemed to strike deep into R'dek's soul, impossibly prolonging the bliss of his own climax.

After a moment or two Rodne's arms gave way and he collapsed to lie on top of R'dek, propped up slightly by his elbows so that his weight did not crush him, and he let his head fall to rest on R'dek's shoulder.  R'dek felt and heard their panting breaths mingle as he felt a droplet or two of Rodne's sweat fall on his chest, and his own spending cooling on his belly.  Shortly, these things, like Rodne's softening cock still lodged in his body, would become discomforts, but for now, moving was impossible, and would break the ebbing bliss that still held him.

It seemed to R'dek as if a whole new world had been opened to him, as though Rodne had lead him by the hand and taken him walking through the stars he knew so well.  He felt as if he had been undone and remade, from the inside out.  As the inertia of his fading ecstasy lessened somewhat, R'dek followed the impulse to lift his hand and lay it on Rodne's head, caressing the rough cropped hair with his fingers.

"Thank you," R'dek murmured, finding words to express a small part of what he was feeling.

Rodne gently pressed his lips to R'dek's chest by way of answering, and then lifted himself a little ways, with some effort.  "I know I need to move," he said, "and it'll be a little… uncomfortable for you for a second…"

R'dek nodded, still feeling languid and relaxed in the wake of his climax.  There was a sharp ache for a brief moment as Rodne pulled free, and he winced just a little, making a small pained noise, but then it was done and only the faintest lingering ache remained.

Rodne slipped off to one side and curled his body around R'dek's, pulling him close into his arms.  "You are incredible, you know," he said, kissing the back of his neck.

R'dek turned his head so that he could kiss Rodne full on the lips and they fell to kissing for a good long time, hearts too full for words.  Eventually, a post-coital lassitude overcame them both and they let their kisses trail off, R'dek tucking himself close to Rodne's chest as Rodne enclosed him in his arms.  It was all too pleasant to let themselves drift off into sleep just yet, however, so they lay, curled together, listening to each other's slow and steady breaths, to the faint crackling of the fire and to the Spring breeze stirring the ox-hide at the door of the cave.

Eventually R'dek heard Spitt push past the hide at the door and come to sit at the foot of their bed, scratching and washing herself for a few moments before she climbed in with them, finding her usual spot between their shins to settle and fall asleep.  Eyes closed, R'dek felt rather than saw Rodne reach his arm down to scratch the cat between her ears, and in the quiet of the cave, the rumbling purr which came as a result seemed almost loud.

Feeling the sense of contentment and affection sink deep into his soul, R'dek found the word 'family' suddenly present itself in his mind, like the chiming of a bell.  The word 'home' asserted itself shortly after, and a sudden truth broke over R'dek then, like the dawning of a new day.

It was Spring, and for the first time since he had left the little violence ravaged village he had grown up in, R'dek was not preparing to set out on another year's travels.  Springs had always come with a sense of both excitement and anxiety for him in the past, and while Radek would not miss the anxiety of stepping out onto another unknown road, with yet another unknown guide, it was hard not to feel a little wistful about never setting out on a new voyage again.

Still, R'dek knew that he had a whole new world to explore with Rodne right here, and while he might come to miss traveling from time to time, he knew his tools would do the traveling for him now, and that was really for the best.  The two young hunters he had spoken to at Midwinters, Marak'm and Sitakhus, would take the tools he had made over the winter and return with trade goods and tales that R'dek would not have had to risk his own life for, and that, he was sure, would prove to be a very satisfactory arrangement for everyone involved.

Most marvelous of all though, R'dek reflected, was the knowledge that he would never have to rely on an unknown and untrustworthy guide again… not as long as Rodne lived, anyhow.  What was more, he would never again have to feel beholden or indebted when he needed to ask for help.  Rodne was his freedom from that onus, forever, as he for his part, had made it possible for Rodne to know the meaning of friendship, and that he had friends -more than he'd realized.  These were gifts each one was pleased to give the other, and they'd given them freely, from the very beginning, neither one knowing, at first, the great value of what they were giving.

R'dek felt Rodne stir then, lifting his hand away from where he pleasured the cat and laying it over R'dek's heart.  Now Rodne's lips brushed the edge of his ear and whispered words so quietly R'dek could barely hear them.

"I… I do love you, you know," he said, and then kissed him.

R'dek felt his heart constrict and he clutched tightly at Rodne's arms where they circled his waist.  "I do know," he said, lifting one of Rodne's hands to kiss it, "and I love you too… you know."

This was home, R'dek thought, and family -things that both of them had thought lost to them forever, long ago.  He knew that Rodne did not believe that the stars guided men's lives, and he didn't either, really, but it was true nonetheless that the stars had brought them together after a fashion.  How could he not feel grateful, then, R'dek reflected, to the stars above and to the flints that lay in the earth outside Lakeside and which had called him here from afar.

At the moment, of course, R'dek was feeling grateful for a lot of things, from the old uncle who had raised him after the raiders had killed his parents and taught him the art of flint knapping, to the foolish young guide who'd abandoned him here to become lost and find Rodne.  He was even grateful for Kip the goatherd, for having saved Rodne's life, and taught him at least one pleasure, however selfish his reasons.

The fellow traveler who'd taught R'dek about the number marks many summers ago (another thing for which R'dek was deeply grateful) had once suggested to R'dek that the universe was a perfect creation, from the stars above to the fires in the earth's heart below.  R'dek had been pretty dubious about the theory then, but he found himself willing to entertain it tonight.  Rodne had shown him perfection wheeling above their heads, and in his own heart -so bruised and battered by fate that it was a wonder it still beat.

Tonight Rodne had shown him a pleasure more perfect than any he had ever imagined, and now, as he lay in his lover's arms R'dek found that his own life had become a fairly perfect thing as well.  Maybe, R'dek mused as sleep finally stole over him, maybe he could believe in a perfect universe, and maybe love was all it took to make it so.