Book 1 Chapter 2 The young lion continues to race down the highway on the stolen Harley. Dawn is approaching. An orange hue is becoming more apparent on the horizon. The bike is starting to run low on gas. "I'm getting really sleepy, and I need to ditch this bike for a new set of wheels." He thinks. There is a sign on the side of the road in the distance. He can't make out what it says yet. His sight is getting blurry from lack of sleep and the wind blowing in his eyes. "Thank God!" he thinks. The sign is for a rest area, he realizes as he gets closer. Only one more mile. "Cars" with an arrow pointing left and "Trucks" with an arrow pointing right, reads the sign at the entrance to the rest area. The road to the right goes behind the building with the bathrooms in it. The large trucks and trailers that are parked there are visible in the distance. He takes the road to the left. There aren't any cars there at all, but he does see an older basset hound gentleman wearing a jumpsuit. He is emptying the garbage cans outside of the building. The young lion pulls into a spot and cuts off the bike's engine. As he gets off the bike he checks the knife cut on his left for-arm. It had stopped bleeding, but now that he wasn't keeping it in the same position, it starts to bleed again. His whole sleeve is soaked in blood. He can even feel it in his glove. There is also a few dried crusty spots on his shirt and pants. "Good thing I'm wearing all black or someone might call an ambulance." He thinks as he opens one of the saddle bags on the bike. There is a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a pair of boots. In the other saddle bag he finds a leather biker jacket. He carefully gathers up the items trying not to touch things with his bloody left hand. The bike is of no further use to him, so he leaves the keys and heads towards the building to find the bathroom. As he makes his way up the side walk, he takes a look around. The sun is just barely above the top of the trees which seem to surround the area. He doesn't see anyone at all accept for the custodian who seems quite preoccupied with his duties. He enters the building and heads straight for the men's room. He pushes the door open by leaning against it with his back. "I'll need a place to change, but I have to be careful of my arm." he thinks. "A handicap stall! Perfect!" Lucky for him there is no one in the bathroom. Inside the stall, there is a hook on the door that he uses to hang the jeans, shirt, and jacket. He sets the boots on the floor while he starts to get out of the bloody clothes. He decides to take his shirt off last since removal of the sleeve may cause the injury to start bleeding more profusely. "Tap your foot for a blow job" reads the graffiti on the wall along with a number of other profane messages and crude images. It is hard to make out most of them because someone has obviously been trying to clean them off. The young lion smirks as he looks at the graffiti and continues to change. "Looks like this place is pretty cruisey during the evening hours." he thinks. It's been a long time since he's cruised a place like this. He hadn't thought about it in a while. For a moment, he wishes he had made it here while it was still night time, it might have been fun! Even if he had, he knows he couldn't have taken the time to enjoy himself, there is work to be done and the clock is still ticking. Before changing his pants he remembers to take the gem from his pocket. It looks brighter in the florescent lights of the bathroom. He manages to get the jeans and boots on without much trouble. He puts the gem in his front right pocket. His shirt is now off and his arm is bleeding again. The fur from his elbow down to his hand is crusty with dried blood. He has to clean the wound. He leaves his old shoes on the floor in the stall while he takes his old clothes and throws them in the garbage can near the door to the bathroom. As he steps over to the sink he takes a look at himself in the mirror. The jeans are boot cut and fit him perfectly, tight along his ass and thighs but loose from the knees down. Just the way he likes them. They accentuate his features, making his package and ass look quite temping. The shirt and the jacket are still hanging on the peg in the stall with the door open. The shirtless lion stands in front of the sink. He has an impressive physique and is in fantastic shape. He has the build of an Olympic swimmer, muscular, but not like a bodybuilder. You can easily make out the definition of his muscles even under his fur. He turns on the faucet then pumps the soap dispenser vigorously with his right hand and carefully tries to scrub the blood out of his fur. It hurts like hell, but he has more important things to think about. He has gotten most of the blood out of his fur when he hears someone open the door. While he continues to clean the wound, he turns his head to see who it is. "Wow!" he thinks, "That guy is hot!" The large bear rushes to a urinal. He is exactly the young lion's type having quite a masculine, voluptuous build. His brown hair is a mess and his eyes look sleepy like he has just woken up. The bear dresses for comfort, not style wearing a large lime green t-shirt with a number of stains down the front of it and a pair of black sweat pants with a hole in the left knee. The urinals are to the lion's right on the same wall as the sink he is washing his arm in. He has a perfect view. The large bear pulls up the front of his shirt, partially revealing his fur covered belly which protrudes over the elastic waist band of the sweat pants. He digs his thumb under his belly and into the front of his pants which he quickly pulls down far enough for him to relieve himself. He immediately starts to urinate. A strong stream leaves his rather think and impressive member. The elastic waist band of the sweat pants is tucked under his ample testicles which push them upward, almost as if to present them. The lion is practically drooling, "Nice cock!" he thinks. Even though the bear is flaccid, his tool is a nice size. He can feel a twitch in his own loins. Just then he notices the bear is looking right at him and their eyes meet for a split second. The lion quickly darts his eyes back to the sink, trying to pretend he wasn't looking, but he knows the bear noticed his gaze. The Bear says, "Rough night last night?" "Huh?... Oh! Yeah." He suddenly realizes his blood is all over the sink. "You all right kid?" "Yeah, I'm fine." "What happened? You get in a fight or something?" The bear says while continuing to pee. "It's kind of a long story." the lion says and then thinks, "What does this guy want? Why does he care what happened to me?" "Looks like you could use a bandage. I got a first aid kit on my rig. I could get you one." The lion thinks, "Rig?!?! This guy must be a trucker. Nice!" He had always had an affinity for bears and the fact that this bear is a trucker makes him even more attractive somehow. "But still, why is this guy offering to help me? What's his angle?" He speaks, "Look mister, I ain't got any cash so don't waste your time on me." "I didn't say I'd sell you one, I'll give you one!" The bear says as he gives his manhood a quick shake and pulls his pants back up. He walks up to the sink beside the young lion, "I'm just trying to help." He says as he begins to wash his hands. The lion is suspicious, "Something is up with this guy. Who just offers to help a complete stranger they meet in a rest area bathroom?" He thinks about it for a moment. He still needs a ride out of this place. "Maybe I can catch a ride with this guy. I'll have to be cautious and keep my wits about me until I discover his motives. Nothing in this world is free. Maybe he just thinks I'm attractive. I'll try to test that theory, and if that's the case, cool! I have no problem whoring myself out to this guy to get a ride out of here! Especially since I would`ve gladly done him for free anyway!" He steps up from the sink and turns to face the bear. "O.k. buddy, you want to help? Can I get a ride out of here?" He says. The bear gives the shirtless lion a confused look, "A ride? How did you get all the way out here with no vehicle?" While the young one was hunched over the sink the bear did notice his nice ass and the way the lion's tail curved gracefully as it traveled down towards the floor. It seemed to taunt him, almost vindictively. Now that they were facing each other, he can`t help but lust for him. He thinks, "My God! His body is amazing! And those eyes, I've never seen a lion with blue eyes. He must be a mixed breed of some kind." "Like I said, it's a long story." The lion shoots back. "Well, Where ya headed?" "Wherever you're going. Just take me to the next town..." The large bear is drying his hands with some paper towels. He hands some to the lion who carefully pats down the area around his wound. Once he is dry, he steps up close to the trucker, reaches out and cups his bulging package with his good hand and says "Don't worry, I'll make it worth your while!" He can feel the bear's manhood stir a bit beneath the sweatpants as he considers this tempting offer. He is lost in this lion's lustful gaze. Those eyes, so mysterious. The bear shakes his head, "Snap out of it!" He thinks, "Come to your senses! This kid is in some kind of trouble. He needs my help! I can't take advantage of him like this." "Thanks for the offer kid, but you don't have to do that." He says as he backs away. The lion is floored! "I know this guy wants it! I could feel him starting to get hard under those pants! What does this guy want? He's got to be working some angle." He doesn't know what to say. He just stands there with a perplexed and disappointed look on his face. Realizing the awkwardness of the situation, the trucker tries to change the subject. He extends his hand and says, "The name's Bruno." The young lion reaches out and shakes the bear's hand, "J.J." "Nice to meet you J.J.!" Bruno says in a cheerful tone as he smiles shakes J.J.'s arm. He let's go of J.J.'s hand and walks over the stall. "Here kid, let me help you with your shirt and then I'll fix up that arm on back at my truck." He grabs the clothes off the hook on the stall door and turns back to J.J. J.J. can't take it anymore and just has to ask, "Why are you doing this?" "Doing what?" Bruno says as he bunches up the shirt in a way that will make it easy for J.J. to get his injured arm into it. "Helping me and being so... nice." "You just seem to be in a bind. You look like you could use a friend." He holds up the shirt presenting J.J. with the left arm hole. "A friend?!?!" J.J. thought, "This guy is either a con man or totally naive, but I don't have many options right now. I have to just go with it." He carefully puts his arm through the hole. As the wound passes through, Bruno holds the paper towel against it. He continues to hold it while J.J. puts the other sleeve on and pulls the shirt over his head. Once the shirt is on, J.J. holds the wound himself again. "O.k., let's go." He says as Bruno grabs his jacket and carries it for him. "Hate to see you leave, but love to watch you go!" J.J. remembers the limerick as he walks behind Bruno, following him to his truck. "What a perfect ass!" J.J. thinks as he smiles a little while watching the large bear's nice round buns bounce up and down with each step. "Here she is!" says Bruno as he smiles at J.J. and proudly presents his truck. It's a big eighteen wheeler complete with sleeping quarters. "This is perfect!" J.J. thinks, "Even if the bikers do manage to catch my trail, it will end cold here." "Let me show you around." Says Bruno as he opens the passenger door for J.J. While J.J. climbs in, his tail brushes against Bruno's belly ever so slightly. "This is torture! Look at that ass!" he thinks as he is forced to adjust the contents of his pants. He closes the door and walks around to the driver's side. J.J. looks around as he enters the big rig. It seems to be in pretty good shape. "Probably only a few years old." he speculates. "This guy is kind of a slob, but it's not disgusting or anything. Just a bit messy." He thinks as he notices the fast food bags littered about the floor. "Well, guess you'd call this the living room/dinning room. Behind us you'll see the bedroom, and as for the bathroom..." Bruno bends down and picks something up off the floor. "I guess this empty Gatorade bottle will do the trick if we get in a pinch!" Bruno chuckles as J.J. smiles back at him. "Let me find the good old first aid kit I was telling you about." Bruno steps back into the "bedroom" and opens a compartment. J.J. can here him shuffling things around. Bruno closes the compartment and opens another. "I know it's around here somewhere." He says as he continues to rummage though things. "Ah ha! Here it is!" He comes back up front, "Let me see that arm." J.J. presents the wound. "Jesus kid! We should get you to a hospital. This is going to scar if you don't get stitches." "No, it'll be fine." J.J. replies, "It's stopped bleeding and besides, I've been cut worse than this before and I don't have a mark to show for it." "So you've been in situations like this before, huh?" Bruno says as he soaks a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol. "Not exactly." Bruno starts to clean the wound by dabbing it with the cotton swab. J.J. doesn't even flinch even though it stings like hell. "How did you say you did this again?" "I didn't." "Look kid, if you don't want to talk about it, fine, but shouldn't you be trying to contact somebody? Isn't there somebody worrying about you, like your parents? "I don't have any parents, besides, I'm grown man. I can take care of myself." "Yeah, you're doing a bang up job! Stranded at a rest stop in the middle of nowhere with a huge gash in your arm." Bruno says without looking up from J.J.'s arm. He is applying a bandage and wrapping it for protection. J.J. isn't thrilled with the conversation. "Are you done? I'd really like to get moving." He says trying not to be argumentative since Bruno is helping him out. "Sorry kid, that didn't come out right. You've been through enough without me gettin' on your case." Bruno finishes the wrap, "All done." "Thank you." J.J. looks at the bear in awe. He just doesn't get this guy. No one has ever treated him this way that didn't want something back. He is so beautiful and gentle, yet masculine... Not to mention sexy as hell! The fact that Bruno turned down his advance in the restroom only makes J.J. want him more! "I've got to stop thinking this way! He's got to be after something, I've just got to stay sharp and not let him distract me." J.J. is feeling a bit overwhelmed. This is all way to much to think about right now. He has to stay focused on his next move and get on the road or the bikers might catch up to him. Not to mention the fact that he is starving and extremely tired. He hasn't eaten or slept in a very long time. "You hungry kid?" Bruno seemed to almost read J.J.'s mind. He reaches behind his seat and pulls out a box of Pop-Tarts. "I hope you like strawberry!" He says as he hands a package to J.J. "I'm starved!" J.J. says as he takes the package from Bruno. "Thank you so much!" Bruno smiles as he watches J.J. greedily eat the pop tarts like he hadn't eaten in months. Something about this kid is familiar to him. He knows he's never met him before, so maybe he just reminds him of someone else. Maybe someone he's met or possibly someone famous like a movie star or musician. He can't seem to put his finger on it. He feels compelled to help J.J., but he's not exactly sure what his motives truly are. This kid is a total mystery to him and he couldn`t be more fascinated! "All right, lets hit the road!" "Sounds good to me!" J.J. says with his mouth full. Bruno starts the truck and the start to head back to the highway. As they leave the rest area, J.J. looks back and can see his abandoned bike in the distance. "Good bye and good riddance!" He thinks to himself, "That life is over for me now." He reaches into his pocket and touches the jewel. This is the key to his new future. This thing was the key to his new life. He looks over at Bruno with relief. For the first time in the past 48 hours, he is starting to relax. "Damn, Bruno is fine!" he thinks as he looks lustfully at Bruno's body, "I hope I can get into those pants before this is over." Bruno notices J.J.'s gaze and gives him a wink. J.J. just smiles. This is the first day of the rest of his life. Bruno continues to drive down the highway, "J.J. I don't know what horrible things happened to you that eventually brought you to that rest area, but don't think you're alone." "I've always been alone" J.J. thinks, "This guy doesn't know what he's talking about." "What do you mean?" He replies. "Everyone has there share of rough times, including me." Bruno explains, "I never would've gotten through them if it weren't for some help from my friends." "I told you, I don't have anybody." J.J. interjects. "Look kid, I'm not trying to piss you off. If you don't want to talk about it, just listen. Just because you accept help from someone doesn't make you weak. When I was about your age, probably even a little younger, my parents were killed in an auto accident. I'm an only child and have no other living family in the world. I didn't know what to do and was really scared. When you go through something like that, you find out who your real friends are. To make a long story short, I spent a lot of time trying to run from my problems. It wasn't until I got help from my friends that things changed for me. I didn't have the strength to face my demons alone, and I'm not ashamed of that. Looking back, I just feel lucky that I had people I could trust. So, before you decide that I can't possibly relate to what you've been through, or that all I'm good for is a ride, remember that there may be no other way out than to take a chance on trusting somebody." J.J. just sits there speechless. He feels a bit guilty for his attitude and assumptions about Bruno and his motives. He just doesn't know what to think or say. Nobody has ever opened themselves up to him in an emotionally vulnerable way like this before. He's not sure how to act. This is all way to complex and exhausting for him to deal with right now. "Sorry to cut you off Bruno," J.J. says, "but I haven't slept much and I'm very tired. Do you mind if I take a nap?" "Of course! You must be exhausted." Bruno replies, "I didn't mean to dump my baggage on you like that either." "No, it's cool. I'm just not used to people talking to me like that." "Like what?" J.J. is very uncomfortable with this conversation, "Never mind." "Well, feel free to lie down in the bed if you want. I didn't make it this morning and I certainly wasn't planning on have company, so please don't mind the mess!" "Don't worry about it! It looks very cozy to me." J.J. says as he gets up and goes to the "bedroom". "Sweet dreams!" Bruno says with a smile. "Thanks." J.J. replies as he lies down on the bed. Bruno's sent is very strong on the messy unkempt bedding and pillows. He is intoxicated by Bruno's lovely musk. It was easy to imagine Bruno back there in the bed with him, holding him in his arms as he drifts off to sleep. The young lion can't remember ever feeling as safe and as comfortable as he does right at this moment... Meanwhile, back at the rest area, the deep rumble of motorcycles can be heard... To be continued... By: D.J.A (AKA Bearchaser79)