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'Chapter Eleven'

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\n Stahl and Kai

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\n General warning, this story contains dude sex. If you dont like that or are not old enough, you know the drill. Back up and choose a different story.

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\n This takes place between Chapters 9 and 10 of Under the Surface. It contains spoilers for Chapter 9. It also serves as an epilogue.

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\n A drop of water splashed onto Stahl's face. He could hear the light rain outside, lashing the thatch roof of his holt. He closed his eyes and frowned, letting the moisture leak through the ceiling and onto his body. It wasn't helping. The thin walls of the holt were no escape from the thoughts which had been racing through his mind all day. Thoughts of Len, of how badly he wanted to save him – how much he hated himself for failing. Despite his retreat, they had easily broken through the holes in the roof – the hole in the wall near the front, and invaded his mind once again. The thoughts were keeping Stahl awake. It was fairly late at night - the sun had set a few hours ago. Some faint moonlight was coming through the hole in the wall of the holt, leaving a light blue shimmer on the water toward the front. He turned over lazily in his hammock – the rain water now running down his tail – and stared at the gentle turning of the Kahawai.

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\n He imagined that his eyes probably looked like that when he had put Len to rest earlier in the day. He carried the shaman's body himself, despite Alaka's insistence that he be the one to do it. From there, he could only put his paws in his face and contemplate the situation. Although Len was still breathing, he wouldn't wake. Somehow, it was worse for Stahl. It was as though he was being taunted – strung along by the possibility that the shaman might wake up. Kai had woken up. But shamans that went past their limit didn't come back. They slept, never to return.

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\n It didn't help that he kept feeling someone else around – something touching him. He would start to feel a warmth in his paw, a smooth pad sliding across his own. But when he looked down, there would be nothing. Teasing, taunting, almost torturing, it was. Stahl would try to shake it off - he would pound his fists into the ground. But some time later, he'd feel it again.

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\n Before he could give it another thought, the spot of light disappeared for a second, as if it was covered up. He heard a light splashing along the river outside. He could tell someone was coming. Stahl's heartbeat picked up, his tail jumped up and stood alert. He half expected Len to come in. And, for a brief moment, he thought that was who he saw standing in the moonlight. But when he blinked, he was looking at Kai's dark, moist red fur.

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\n “What are you doing here?” Stahl asked. “What do you want?”

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\n “Excuse me?” Kai replied, with a hint of shock on his face. He brushed the water from his fur, causing droplets to patter on the floor quietly.

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\n Stahl sat up in his hammock, causing it to rock back and forth. “I said, what do you want? Do you have any idea what time it is?”

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\n With a curt sigh, Kai responded sharply. “In case you've forgotten, you're my slave for life. You agreed, you can't back out now.” He shuffled his loincloth around for a moment. “Anyway, I'm worried about you.”

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\n Stahl looked at Kai, and then he began to chuckle. His eyes started to glimmer, much like the moonlit water from the Kahawai behind them. “There is nothing to be worried about,” he said, his voice wavering. “I failed. I failed to save Len and now he's gone. That's just the way it is.” He shook his head, his eyes looking past Kai, focused on the wall of his holt.

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\n Kai stepped closer, looking down at his friend's poor figure. “It's not that simple, Stahl.”

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\n Stahl shouted in response. “It is! I couldn't save Len. I had no idea what I was doing.” More drops of rainwater from above were mixing with his tears. “I couldn't save him. He needed me, and I couldn't do anything.” The fiery anger in his voice quickly died, as though the moisture in the air kept it from burning. “I can't save anyone.”

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\n Kai sat in the hammock next to Stahl. “You've saved people, Stahl. Len knew what he was doing.” He placed a paw along Stahl's furred shoulder. He could feel the other Lahu trembling - could hear his breath hitching with the deep sound of the rain.

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\n Stahl looked over at Kai. “It doesn't matter.” His muzzle turned down, and he looked at the river water again. “Alaka was right about me. I'm selfish. I'm no use to anyone.”

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\n “How can you say that?” Kai replied, with a look of shock on his face. “Do you have any idea how much people care about you?” He jumped out of the hammock and stood with his back to Stahl, eying the gentle flow of the Kahawai. “When you went off with Len to stop the make'loa, I...” He spun around abruptly, making eye contact with Stahl. “Everyone in the tribe is as important as the next. That's why we look out for each other.”

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\n “I know. I know that but it doesn't feel like that,” Stahl said, crossing his arms across his chest. “I've caused more trouble to the tribe than I've managed to fix. It's my fault your life needed saving in the first place. Len saved you, not me.” He sighed and looked down, half hoping for a claw to lift his chin, forcing him to look up at Kai. None came.

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\n Kai crossed his arms too, and he glared at Stahl. “Look, you might not understand this, but I needed that to happen to me.” Lowering his arms, he began nervously shifting his loincloth once again. “We didn't suddenly realize how the world works when we grew up, Stahl. We became adults some time ago, but we never changed. We thought things would be the same forever.”

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\n Stahl trembled, unsure of how to respond.

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\n “I was always afraid, Stahl. Not afraid of our salvage runs, not of the monster that attacked me. I was afraid of you getting yourself in trouble, or being sent away. That's why I always carried your weight on salvage runs.” Kai's lips began to shake as well, and he tugged once more at his loincloth, now hoping that Stahl would look down to see. “But when Len healed me – when you saved me, that's when it became clear to me. There's no time to waste being afraid, or being angry, or blaming yourself for the past.”

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\n Stahl could feel a paw on him again. But this time, he reached out and felt that it was real. It was Kai's paw, tracing a line down his stomach, and grabbing the side of his loincloth. “What are you doing?” he asked, although it was already obvious to him. His fur was already standing up, and he felt goosebumps racing up his cool, wet body.

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\n “Take it off,” Kai responded with a firm tone. He untied his own cloth with his other paw, and let it fall on the moist sand beneath him. “You need to relax. I don't think you've been out of this holt since you got back from the ruins.”

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\n Stahl was frozen, shivering as the goosebumps reached up his neck. His jaw was wide open, staring at Kai's naked body in disbelief. Although there was little light, he could still spot the tip of the other Lahu's erection slipping out from his sheath. Stahl did his best to look away, trying to resist, but his heart wouldn't slow down. His tail was starting to beat against the wall of the holt behind him. “Kai, you can't,” he whispered.

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\n Kai almost laughed in response. “Of course I can. You're my slave. Even if you weren't, what's the big deal? People do this all the time.” He kicked his loincloth further behind him, freeing his stance in the sand. He moved his paw closer towards the front of Stahl's own cloth, scratching the fur around the area. He watched the fabric slowly lift upwards, and smiled.

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\n Stahl couldn't hide his arousal for much longer. Still, he panted out a response. “It's not...” he said. “I can't. We're friends.”

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\n “So?” Kai replied. “All you have to do is relax. You don't even have to get out of the hammock if you don't want to.” He slowly slid his paw down to the bottom of Stahl's loincloth, feeling the bump in the middle, and gently pulled it upwards, revealing Stahl's own sheath. “It's not like I haven't done this before. Just about everyone here has at some point. You'll like it.” He brought his paw closer, and gently caressed Stahl's penis with the fine edge of one of his claws. “It'll take your mind off things.”

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\n There wasn't much else Stahl could do. He was barely hanging on, almost completely hard, his length standing up from his sheath. He laid down in the hammock and rested his paws on his belly, where his fur was already bristling with excitement. His eyes met Kai's, who was standing over him, waiting to advance. “Just...take it slowly, Kai,” he murmured.

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\n “Very well,” Kai said, as he began to slide his paw onto Stahl's erection. He caressed gently as he did, moving slowly, making sure the pads of his paws stroked carefully underneath the head of Stahl's cock. “Hope this is slow enough for you.”

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\n Stahl almost yelped at the feeling. Reaching out, he gripped the sides of his hammock. The feeling of Kai's paw, wet from the rainwater, slowly slipping up the base of his shaft was almost too much to handle. He was already panting, and laid his head back with his eyes closed, focusing on the sensation. It seemed unreal to him. He never knew his skin could be so sensitive. Kai's other paw moved up, and he ran his claws through the fur on Stahl's waist and belly. Stahl's muscles twitched and he murmured at the sharp feeling.

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\n Once Kai reached the tip, he paused, and squeezed a little tighter. He watched Stahl squirm with pleasure, panting and moaning. He saw Stahl's legs start to shift back and forth, as though he were begging Kai to keep going – to go back down, come back up, and go faster. Taking notice, Kai held his still grip on the top for a few more moments, licking his lips at Stahl's reaction.

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\n “Kai? Keep going...” was the best that Stahl could manage to say in between his gasping.

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\n Kai acknowledged with another squeeze to the top of Stahl's length, and then he started to stroke up and down faster. He smiled, awaiting Stahl's response.

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\n Stahl took a deep breath, and let out a long moan, squirming against Kai's paw. He was already beginning to feel dizzy and lightheaded. The holt around him almost seemed to be spinning.

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\n Kai grinned, his tail wagging in the dirt behind him. As he picked up the pace, he found his arm was at an awkward angle. To remedy this, he knelt down to his knees, so that his muzzle was at the same height as Stahl's body. There was something tempting about it – Kai felt like moving in closer now.

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\n Stahl instinctively reached a paw over and placed it on top of Kai's head, ruffling his fur. Kai enjoyed the treatment as he slid his paw along Stahl's length, keeping rhythm with the steady movements of Stahl's hips. His own length had slipped even more from its sheath, where a clear droplet was already forming, about to drip onto the sand. Again, Kai felt like moving in a little further. He took a deep breath, and Stahl's scent, familiar but stronger than usual, acted as encouragement. Almost without thinking, he leaned his body forward, opened his muzzle slightly, and ran his tongue along the tip of Stahl's cock.

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\n Stahl gasped, taking a deep breath as the sensation caused his muscles to tense up further. Kai chuckled at Stahl's response, and as his paw slid down again, he gave Stahl's head another lick. The taste was distantly familiar – enough that he didn't flinch at the flavor. He tried to remember how long it had been since he'd done this with anyone else.

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\n Stahl squirmed, moaning, and the hammock started to swing back and forth.

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\n Kai then let go of Stahl's cock, eliciting a slight whimper from the Lahu. He moved his paws to either side of Stahl's hips, and held him tightly, keeping the hammock in place. Opening his muzzle wide, he licked Stahl's head once more before taking the length into his mouth. He closed his warm muzzle around the cock, and glanced up to see Stahl's face. He could see that his eyes were closed, and his paws were tightly gripping the sides of the hammock. Kai let out a long, warm breath along Stahl's length, and then wrapped his tongue around it, savoring the taste.

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\n Stahl whimpered, trying his best to squirm, but Kai's paws were holding his hips firmly.

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\n Slowly, teasingly, he pulled his muzzle back, careful to keep his fangs away as he ran his tongue sensually over the tip. Stahl took another deep breath, and tried to push his hips up, trying to force his cock back into Kai's mouth.

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\n Kai forced him back down into the hammock, and dug his claws into Stahl's flesh ever so slightly, as a warning. Stahl got the hint and tried his best to stop squirming. Once he had Stahl settled down again, Kai started to resume the same treatment as before, sliding his muzzle up and down Stahl's cock at a steady pace, occasionally licking deliberately at Stahl's head.

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\n Stahl began to gasp each time Kai passed his muzzle over the warm length, and his muscles were beginning to twitch. His tail stood on end underneath him, pointed and tense.

\n Kai knew it wouldn't be long now, so he quickened the pace at which he bobbed his muzzle along Stahl's cock. His whiskers tickled against Stahl's loins each time he went down, and his tongue teased at Stahl each time he went up.

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\n Stahl couldn't think, all he could do was twitch and moan and be held still as his friend sucked on him. He began to breathe faster, panting, his eyes held tightly shut. His paw was again on top of Kai's head, and he made sure to keep just enough pressure that Kai couldn't stop now.

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\n Kai wouldn't have wanted to stop, not at this point. He wagged his tail quickly in the dirt, anticipating the reward for his hard work.

\n Stahl moaned, pressure building up in his loins as his muscles twitched, and he gripped the fur on top of Kai's head tightly in his fist. He didn't notice as Kai's claws dug into his flesh in anticipation - the feeling of Kai's tongue around him was far too overpowering. A tingling sensation was starting to build, spreading through his loins. He gasped a few words to Kai. “Almost...don't stop...”

\n Kai smiled around Stahl's cock, and didn't resist when Stahl pressed his paw down hard, forcing his length deep into Kai's muzzle. Stahl moaned loudly, arching his back up as his seed released into Kai's throat. Kai licked his tongue along Stahl's cock, hoping to coax more of the liquid from the Lahu. He swallowed each rope of cum as it shot into his throat, churring deeply as he did so.

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\n Stahl fell back, basking in the pleasure that was spreading over his body. Ecstasy – that was the only word he could think of to describe it. He had never felt like this before.

\n When Stahl finally let go of Kai's head, he licked the rest of the cum from Stahl's cock and then pulled his muzzle from Stahl's groin. He stood and licked his lips, the taste of Stahl's seed still on his tongue. Grinning, he chuckled at Stahl, who still appeared to be lost in the moment.

\n Panting, Stahl looked up at his friend. “That was...that was...wonderful.” He laughed, softly but steadily. Whatever thoughts he was having about Len or Mea, or anyone else seemed miles away in his mind. He couldn't even recall what he was thinking about before. All he could think of was Kai, and what they had just done. He couldn't help but replay the the scene with his eyes closed. Even as his erection began to give way, the feeling of Kai's paw, of Kai's tongue, was still fresh and warm in his mind.

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\n “Told you that you'd enjoy it,” Kai said, crossing his arms. “Though there is one other thing...”

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\n Stahl raised an eyebrow, still focused on Kai's head. “What is it?” he asked, still panting a warm breath.

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\n “It'd be rude not to return the favor,” Kai said, gesturing down at his own sheath, his own cock standing at attention.

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\n Stahl's ears flushed upon hearing this, and his heart beat picked back up. He lowered his gaze, finding Kai's sheath and balls to be closer to his muzzle than he had realized. “Wait...Kai,” he whispered. “Not so quickly.”

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\n Kai pulled his erection away from Stahl, standing beside the hammock. “Alright, then,” he said, as he stretched out a paw to him. “How about standing up for this one?”

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\n After a moment, Stahl grabbed his paw and felt Kai strongly pull him upward and out of his spot in the hammock. He dropped his loin cloth into it as he stepped away. They stood together in the sand, opposite legs touching. He could feel Kai's fur was poking up, as was his own. Although Stahl's penis had lost its firmness, it still hung larger than normal. He eyed Kai's area reluctantly, seeing he was still completely hard and waiting. They both faced the front of the holt, where the curtain was beginning to rustle with the wind. Stahl could no longer hear the dull sound of the rain, although water droplets from the roof still struck his shoulders.

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\n Kai then turned into Stahl and pressed his whole body into him, pushing his throbbing erection onto Stahl's stomach. He already left a spot of moisture on the fur. “It's your turn, Stahl,” he whispered.

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\n Stahl gulped at the invitation. He took a step back, closed his eyes, and carefully reached his paw out. He started from Kai's stomach, feeling the muscles along his abdomen, feeling the fur which bristled as the pads touched them. Then, he felt it in his paw – Kai's firmness, his throbbing shaft. Slowly, he made his way up, and could hear Kai panting as he reached the tip.

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\n “Faster...” Kai replied, feeling his muscles start to firm up.

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\n Stahl obliged, and began to slide his paw up and down, gently. His eyes were still completely shut, but the sound of Kai's moaning tempted him to look. Finally, when he felt Kai's paw gripping his shoulder, he opened his eyes and watched himself, almost in disbelief. The scene was beginning to bring his own erection back - he could feel it creeping up once more.

\n Kai was hunched over, knees trembling, yelping with pleasure as he felt Stahl's paw rubbing along him. His foot paws were digging into the sand, pushing backwards. He planted both his paws on Stahl's shoulders just so he could keep from falling over. With each motion, Kai crept closer, until he had his muzzle pressed into Stahl's chest.

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\n The cool sensation of Kai's nose jolted through Stahl's body, instantly making him hard again.

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\n Another drop of rainwater fell from the roof, this time landing on Kai's head. He felt it run down his neck, awaking the fur around it. Suddenly, an idea struck him. “Wait a second, Stahl...” he moaned, pulling back from Stahl's grip. “I want to try something else,” he said, motioning towards the front of the holt.

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\n Stahl paused, as though he were still caught in the previous moment. Kai's voice didn't register right away. He watched the other Lahu pad over to the front of the holt, where the ground was filled with shallow river water.

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\n Kai laid down carefully in the water with his back down, and dipped his head in briefly. His tail could be heard splashing around underneath him. He looked back at Stahl, with only his head, chest, and sheath sticking out of the water. “The water's a bit cold,” he warned. “Just sit down.”

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\n Stahl made his way to the front. As he set a foot paw in the water, the cold raced up his legs, making him even more stiff. Still, he knelled down carefully, admiring the lines of moonlight reflecting off the river water. With his knees submerged, the coolness filled the rest of his body, making his own tail beat into the water feverishly. The two were making a lot more noise, but Stahl paid no attention to the fact as he reached once more for Kai's erection.

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\n The cold water had Kai tense with anticipation. He closed his eyes briefly, waiting for Stahl. Suddenly, he felt the warm pads sliding onto his shaft once more, and he yelped loudly. He almost jumped out, and started to kick his legs back and forth in the water. As Stahl's paw began to move back and forth once more, he could already feel a tingling right underneath his hardness. It would be here soon. “Stahl...” he murmured. “I'm almost...oh...use your...”

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\n Stahl could see that he was motioning to his face, hoping that he would give him the same treatment. Whatever reluctance he had earlier seemed to have washed away in the cool river water. His heartbeat raced at the idea, and at once he laid his muzzle forward, looking straight down at Kai's cock. He closed his eyes and let his tongue fall out, sliding along the tip.

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\n Kai was beginning to hear more splashing, even as the sounds seemed to drown out around him. He assumed it had just been Stahl.

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\n Stahl, hearing the same noises, guessed that Kai was the one responsible. However, there was a set of distinct splashes coming from just outside the front, and Stahl watched the curtain open wide. He froze with his muzzle hovering above Kai's hard, wet penis.

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\n Looking down at them from the front entrance was Alaka.

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\n Stahl's jaw held open, as did his eyes. “Oh! Alaka...it's not...” He withdrew from Kai's body for the moment, trembling with embarrassment. “Kai was...”

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\n Alaka returned a look of bewilderment, although he only seemed to be focusing on Stahl. “What? What are you getting all bothered for?” he asked. “I was just wondering where Kai was. I figured he might be here. Looks like I was right.” He turned a foot paw around in the water, looked down at the two once more, and started to leave. “Have a nice night.”

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\n Kai was beginning to chuckle as he watched Stahl's frightened face fixed on the curtain, now closed. He even held a paw up to his eyes, as though wiping away tears, while he laughed. “Jeez, Stahl, what's the matter? It's just Alaka.”

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\n Stahl could barely even speak as he trembled in the water, his ears flushed bright red, “...just Alaka?”

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\n Kai sat up quickly, giving Stahl a frank reply. “I already told you, it's no big deal. Why would Alaka care? I've walked in on him, he's walked in on me.” He then slipped his upper body back into the moonlit river, grinning. “Now, how about finishing up?”

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\n Stahl swallowed, trying to shake off the embarrassment of what had happened. He knew the tribe was open minded, but he had never been walked in on before. He didn't have long to think about it, though, as Kai reached a paw up and pushed gently on the top of his head. He licked his lips and lowered his muzzle back down next to Kai's erection.

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\n He ran his tongue along Kai's tip once again, long enough to get a taste of the skin. Somehow, it didn't bother him – he almost found it enjoyable. Another lick, quickly, to the tip, and Kai splashed around in the water. Stahl smiled, enjoying the effect he was having on his friend. He opened his muzzle wider and slid it down on top of Kai's length, taking a deep breath of his loins as he did. The scent was strong, but comforting. Maybe even encouraging, he thought.

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\n Kai wagged his tail quickly, causing the water to splash chaotically, wetting both of them. A quiet moan escaped his lips, and he started to twitch. He leaned his head back, closing his eyes as he got closer to finishing. Stahl wrapped his tongue around Kai's penis as he moved his muzzle up and down it rapidly. Kai tensed up, moaning again, louder this time, as he felt a familiar pressure build up inside. “Stahl..Stahl!” he managed to whimper as the pleasure grew, and before he knew it, he had started to shoot his seed into Stahl's muzzle.

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\n Stahl had just pulled back as Kai started to come, so most of it shot directly onto his tongue. He tried to swallow as the liquid filled his muzzle, but the taste was still too strange for him, causing him to sputter. He spit most of it out into the shallow river water. A little bit managed to drip out of his muzzle, down his chin. When Kai finished, he let himself fall back in the water, laughing with delight. Stahl blushed and sat up, crossing his arms. Kai forced himself to stop laughing, but when he leaned up to look at Stahl, he saw the stain on his chin, and started to chuckle again.

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\n Stahl stood up, his arms still crossed, and walked quickly back to his hammock. He retrieved his loin cloth and tied it back around his waist, the cloth covering his cock as it softened, receding into its sheath.

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\n Kai stood up and walked over to him, putting his paw on Stahl's shoulder. “Oh come on, lighten up. You did good.”

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\n Stahl reluctantly turned around, looking at the ground. He saw Kai's cock, softening but still dripping a bit into the sand. He lifted his head, choosing to look at Kai's face instead. Kai smiled down at him silently. Stahl didn't know what to say either. “Kai...”

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\n Kai leaned his muzzle forward, without thinking. He almost planted his lips on Stahl's, but withdrew, hesitating. As much as he wanted to do so, he knew Stahl was still nervous, and he didn't want to make things any worse tonight - he didn't want to move too quickly. This was just for fun. Instead, he licked the seed from Stahl's chin, and then leaned back.

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\n Stahl's fur tickled from the texture of Kai's tongue. He tried to fight off a smile, but couldn't manage. “That was...fun.”

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\n Kai nodded, his thick tail wagging in the air behind him. He turned around to pick his loin cloth up off the ground. He bent down in an exaggerated motion with his tail raised high above him, as if teasing Stahl. After he finished tying the string around his waist once more, he straightened the cloth in front of his loins. Glancing back at Stahl, he smiled. “Told you that you needed to relax. Aren't you glad I talked you into this?”

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\n “Yeah, you were right.” He sighed, sitting down in his hammock. “Maybe we could play again sometime.”

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\n Kai laughed as he walked towards the curtain in the door of the holt. “Sure, if you want...” He paused for a moment, looking back at Stahl. There was more that he wanted to say, words that were welling up in his lungs. He couldn't quite seem to form them, though, only settling on a “Good night”. Brushing the curtain out of the way, he waved behind him and dove into the water.

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\n Once he heard Kai swimming away, Stahl stood out of his hammock, staring at the curtain. As much as he wanted to think about anything else, he was only thinking of what just happened. Thinking of Kai. Yet, he didn't blush at the thought – he wasn't embarrassed anymore. He walked over slowly and pulled the curtain aside, tying it up and welcoming the moonlight into his dark holt. He tied the knot tight. He didn't want to close it again anytime soon, he thought. Staring up at the moon, he started to wonder what to do next.

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\n Even though his heartbeat hadn't quite slowed down, and his muscles were still tight from everything that just happened, Stahl felt a calm rushing over him. He slowly rolled into his hammock, and looked up at the thatch roof idly. He rocked back and forth in a gentle motion, and closed his eyes. There was something about the way he just connected with Kai, something surreal and unearthly. All the fear he had, about Len and about himself, seemed to be blowing away with the wind. When he woke in the morning, he knew that he wouldn't be worrying about these things anymore. He wouldn't think about them. It would only be Kai, he decided. It would be moving on. It would be life.
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