[center][u]Services: A Walk in the Woods[/u]
By Green[/center]


The wind gently whistled through the rich, full leaves of the forest, producing a muted, pleasing sound. The grass that rustled under Kenraidrikarion's boots was healthy and green. And just ahead, in a spot where the trees seemed almost to have made room for something now absent, the sun shone down, bright and warm, bathing the meadow in light. It was, the green dragon decided, the nicest day so far this year. As he stepped out into the light, he heard a sharp intake of breath from his travelling companion, and turned to see that the far side of the meadow ended in a sharp drop that lead down into a canyon, lush with plants of many varieties, all waving in the breeze. 
        "What a view..." breathed Colton, a cat with a patchwork pattern to his fur, though he hadn't been when they'd met. Getting used to seeing the other male in a variety of forms and sizes had taken a while, but now Kenrai felt he was used to being friends with a shapeshifter. The dragon paused for a moment, taking in the sight, but turned back towards the path, waving the Mokaji - the true name of his race - to follow.
        "It's definitely impressive," he said, peering into the relative dark of the woods ahead, "but we should keep moving." The sigh that came in response to that gave the tall green pause, and the former mercenary turned to see Colton standing exactly where he'd been, apparently unaware of the large butterfly that circled his head, attempting to land on his ears.
        "Do we have to get going right away?" he asked, reluctantly, "We've been walking for hours already, I mean..." It was then that the dragon realized that Colton was leaning rather heavily against the tree next to him, the feline's breathing much deeper than Kenrai's, and his fur glistened in the direct sunlight with sweat. Kenrai silently cursed himself, having gotten distracted by the pleasant weather into forgetting that Colton still wasn't used to long-distance travel the way he was, the Mokaji being something of a scholar who had focused on more mental pursuits. Kenrai tilted his head to the side slightly. 
        "Need a break, [i]Tulo Karrim[/i]?" he asked, gently, using a nickname he'd given Colton, 'my little wolf' in Draconic, after the form he'd been in when they first met. Colton seemed to misinterpret the sentiment behind the question, as he responded by blushing and lowering his ears slightly, studying the grass between them as he answered.
        "Some of us weren't groomed to be hearty warriors, you know," he said, echoing the dragon's thoughts, "Some of us were keener on things like [i]libraries[/i] and [i]scribework[/i]." The warrior chuckled and raised a hand.
        "I meant nothing by it, Colton, if you need to take a break, I'm happy to stop here," he said, "Haven't seen anyone else all day anyway, it's not like we're in any danger."

They sat down there in the little meadow, ate some rations, drank some water, and gazed out over the sunny landscapes beneath them. The butterfly returned eventually, this time catching Colton's attention, and the cat happily pawed at it for a few minutes without quite being able to catch it. Kenrai, being cold-blooded, rather enjoyed his time sitting in direct sunlight, feeling nice and warm, and after a few minutes of just relaxing there, the dragon acted on a whim and reached over and grabbed the smaller male, pulling him in close for an impromptu cuddling session right there in the grass. Purring quietly, reminding Kenrai of the delight he'd exhibited when he discovered he could do so, Colton leaned in and nuzzled playfully against his lover's cheek, reaching around and putting his arms beneath Kenrai's wings as he hugged him. The dragon leaned back against the nearest tree and pulled Colton up on top of him, kissing the feline gently but hungrily. It was these little moments that made all the distance they'd walked together feel worth it. But as Kenrai slipped a hand under the Mokaji's shirt and began to run it up and down along his back, the shapeshifter made a concerned noise and broke off the kiss. He looked down with a blush as they both realized that the body heat and friction from the mammal squirming on top of him had started getting the dragon 'warmed up', so to speak, and now a conspicuous bulge was forming just beneath his lover. 
        "Oh, I, uh, I didn't realize that's what you meant by taking a break," Colton muttered, lowering his ears, "M-maybe we could take it somewhere more private, at least?" Narrowing his eyes just slightly, Kenrai tilted his head curiously, wondering what had his little friend so ill at ease.
        "Are you alright, Colton?" he asked, softly, "Suddenly you're acting like... well, like you're dreading the idea of getting intimate, honestly. Did I do something wrong last time? I didn't hurt you, did I?" It was a recurring worry for the former soldier of fortune, with the difference between their sizes being as noticeable as it was. Colton shook his head, but his ears stayed right where they were.
        "N-no, you've been wonderful," he said, scratching at the back of his neck, "It's just... well, we have sex a [i]lot[/i], you know?" Kenrai chuckled, despite himself.
        "I noticed," he said, simply. Colton nodded, too preoccupied to pick up on the humour before he continued.
        "Well, I... Look, I'm just starting to worry that m-maybe that's [i]all[/i] this is to you..." he admitted, cringing slightly, averting his eyes, "It - it's been on my mind, is all..." 

Kenrai's instinct was to press his hand against Colton's cheek, to stroke the soft, warm fur, but he hesitated, worried that might send the wrong message. 
        "Oh, [i]Tulo Karrim[/i]..." he said, concerned, "I've been with you since the heart of winter, why would this trouble you [i]now?[/i]" The shapeshifter shrugged, blushing harder. 
        "I don't know," he sighed, "When this started, it was all new and exciting... but there were also darklings outside and mercenaries chasing me, and... and maybe it didn't matter so much if that's all it was to you." This time, the dragon couldn't help himself, and placed a hand on Colton's cheek, gently turning him to make eye contact. 
        "I hope you haven't been thinking of what we do together as - as [i]payment [/i]for protection," the dragon said, trying not to sound stern, "Because it's meant a [i]hell[/i] of a lot more than that to me." With the feline looking suitably abashed, Kenrai winked at him and smiled, to show that he wasn't upset.
        "I don't know what you've heard about mercenaries, but I don't put my life on the line against thugs and abominations for sex," he said, adding after a moment "Talented as you are." Colton grinned at that as his blush momentarily returned, but said nothing, just sat there in the dragon's arms as the wind flew through the whispering trees and unseen birds sang to each other. After a moment, as Colton laid back down against Kenrai's chest, the offending bulge having disappeared anyway, Kenrai briefly hugged him tighter and whispered in his ear. 
        "I would hope that one day you would no longer have [i]need[/i] of my protection," he said, before grinning and adding "Then we wouldn't have to worry about keeping quiet" with a waggle of his eyebrows. Colton snickered and smiled back. 
        "You're not exactly dissuading the feeling that you're only after sex, there," he teased, before sighing and saying more seriously, "You know, it would be easier not to worry if I knew anything about, um, your old relationships. You never talk about the... people you've loved before."

After a few seconds of uneasy silence, Kenrai sighed and nodded. 
        "I suppose that's true..." he admitted, "Well, they were all males, for a start, I can see the question in your eyes. I've had a few flings here and there, but you're the most serious thing that's happened to me since... well, since I left the mountain caves where my people live." He paused and then swallowed, hesitant to dwell on unpleasant memories. 
        "The first person outside my family I ever said 'I love you' to was a lifelong friend of mine, his name was Cle..." Kenrai paused, deciding that his peoples' tendency towards extremely long names would only get in the way.
        "Well, let's just call him Clegor for short," he continued, "we bought our first house together, and were planning on performing the old rituals and formally recognizing our union, sooner or later... It felt like we had all the time on Rilodell." It was the dragon's turn to avert his eyes, trying to focus on his breathing and not on the memories.
        "B-but Clegor did most of his work from home and rarely went out, so one night, when I was working a late shift at a much more ordinary job than you'd expect, a group of thieves thought the house would be empty, and went inside to rob it. Clegor came across them, and they panicked and..." Kenrai trailed off, then took a deep breath and forced himself to finish that thought.
        "...They killed him," he whispered, "I wasn't there, and they killed him." The mercenary felt soft, warm arms wrap a little tighter around him, felt a strong heart beating against his skin even through the shirt he was wearing. 
        "Oh, Drake, I'm so, so sorry..." Colton whispered sympathetically, but Kenrai continued before he could muster any real comforts.
        "They didn't get very far, there aren't many murders inside dragon territory so the authorities really went out of their way to bring them to justice... but it didn't really help." Consciously, Kenrai reached to his side, touched the long handle of his war-hammer, Foebreaker. 
        "I quit my job, decided to dedicate myself to learning the way of the warrior... but I couldn't stand to live in the house Clegor and I had shared, so I left dragon territory altogether and started my life as a mercenary. I've had a number of relationships since then, but they've all just been short flings, nothing serious... at least until I met you, Colton. I learned how to fight so that I might protect the people I care about... but you're the first person I've met since then that I really care enough about to want to protect." 

Kenrai sighed again, tearing up after dwelling on memories of his lost love, but opened his eyes again as he felt Colton lean in and gently kiss him on the cheek.
        "For what it's worth," the smaller male whispered, "Living with you is the first thing that's made me feel safe after living in fear for years... so you're definitely doing something right. You don't know how desperate you have to be to knowingly move right next to a forest that's overflowing with evil... But then you came along and brought hope back to my life. I guess if I'm worried about us, it's because I owe you so much, Drake..." The ex-mercenary found himself smiling again, and leaned in to kiss Colton back. 
        "Thank you, my warm little friend," he said afterwards, "I really needed to hear that, it means a lot to me." Nuzzling against his reptilian lover, pressing his forehead against the dragon's, the shapeshifter began to purr again, clearly enjoying this moment of closeness.
        "It's no problem, dear..." Colton said, giggling after a moment and adding "It's just one of many services I provide!" Laughing delightedly, Kenrai rolled them over so that Colton lay in the grass and Kenrai was on all fours above him, the two men kissing and tickling and snuggling each other in the warm summer sun, their laughter now echoing in the trees along with the breeze and the birdsong, just one more happy element that made this an extraordinarily beautiful day in the woods.
