Looking Both Ways

Story by michael crest on SoFurry

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#2 of Prince Here, Action Where


Alex woke to taping at his door. Grumbling like his mother woke him he slipped out of bed. He answered the door to a surprised fellow knight. "Yes?" The fox asked rubbing an eye.

"Um, some locals found an abandoned temple a day's paces away." The soldier looked upward. "Um, sir?"

"Yes?" Alex, finally awake, answered.

"You're not wearing anything." The soldier walked away chuckling. Alex didn't know what was so funny until he remembered he's the youngest person in the castle next to the king and his new rank. Servants and other knights must be talking wildly about the king and him.

"Oh gods!" he ran to get dressed. When he suited up, he walked over to Crest's room, across the hall. He opened the door quietly but found his king awake. The fox half stared for the wolf was bending over with his tail raised and facing Alex. Crest was simply putting on his pants. "Um...Crest?"

"Hmm? Oh, morning, my knight." The king teased. "I was heading for Clat, mind joining me?" he didn't finish pulling up his slacks. Alex watched it fall down, exposing his king. They both hid their blushes as the wolf pulled his pants up.

"Heh, I have to now, being your personal guard," Alex laughed, "but another knight woke me saying locals found an abandoned temple, thought of you first." The two paused hiding blushes again.

"I'll talk to Clat if we can go to the temple after I get some knowledge about gods." Alex nodded an agreement and they walked off.

When they arrived at the library, they met silence. "Clat isn't here...odd." Crest wondered where and what about his trainer.

"Maybe we can find out what you wanted to know while we wait for him." The fox walked over to a set of books.

"That's a great idea. Lets search." The two canines shuffled though three candles worth of books and scrolls. At the end of their two hours of searching, Alex found something pertaining to gods. "Let me read that before you fall." The fox laughed weakly to the wry comment and passed the book. "Ah, perfect! Wait, oh, I have idols of two in my room..." Crest trailed off reading.

It named dozens of different sets of gods and goddesses, but Crest focused on two: Ssitï and Gond. The king rolled his eyes to how gods' names were written. Reading more he discovered that up to when the book was written, Ssitï and Gond's temples have been forgotten. "That's awful but maybe the new temple is one of theirs." They suddenly heard a strong hiSsitïng. The king shivered sensing the power being the voice. Both realized the sound was not intimidating and relaxed.

"What was that?" Alex asked quietly.

"What was that, boys!" the young canines jumped and yelped to a roar.

"By the gods, stop that Clat!" Crest shouted in frustration. "You stalk this library like the dead or thieves." The wolf snarled. "Where were and are you?"

"Behind you." The leopard answered softly. Alex yelped again backing away. "Back to topic, what was that noise? Hmm..." Clat saw the book in Crest's arms. "Devils' curse put that down!" Clat snatched the book and continued, "If you wanted to know more of gods, ask first! Most are left to die in the Void." The two canines looked at each other.

"You weren't present when we gotten here." They said together.

"I have my reasons. Now, what did you need to know?" he sighed trying to hide his absence.

"Well, I wished to learn more of the gods because a recent feeling of being watched disappear whenever I give my respects to the gods. Also, my idols in my room keep changing..." the king started.

"Hmm..."

"Um, I found two gods that resemble my idols in that book you took." Crest stuttered.

"What? Which?"

"Ssitï and Gond."

"You have the snake god correct but not the winged lion. His name is Luke. He used to be a Forgotten but temples appeared bringing him out of the void." The young males nearly gasped.

"I've gotten a report of a temple sighted a days away from here. Crest was going to request to take me and see." Alex almost shouted. Clat only hummed more. "That could be another god coming out of the void like you said-"

"I am NOT putting the king in danger if what you said is true. When Luke reappeared the first person to meet him didn't have a happy ending." Clat lectured. Crest stood on one heel unfazed at his trainer's outburst.

"Come Alex, we'll find someplace to eat while we let him cool down." The king mumbled to his knight while grabbing his arm.

"But can't you cast a spell to calm..."

"Like I said we're going to go 'eat'." The king reinstated pulling the fox along. The leopard remained where they left him fuming and swearing the future.

Actually they did get food but they stopped at the barracks' storage room to eat and talk. "Now we're going whether or not the feline says so..." the king bit down on a piece of bread. "After all, you're with me for protection and I'm not going to let you die either." Alex's heart raced for a second hearing that. The wolf continued, "Besides, I think that new temple is one of the gods my idols are for. Didn't you hear that hiSsitïng when we found out there wasn't a temple for Ssitï??" Alex nodded his head vigorously. "This could also be a chance for us to do something together instead of under watchful eyes." Alex was taking a drink at that moment and choked. "a-are you alright?"

"*cough* *cough* yeah...*cough*" this so reminds me of a book a read in squire training. I hope he like other males as I do...just this is odd so half open like this. He finished him meal and waited for his king to finish as well. "it was just how this talk sounded, just like a book a read when I was a squire." Crest laughed so hard Alex thought he was choking. "are you ok?"

"Yeah, yeah *phew*, heh heh, That was too funny." In relaxing from his laughing fit the king rested a paw on Alex's leg. The fox could feel the hand though the leather form the armor rested on. Alex squirmed too embarrassed to do anything. Crest didn't notice the squirm or that he still had his paw on his knight's leg. "um, uh..." oh gods not now. With all the moving he made, which wasn't honestly a lot, moved the wolf's hand closer to the fox's groin area. Alex felt his member filling up and straining against his armor. He stiffed a whimpering moan. That snapped Crest out of his blank state.

"oh, oh god, um..." their eyes connected after the king moved away. "are you, um...wait not here!"

"huh?" Alex's replied in a whimper but followed when his king stood up and moved out of the room.

"follow, guard, if you please." The king called to the fox who became confused. He obeyed in order to fulfill his curiosity and clear his mind. Crest's tail never moved while he led the too toward their chambers. Alex became more and more nervous of both what he wishes would happen and what he doesn't know. Crest stopped in front of their doors. "I...which room do you wish to discuss in?" to be honest, Alex couldn't answer. Both his fear and excitement kept him frozen. Crest examined his fox carefully. "come to my room, it's better seals for no one to hear." Alex tripped on himself but continued standing trying to follow his wolf in the room. "Alex...I...argh, do you like other males too?" the fox's heart lifted.

"y-yes." Alex took a step toward his king but stopped himself. He spoke very shaky and low, "I...whenever I practiced when I was a squire the other give me weird looks because I stared at our trainers. It started to get hard to hide that I favored other males the more I grew...but a male liking another male isn't looked kindly is it..."

"no..." the answer was quieter than the fox's explanation. "that was a rushed explanation..." Alex lowered his head. "but mine is no less brief. I simply had no interest in females." A puff of air left the wolf's mouth instead of a single laugh. The two fell silent not looking at what they wanted. The room was passed silence, the idols on Crest's nightstand resonated with slight magic. Crest shivered but that was the only action. The gods they resembled watched what they put in place. I sense magic somewhere but...I'm worried what's really going on. "Alex, where were you directed to when you became a knight?"

"all my trainers tried to send me to a different country for additional 'training'. But the one who personally trained me received a letter. It said send him to...well your castle. He gladly sent me off and I was welcomed here by first the captain then Clat." He paused. Something hit the stone floor under them. A blotch of discoloring was only mark of the sound. Crest walked over and hugged the knight. He tried to wipe the fox's matted eyes and give comfort.

"don't cry. We were guided by the gods to meet. But..."

"you're not ready for someone?"

"far from it! I...I was just not expecting a wish to come true so...suddenly..." the foxed tried to laugh but sobbed instead. "come sit...and rest...I don't think we should go to our rooms to rest... I myself have been too lonely." The king looked out the window. The fox rested his head on the wolf's chest.

"you have the best chest, Crest" he whispered.

"haha where did that come from my little fox?" the king laughed heavily.

"it's true, it's well muscled and feels nice." Alex didn't move his head from the wolf's chest, too caught up in contentment.

"come it's late." He patted the fox's back and guided him to his own bed.

"but what if someone find out?"

"the only one that will 'find out' is my trainer and he's too busy complaining about the trip we will take." Crest spoke melancholily. "just rest...you don't want to be alone as much as I do now..." the fox obeyed and fell asleep in his armor. Crest removed the armor when all he could feel was the fox's breathing. Then fell asleep as well. Gods, thank you. I will keep him close.

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