8 comments/ 28443 views/ 16 favorites Training Camp By: ingarlm This is a story that came to me when I was writing Cats and Dogs. It's about how Peter and Michael, the were-lions who turn up in Chapter 5 of that story, met and got together. It's a gay story so if that's not your thing look away now. If you have read Cats and Dogs you'll know that these guys don't really 'get it on' until then, so this is a fairly slow and sweet story. For the avoidance of doubt, this takes place a few months before Cats and Dogs so they're probably aged about 19/20. And while I'm on the subject, for those people (quite a few, thanks!) who asked about the continuation to Cats and Dogs, I am working on it. I'm up to chapter 5, I think, but I have 8 other stories of various types in progress as well - I'm good at settling down to write, just not so much at concentrating on one thing at a time! * * * * * * Peter As I packed up a few possessions to take with me to the training camp I was really excited. It was going to be a lot of hard work training as a commando for the Were units, but I was more than ready to do it. It had been my dream for many years, and now that my school education was over it was time to start the process. My physical training had been intense for some time but that was nothing compared to what would be expected of me. I slung my bag over my shoulder and headed into the main room to see my Dad. His face was a mixture of pride and sadness. I knew he was immensely pleased that I had passed selection and was going to be trained, but I also knew he would miss me. I was the last of his children to leave home, and it was going to be tough on him. Even though the training camp was in the grounds of the Council headquarters where we lived, it's not like I would be able to pop and see him any time I wanted. He used to head the camp at one point but now he lead the Were government, and was head of the Council. Pretty much the most important job there was. I was going to do well and make sure he could continue to be proud. He gave me a big hug before I headed out. We'd had a long chat about everything the night before, and although we would miss each other it was going to be a big step for me and we were both glad I was doing it. I kissed him on the cheek and tried not to look at him too much for fear that I might end up shedding a tear or two, or my strong Dad might do the same. It seemed almost as though I was going a million miles away, but it only took me five minutes to get across the gardens and down through the training grounds to the camp. Not surprisingly, I was the first one to move into the barracks. I sighed when I realised this tiny room was for six of us. It didn't take long to unpack and get my bed made, and I was soon called into action to help direct the new arrivals to their quarters. It wasn't to be made known who my father was, and we would only be using first names while we trained. A few of the instructors knew who I was but I was sure they wouldn't let me off any easier because of it, and some would probably be harder on me to make sure I had earned my place properly and wasn't there because of who I was. It was quite a mix of species arriving, but mainly wolf, panther, and lion. We seemed to be the species more inclined to this type of work, and also the ones who had been involved in Council for the longest period of time. Some species were not interested in, or designed for, combat missions, but generally all the cats and dogs were if they wanted and were good enough. I took stock of the others who would be sharing my quarters more than most of the arrivals, knowing we would all get to know each other eventually but they would be with me a lot of the time. Paul and Seb were cousin panthers. Paul was certainly the leader of the two and I was immediately on my guard against him. He wasn't the type of person I wanted to be particularly friendly with, but I would at least be civil even if I didn't want to get close. He struck me as the type who would climb over anyone to get what he wanted, and he had a willing sidekick already. It might be unfair of me, but I could imagine him as the school bully. James was wolf, and perhaps a little vain since the first thing he pulled out of his pack was a small mirror. Mind you, if I looked like that I'd probably want to keep looking at myself too. His chest, arms, and abs were well sculpted from plenty of time in the gym. I schooled myself to stop stealing glances, wondering to myself at my sudden envy. I wasn't that buff but nothing to complain about. I was tall and broad with some good definition, and had long curly blond hair. The curse of being lion was that you really did end up with a mane unless you cut it short. The second wolf was Theo, another guy who was built, but looked less like he cared too much about it. He was quiet but friendly and I was warming to this arrangement. At least I wouldn't have to spend time alone with Paul. Glad as I was that James and Theo seemed nice and friendly, I couldn't help my excitement when the last person showed up and he was lion. Our prides probably had little to do with each other but he was still my kind. He had a similar build to me, but unlike me he clearly didn't enjoy having a mane and his blond hair was cut short. He introduced himself around before ending up at the final free bed which was next to mine. I grinned at him. "I'm Peter. Nice to meet a fellow lion." "Michael," he replied, smiling and his face lighting up as he did so. He must be happy to see another lion too. We all chatted briefly that night. For various reasons a lot of our backgrounds were kept to ourselves. It was generally considered inappropriate for us to share too much since we could end up in battle situations, and the less we knew the better. When we were finally assigned to teams, in about a year, our colleagues there would know us properly. It seemed a little overcautious sometimes, but now I was in the situation I realised I was quite happy that Paul and Seb knew next to nothing about me. Next morning was the first shock to the system, up at the crack of dawn for breakfast and immediately being sent out on stamina tests and training. As lion and human I trailed up and down assault courses and across country for much of the day, along with my fellow room mates. It was pretty clear we were all fit, and it was also clear that Paul wanted nothing more than to take charge of the whole situation, even though we all knew what we were doing and there was no need for anyone to take the lead. Encouragement at the harder obstacles was all that was required, and I soon found myself slipping into that role, especially at the water tunnel that Michael struggled with. When he finally made it and I pulled him upright I couldn't believe the relief I felt. There was very little let up in the training for the first two months. They were making sure they weeded out those who were not up to it either physically or mentally. We spent mornings studying tactics and other important skills like mapreading and camoflague, and then spent hours on physical training of one type or another. Quite a few did end up leaving, but most were prepared for this part and coped, although we were all shattered every evening. It wasn't uncommon for someone to fall asleep at dinner, but thankfully I always at least made it to my bed. Despite it being really hard work, I relished it. Every day I got through brought me closer to my aim of making a real team and doing some worthwhile work. Alongside that, in the few off hours I had when I was still awake, I managed to make a firm friend in Michael. It wasn't just that we were both lion, we were very similar in personality and had the same sense of humour. He was a little quieter and more reserved than me, but I was probably too chatty and outgoing sometimes, so it balanced out quite well. He was good at what he did too, and everything that we were taught we seemed to pick up at pretty much the same time. In fact, we were the star trainees in the classroom, and Michael wasn't that far behind me when it came to the physical either. I ended up spending almost all my time with Michael, working with him on the classwork because we were at the same point, and doing the physical training together because we usually worked in our dorms. I noticed over time as his body developed more, probably the same as mine was from all the activity. His hair grew a bit longer too, and he often ran his fingers through it even after he had been crawling through mud. It always made me grin when he ended up with streaks of mud and grass through his curls, and he tended to look a bit embarrassed when I did but didn't take my teasing to heart. Finally, at the end of the eight weeks, it was time for a week break. One or two had been asked not to come back, but none of my room was involved in that. Michael and I were the last ones left when he started to head out. Given that I was just heading to the main house I was waiting for everyone else to leave first so they didn't find out, particularly not the panthers. Michael finished packing his bag and turned to me. "Guess we'll see each other in a week then. I take it you haven't got far to go since you've not even packed yet." I couldn't help laughing. It didn't seem wrong to share with him either, so I told him the truth. "I live in the mansion, so it should take me about two minutes to get home." He looked at me wide-eyed. "Really?" "My Dad is Council staff, so he's got rooms in the house." I left out what my father did, not entirely sure I should share the whole truth just yet. "Cool. Aren't you tempted to slip back and have a nice warm room all to yourself though? I think I'd be sneaking off every chance I could!" That made me laugh even more. "The trouble I would get in from the instructors for doing that would be nothing compared to what Dad would do to me if he thought I wasn't taking the training seriously. Trust me, it's far better here than facing his wrath. Plus, I wouldn't get to laugh at your bed-head in the mornings if I did that!" He blushed. "It isn't that bad." "It's quite cute really," I replied. He blushed further, and I started wondering quite why I'd worded it like that. Still, he said goodbye before I could analyse it further, and I headed back up to the mansion, looking forward to seeing Dad. I could have spoken to him, but since we were both busy and I was tired the rest of the time and couldn't know whether I was interrupting him in Council meetings, we'd agreed not to unless it was essential. When I did get back to the house I was greeted by lots of the staff who knew me, and everyone wanted to know how I was getting on. I was polite to all but really I just wanted to get upstairs to see my Dad. I swear we didn't let each other free from our hug of greeting for about five minutes. And then he spent the next three hours cross-examining me on everything I had been doing, all the marks I had received, and all my strengths and weaknesses. He was pleased to hear I was doing well, but still thought I could do better. I loved seeing Dad, I really did. I knew I'd missed him even though he'd not been that far away. I was the youngest of his cubs by a good number of years, a rather unexpected child after my mother thought she was past having any more children, and it had been just the two of us for nearly ten years after she passed away. My older siblings had moved out and had families of their own before that, so we were used to being together. As the week progressed though, I found myself missing Michael more and more. I'd only known the guy two months, but he already seemed closer to me than most of my family. I was looking forward to getting back to training just so I could see him again, run through the woods with him, laugh together at our bad jokes, and watch his hair get messed up whether he was awake or sleeping. Never having a sibling of my own age, I hadn't had the opportunity to do a lot of that when I was younger. I was always surrounded by my elders and rarely anyone young. I kept thinking about him, wondering what he was doing with his family, and remembering things we had done together while he was around. I'd never imagined a week with my Dad would drag so much, but all I wanted to do was get back to camp and see Michael. I was the first one back, despite the fact I could have left it much later. Dad had a Council meeting anyway so he didn't take it badly, and he was glad to see I was enjoying my training so much that I was so eager to return. It made it worse though, being around camp and not having my friend there. When he finally did arrive the massive hug I gave him was returned in kind, but he seemed a little puzzled. I wasn't quite sure I could explain it myself. It was back to reality with a big bump though. Training was just as intense, but more specialisms were added to both types of training. We started to plan small scale infiltrations and attacks. Working in the team that we did it was hard not to thump Paul half the time, because he often refused to accept that we might have some good ideas too. It was probably a good thing that the instructors decided who would be team leader in each case or none of the rest of us would ever get a look-in. He followed orders begrudgingly, but at least he didn't compromise any of our exercises and we soon gained a good reputation for our work in that area. Over the two months of this second phase of training things started to happen that confused me. I still spent most of my time with Michael, but it seemed to me it was never long enough. I found myself feeling possessive of my time with him, annoyed if we got split up for exercises or in the classroom. I was glad that the first thing I saw every morning when I woke up was his sleeping face on the next bed, his hair usually gone wild as he slept which made me smile. And I noticed more and more about him. The way his cheeks pinked when he saw me laugh at his hair; the dimples in his cheeks when he smiled; the twinkle in his eyes when he joked with me, and the way his muscles played when he was working out or running. It was about six weeks into the training phase when I had the first dream. I was by myself wandering in the woods outside the camp where we trained, and I knew that I was looking for something. It was one of those dreams where you have something you must do and it takes you on the journey to sort it out. I was running through the woods in my human form, searching for whatever it was that was so important. I suddenly had the sense of being close to it, and I slowed my footsteps, not wanting to disturb my quarry. The trees became less dense and I saw the clearing, aware that this was where I needed to be. There was a pool in the centre of it, and as I watched, Michael emerged from the water naked. I watched him while he stretched and shook off the excess water and then he lay down on the grass. Somehow then I was being drawn towards him, and I headed towards his prone body. I reached him and he smiled up at me, opening his arms in welcome. I sank down to join him, laying my body on his and pressing our lips together, and then... The alarm went off. I jumped, and became very aware that I was glad I hadn't jumped straight out of bed at the shock, because I had morning wood like I never had before. I grabbed a towel and ran out of the room to the showers, hoping desperately that I would be alone and if not, that it would be anyone except Michael. I ran the shower cold to get rid of my erection, trying hard to forget the dream before I made things worse, but all I could think about was what that brief kiss had been like. That must have been the first day of training I was actually quiet. I didn't dare look at Michael when we were in the classroom, and thankfully we weren't working together that day. I was overwhelmingly glad when we were instructed in the afternoon to do a solo trek that would be timed. I had miles to cover and could be alone with my thoughts. I tried to convince myself it was just a dream, but I kept thinking about what happened in my imagination and what had happened between Michael and I since we met, and I realised I was attracted to him. That realisation made me happy and unhappy at the same time. At least now I knew what the confusion was about, but on the other hand, what the hell did I do about it? It wasn't the first time I had thought about a man sexually, it was just the first time it was anyone I knew, and it was far worse that it was a guy I shared a room with at camp and who was my best friend. I'd never told anyone that I had those kind of thoughts either, and I didn't know how my family would react. More important though was how Michael might react. The more I thought about that, the more I decided that he wasn't going to find out. I wasn't quite sure how I would do it, but I was going to keep my desires secret. I couldn't suddenly stop spending time with him, and I didn't want to, but I was going to make sure nothing changed between us. The next two weeks were a mixture of agony and ecstasy. Now that I knew what my feelings were towards Michael I noticed him even more and appreciated what I saw. He was good-looking and had a nice body, and on top of that we gelled in so many ways. I stole glances whenever I could, always making sure that I would not be noticed. I couldn't stop myself from doing it but I sure as hell didn't want to get caught. The last thing I saw before I fell asleep was his face, and it was the first thing there when I woke. I started sleeping on my stomach so there would be no tent in the sheets for anyone else to notice. He was almost always in my dreams as well. They weren't always sexual, but when they were, they had moved far beyond us having one little kiss. Even in the two weeks until our next break I lost count of the number of times I dreamt about us holding and kissing each other, caressing bodies and erections. I sucked him and fucked him in my dreams and he did the same to me, and it was always incredible. Even in my waking hours I found myself imagining him kissing me for real, wondering if I would ever dare tell him how I felt. I became glad that we were always so tired and almost never alone, because if not I didn't think I would be able to contain myself. All the time I did my best to try not to let it affect our friendship, and I didn't think he had noticed anything different about me. If so, he certainly didn't let it show. We still laughed and joked together when we could and worked together when we were instructed to. I wished I knew what I was going to do about this situation. The irony was that the only person I felt close enough to share such thoughts with was him, and he was the last person I could talk to about this problem. It was with a mixture of sadness and relief that I said goodbye to him when he left for his next leave. I headed back to the house, and was told that Dad was in a meeting and likely to be there for much of the day. Suddenly having time completely alone was something I had got unused to. When I let my mind wander though the first thing that came into my thoughts was visions of Michael, his toned body moving as he ran and his eyes shining at me when he made me laugh. For once I had the opportunity to do something about it. I headed into my room and threw my clothes off, taking my erection into my hand. Despite my best intentions I could only think about Michael. I wanted him, and in my imagination he wanted me too. I pictured his body, his gorgeous face, his lips that just begged to be kissed, and I shot my load in moments. Whether getting some relief this week would help I seriously doubted. Living as we did in camp it was difficult to get a private moment to sort yourself out, so I hadn't been able to do it. Now a week of wanking wasn't going to be enough, and was probably only going to make things worse when I next saw him, knowing I had been using him as a fantasy for all that time. Taking advantage of the time I had alone I tried not to think about him, but he always slipped into my fantasies and my dreams anyway. Training Camp Yet again, I was desperate to get back to training, or more accurately back to Michael. Seeing him again was wonderful, but I kept a check on my urge to hug him this time. I'd spent a week fantasising about him and I didn't want to make it obvious. He was happy to see me too, and we soon settled into the pattern we had before. He still drove me nuts, but I managed to keep any signs of my lust and arousal from him and anyone else. After a week we were assigned different groups for a lot of the physical training. Again, I had very mixed feelings about this. It probably helped my control that I didn't see him so much of the day, but I spent much of my afternoons desperately waiting to see him again. What I didn't expect was that the longer this arrangement went on, the more withdrawn he became. He still joked with me in the evenings, but it seemed not to reach his eyes the way it did before. If we were alone together it wasn't so bad, but in the dorm room we rarely were. I asked him if anything was wrong but he said he was just tired. My urge to take him into my arms and make it all right became stronger as the days passed. I noticed a couple of bruises on him too, but he said he'd fallen on the assault course. I might have believed him more if a fresh set didn't appear a few days later. Three weeks into this session I began to wonder quite what was happening to him, and I came to the conclusion that there was someone here who didn't like him. It might not be that much of a stretch given that he was still in a group with Paul and Seb, and I had the nasty feeling that the school bully in Paul might be coming out. I resolved to find out what was wrong, and if Michael wouldn't tell me I was just going to have to find some proof myself. It took another week, during which I spent as much time as possible but not nearly enough, trying to tail Michael whenever I could, before I discovered his secret. I had finished training early, but not as early as some of the other groups, and as I headed back to the dorm I heard Paul's voice coming from the room. I slowed my pace, wanting to overhear anything that was said and fairly sure if there was anything going on it wouldn't happen right in front of me. Paul might not be my friend, but he didn't seem too keen to take me on. Paul's voice was clearest, but I heard Seb agreeing with him as he spoke. It was clear that they were in the room with Michael and I doubted anyone else was present. I listened to Paul's statement, my stomach curling with hatred as I listened. "Glad you enjoyed our little game today Mike. I particularly enjoyed the part when you fell off that log. I'd have thought a poof like you would be better at gymnastics." Michael muttered something in reply, which I couldn't hear but was probably some sort of threat. "Oh, I don't think you're going to go telling anyone. After all, you wouldn't want Peter to hear about what I know, would you?" There was some sort of mutter again, and I wished I knew what Michael was saying. Whatever it was he wasn't really challenging Paul, and he'd clearly been lying to me to avoid me knowing about this situation. Something was making him let Paul get away with this and apparently it was something Paul knew and I didn't. I was jealous that there would be anything I didn't know about Michael and seething that Paul had been hurting him. I heard a scuffle, and the sound of something scratching on the floor as a thump echoed down the corridor. That sent me running the few more steps to my room. The scene was pretty clear. Michael had fallen half against his bed and shoved it to the side as he went. Paul was looking very pleased with himself, and had obviously pushed him. I glared at him, but he just looked smug. Only Seb was in there, so it would be Michael's word against theirs and I was sure they would say he had fallen over. I couldn't prove otherwise despite what I had heard. I rushed to Michael's side and helped him up, ignoring the fact that taking his hand in mine sent shocks through my body. He wouldn't look me in the eye, and was obviously embarrassed. A scrape was clearly visible on his forehead too, and I hated Paul all the more for marking my baby. "Are you okay?" He just nodded. That wasn't good enough, and didn't wipe the smug smile off Paul's face either. I had to get Michael out of here so he wouldn't get hurt again, so I could talk to him, and so I didn't end up thumping Paul myself. "I think you should get your head checked out at the infirmary anyway. It looks like you hit it as you fell." Paul just stood there, still looking very pleased with himself, as I led Michael out of the room. I didn't dare look too carefully at Paul and just concentrated on getting the two of us out of the room and then the block. As soon as we were out in the open I found a quiet spot in the trees where we could sit down. I might still need to take him to the infirmary, but I wanted to talk to Michael first. He didn't seem that keen on the idea and still avoided my gaze and stayed silent. I leant over him and heard him inhale a sharp breath as I pushed back his hair to check the mark on his head. It was swelling a bit but there was no blood. I winced myself thinking I had caused him pain. "Does it hurt?" I asked. "No, not really." "I think a bit of fresh air would be a good idea for the moment. I'll take you to the infirmary if you need, in a bit." He responded with just a nod again. It was going to be up to me to break the silence, and I had a strong feeling he wasn't going to want to talk about what had happened. Tough. "You going to tell me why Paul pushed you over?" His eyes came to mine then, shocked at what I'd said, but still not saying anything. I pressed my advantage. "Or why you've been letting him bully you and not told anyone? Lied even to me about how you got those bruises." He looked down again, his face flushing red. "What does he have on you? What can be so awful you don't want me knowing about and you'd rather get hurt?" He tried to get up, clearly wanting to get away from me now. I grabbed his arms and backed him into a tree so he couldn't go anywhere. He even tried to fight me rather than talk to me, his face bright red with shame, but I was stronger. "Tell me Michael. I'm your friend. I care, and I don't give a shit about what Paul says or thinks. I don't want you suffering." I heard him sniff, but I didn't hear what he muttered and had to get him to repeat it. "I'm gay Peter." My mind might have raced off with a thousand thoughts at hearing that, but in the current situation I managed to focus. I must have sounded incredulous. "That's it? You've let him beat you up because you're gay and you were scared to tell me? Did you think I'd not want to know you any more? Honestly Michael, I have no problem with it. I can't imagine anything that would stop me wanting to be your friend." I could also imagine being a lot more than his friend, but this didn't seem the right moment to tell him that. He started crying. I didn't know if it was relief or what, but I held him against me as he slumped back down to the floor. My body reacted to his closeness, but thankfully not too much. Even though I'd spent a lot of time dreaming about having him close, this was not a situation I'd ever thought about. Having him so upset helped me stay under control. I held him for a couple more minutes while he let it out, but as he started to recover he stiffened in my arms and I had to let him go. I didn't like it when the warmth of his body moved away from mine, but there was no way I could keep him against me without making things a lot more awkward. Now the immediate crisis was over, my anger at Paul returned. "I'm going to go back in there and wipe the smile off his face. Give him a few bruises of his own." I said firmly. Michael looked horrified. "No, don't." "I'm not going to let him get away with this Michael. If you don't stand up to him he's going to keep doing it whenever he gets chance. Much as I'd like to, I can't be around you all the time." "Perhaps nearly getting caught will be enough to stop him." "Not judging by the look on his face. He knows if you say anything about him pushing you it's your word against him and Seb who will say you fell. That's not good enough. He needs stopping so he won't even think of hurting you again." "Peter, leave it, please. I'll not let him get to me any more. It won't do you any good to get kicked out of here for fighting." "I don't want to get kicked out, but I still say we can't let him get away with this. Bullies have no place in training, and certainly not in the real world. They'll get rid of him if they know what he's been doing." "It's my word against theirs though, like you said. I've got no proof I didn't just fall over, and it's not like I'm the only one here with a few bruises after the training sessions." I kept working it over in my brain. There had to be some way of sorting this out without me getting into trouble. I needed to sort Paul out, and I needed to put the smile back on Michael's face. Perhaps now though was not the time to deal with it. Michael was right to some extent, it wasn't worth me getting kicked out for fighting, and I was fairly sure if I tried to deal with things right now I was far too angry to do anything other than punch him. My mind turned to other things and I started to wonder how this had all come about. "Michael, how did he know? You can't have told him anything." He looked very red and still wouldn't look at me. His answer when it came was very quiet. "I was in the showers not long after we got back. I thought I was alone and I was... well, you can guess. When I, er, finished, he heard me say a guy's name." My mind raced with conflicting thoughts and emotions. The mental image of Michael wanking himself off in the shower made me harden and start to lust after him even more. The idea of Paul seeing that when I didn't, and then using it against him made me even more mad. But overwhelmingly I hoped desperately it had been my name. If it wasn't I wouldn't want to know because the jealousy that Michael might have been thinking about someone else pleasuring him needed to be kept under control. I couldn't ask him right then, there was too much information crowding my brain as it was. I decided to change the subject. "Do you want to go to the infirmary for your head? If not, it's dinner time and I'm starving." He looked kind of sad when his eyes met mine, but I guess the whole thing had rung him out a little. They were still red-rimmed from his crying too, and combined with the graze on his forehead I just wanted to hold him, kiss him, and make it all okay. I swallowed the huge lump in my throat rather than pounce on him when he was already vulnerable. "I'd rather sit out here for a bit longer. I'm not that hungry and I know I look dreadful. Go have your meal, and I'll see you later." I didn't want to leave him but I didn't think I could force the situation. "Okay. I'll eat quick though and come straight back here. Don't go back to the dorm by yourself, please." He nodded and slumped back down against the tree. My heart was breaking seeing him like this. "Michael. You have to believe none of this is your fault, and I'm not going anywhere. I'll see you in a few minutes." I wished I didn't have to go, but I needed to clear my head too. Maybe now I had a chance of something with him, and I desperately hoped that he had not been thinking about anyone but me. I had to control myself and think rationally about the whole situation, and right now it was not going to be easy. My anger started rising again when I got to the mess for dinner and Paul was there. Cheeky bastard even winked at me when he saw me heading to sit down with my food. I sat there seething, despite the fact I knew it was only making him more pleased with himself. I tried to keep it under control, I really did, but seeing him laugh and joke with those who surrounded him really got to me. I ate quickly, but he'd been there for some time already so we finished at similar times. He followed me out of the dining hall, Seb trailing behind as he usually did. I couldn't go back to Michael just then, not if I was going to have company, so I headed off towards our dorm room, planning to give my tail the slip as soon as I could and not lead him back to my friend because even if he wasn't likely to beat him in front of me there could certainly be some words. When we were back in the room and I knew we were alone I took a deep breath and span round, steeling myself not to lose my temper. The grin on his face when I looked at him didn't help me. "What is it Paul? Just say what you want to say." He smirked. "Just wanted to make sure Michael was okay." I actually growled at him. I didn't quite know where it came from. Not the best reaction as it just started him laughing. "Interesting," he said. "Perhaps there's more than one gay boy round here." "I'm warning you Paul. Leave Michael alone. "I haven't touched him. It's not my fault he is so clumsy." "Don't play pretend. You've been making sure he falls over plenty, even if you haven't touched him yourself." "I'm sure I don't know what you are talking about." "Fine. Then I'm sure you'll be keeping an eye out so he doesn't fall again." He laughed at me. "Are you so keen to have him on your team when we finish here, always having to keep your back to the wall. Especially you." I growled again. "What do you mean by that?" He really started laughing then. "Did he tell you how I found out about him?" I nodded, and tried not to rise to any of his bigoted comments. For the first time, Seb spoke. "Ohhh.... Peter...." The way he drew out his words made it clear he was trying to imitate someone in the throes of passion, or more likely what they had heard of Michael. I didn't know whether to believe it, but my heart leapt anyway. I did my best not to let it show. "It doesn't matter. He's more of a man than you'll ever be, and if it came to the choice of him or a pathetic bully by my side on a mission I wouldn't even have to think about it. You're the one I couldn't trust to turn my back on." He hissed and I didn't even have time to prepare for his strike. It was only a split second and he knocked me back onto the floor, getting a good punch in to my jaw before I managed to defend myself. I had the satisfaction of hearing something crunch when I got a return strike into his ribs. It was probably only a moment later and after a couple more thumps sent each way, mine more successful than his, before he was dragged off me. I sat up and shook my head to clear it, then taking note of what had happened. James and Theo were holding Paul, together with one of our instructors. My jaw and my ribs ached, but at least this time there were witnesses. I knew I'd been fighting too, but with any luck it was clear who had started it. Our instructor Dev had called for more bodies, and the sounds of running feet were heard along the corridor. I sat slightly dazed while more of the leaders came in, including the head of the training camp. Men continued to hold onto Paul but he had stopped struggling. One of the instructors came over to check I was okay. I confirmed I was, although I was a little shaken. I was also pissed at myself for letting Paul jump me in the first place since I was faster and better than him. I figured I was too distracted thinking about Michael in the showers, and I wasn't expecting Paul to make any move on me. He'd seemed to want to take on the weak rather than me, and he'd played on Michael's fear of me finding out about him to victimise him. It was pathetic. Dev ordered Paul and Seb off to the leader's office, and almost everyone else was sent away. I was left to explain what had happened to the course leader. "I found out today that Paul has been bullying Michael. I told him to stop. I know I should have come to someone but there were no witnesses and Michael didn't want anything mentioned. I swear I didn't touch him until after he'd jumped me. I did tell him I thought he was a pathetic bully, and then he thumped me." "Okay Peter. I'll talk to Paul and Seb and we will sort it out. In the meantime you stay out of trouble and get some sleep." "I need to go find Michael first, he's out in the woods." He agreed to let me go. I'd never run that fast. I needed to check on Michael and I needed to know whether what I'd been told was the truth. Perhaps today was not the time though. When Michael saw me he just looked worried. "What happened to you? Please tell me you haven't been fighting with Paul." I looked at the floor. "He started it." I heard a groan. "I told you to leave it alone." "I did. He wouldn't. But the good news is he was found trying to beat the crap out of me, so he's with the camp leader right now. I can't imagine he'll be getting an easy time of it. I said you'd been bullied, but not why." He sounded dejected. "Paul will tell them anyway." "It doesn't matter Michael. Anyone who thinks less of you is not worth it. That's pretty much why Paul hit me, when I said I'd have no problem working with you but I would with a bully like him." He still looked sad, but he followed me back to the barracks and our room. I was glad to see the wolves were already in bed, and I didn't have to deal with anything else tonight, particularly not explaining what had happened and why. I smiled at Michael as we settled down into bed, wanting to keep reassuring him for the moment that I still cared. I needed to let him know how much I cared, but that could at least wait until tomorrow. I felt after the stress of today now was not the time, and since we were not alone I couldn't say what I wanted to say. I was glad I was tired because I was still worried about it. I'd never done anything with a man, but I knew that I wanted to with Michael. I just hoped if I shared my feelings he would want to be with me too. When the alarm went off in the morning, I woke to see Michael's face as I usually did for a second before he also woke. His eyes opened and met my gaze. Again he smiled at me but it didn't reach his eyes, and I knew I had to put that right. I'd learned a lot the day before and there was something to work on with him. I sighed and stretched, wondering how and when I would be able to talk to him. At the very least I would think he would be moved into a different group for training, and with any luck it would be mine. I needed time alone to say what I wanted though. I was surprised when Dev and another leader Steve came into the dorm before we'd even got out of bed. They had some food with them and handed this to me and Michael while they asked the wolves to go get breakfast. Obviously this was going to be about yesterday. The two of them sat down on one of the empty beds and Dev started to explain. "You two have a day off today. Paul spent some time explaining himself and trying to wriggle out of it, but it was clear you were right about the bullying and what happened yesterday. He's out of here. We won't tolerate behaviour like that. Seb is going too. The boss felt it would be best if you were both out of the way when their family arrives to pick them up, and that you could do with a bit of time to recover.'" I looked across at Michael and he was grinning. I had a sudden pang of disappointment that it hadn't been me to put a smile like that on his face. However, I was really glad to hear Paul was going. I'd never liked the guy so it wasn't much of a loss, and he would be hard to work with. He didn't like following orders but he didn't have the talent to lead either. "There is one other thing," Dev continued. "We found out why you've been bullied Michael." Training Camp I checked again and Michael looked terrified. The next thing said though had both our expressions turning to stunned. "You need to know it is not a problem. There are a few individuals who don't like it, as there are everywhere, but there is no bar on doing our work. If there was Steve and I wouldn't be here. We've been mates for nearly 10 years. And there are plenty of gay men and women out there working on teams and some leading them too. You're good and you have talent, you might make a team leader but you'll certainly be an asset to any field team. Don't let one guy stop you from achieving what you want." Michael's reply was full of gratitude. I'm amazed he could talk right then, I was too surprised to say anything. "Thanks. I don't intend to let Paul ruin anything. This has been my dream for a long time. And I might not be planning on coming out right now, but at least I don't have to pretend for the rest of my life." "Glad to hear it. I suggest Peter takes you to have a look round the grounds of the main house for the day. Make the most of the time off, because it's back to the hard work tomorrow. Get yourselves sorted and out of here as soon as you can. Oh, and Peter, no-one has told your dad about this, so unless you want to enlighten him I'd steer clear of the house." We agreed to go and had a very quick shower, me trying hard not to look at Michael while he soaped himself down. A glimpse of his naked body with the water flowing down it was more than enough for me to decide I needed to keep my eyes off him right now or I might not get as far as having a conversation with him, I'd just pounce. He said he didn't want to come out right now and being caught having sex in the showers wasn't going to be a good way of doing it in any event. Once we were dressed and I could look at him properly again, I grinned at him. "Ready to see the gardens then? Like the guys said, we need to make the most of today." He had no idea how much I hoped we would get to today. "Sure. Are you worried about your dad finding us? It sounded like even the guys didn't want him knowing what's been going on." "Not going to be a problem. I was planning on staying away from the house so we won't meet anyone. And Dad is likely to be in meetings anyway, I doubt we'll see him. It's a full Council meeting today." "Your Dad is on the Council?" Michael sounded impressed. I grinned again. "My Dad heads the Council." "Shit!" I laughed. "Not quite the response I expected. You have to know it didn't make a difference, I got into training on my own merits." "That's pretty obvious. You'd hardly be star pupil otherwise." "I don't know about that. You certainly challenge me for that position." While we were talking we made it out of camp and into the grounds. I showed Michael round some of the more formal gardens, heading towards the place I wanted to show him and I hoped we could talk in private. My nerves were rising but I knew I needed to do this. He also deserved to know that not only was I fine with what I had found out about him, but that I was glad and wanted us to be closer if that was a possibility. I had to keep hoping that Paul and Seb had not just been winding me up about Michael saying my name. When I got to the entrance I was pleased to note that there were no recent scents, and as usual it was deserted. Michael looked a little concerned. "What is this place?" he asked, staring into the slightly overgrown passage of bushes ahead of us. "It's a maze. I used to love coming here when I was a cub, and even when I got older it was a great place to come and be alone to think. It's a bit overgrown in places but I keep it clipped when I can. I don't understand why more people don't come here, but then I'm not complaining." "You're not intending to lose me in there are you?" he said with a smile which indicated he was not too serious. He had no idea, but losing him was the last thing I wanted to do. "Of course not. I want to show you how gorgeous it is. Wait until you see what's at the centre." I had to bring him here. My first dream about him, the one that made me realise how I felt, was set here. In my dream it had been in a clearing, but the pool I'd seen really existed, and it was right in the middle of this huge maze. I could still recall my wonder the first time I'd seen it, believing it to be some sort of miracle that the water was somehow in the centre but not through the trees. I knew now that there was an underground stream that had been opened up at that one point, but it didn't make it any less beautiful. I really wanted to see his face when he came across it, and to share my love of this place. "Race you!" I said, throwing off my clothes and changing form before I dashed inside. I knew he'd be able to follow me by my scent so there was no real danger of him getting lost. I heard him following me after a moment, revelling in the fact he was playing with me, even if it was entirely innocent. Well, probably on his part. It might have been a bit much leaving our clothes behind but I sorely hoped we wouldn't be needing them. Nudity wasn't that out of the ordinary at camp or in our homes because it was useful to be able to change at a moment's notice. I followed the path through the maze, keeping an ear out behind me for Michael to make sure he didn't take a wrong turn. It wasn't very likely but I really didn't want him lost in here. I slowed now and again when I realised he had lost ground. I knew the way like the back of my hand, but he had to follow my scent and it took a bit longer for him to realise where I had turned. He was probably going past the path and then realising he had lost my trail and having to turn back to find the direction I had taken. I stopped just at the final turn and waited for him to join me, turning back into human form and leaning against a tree while I waited. As I suspected, he was only about a minute behind me. He seemed to falter when he saw me waiting, and it seemed a strangely long time between him coming to a stop and changing form himself. I steeled myself to keep my eyes on his face and not think about the fact we were alone together without a stitch on. My nervousness was at least helping me not to harden too obviously. "I wanted to see your reaction." I said. He looked a little scared. "To what?" "This," I replied, taking his hand and leading him around the corner. He gasped when he saw the pool and the fountain, his eyes darting around taking in everything. It was just like I had been when I first saw it. "This is beautiful. How did you even find it?" "Took a while. I wanted to find the right way through the maze and I had plenty of hours to play here. It was well worth it when I finally discovered this. Fancy a swim?" He nodded, and I dashed to the water. It wasn't exactly as though we could swim far, the pool was fairly small, but you could get a few strokes in across it either way. It was really more for playing in than any useful exercise, but then we had a day off and didn't need to be working out. Michael's body showed the effects of all the physical training that we had been doing and I yearned to touch it, but I took the moment of quiet between us while we messed around in the water to work out what I wanted to say. It was too hard to come up with a plan, so I decided I'd just have to go with what I had to ask and see how he reacted. When we both pulled ourselves out of the pool, laughing and giggling with the release of just being silly together, we lay on the bank and I turned onto my side to look at Michael. I was excited to see that his smile finally reached his eyes again and he looked relaxed and happy. I had the horrible feeling that I was going to destroy his ease any second, but looking at him then he was so beautiful it took my breath away. I had to do something about my desires because never knowing if anything could happen was not an option. "Michael, I need to ask you something." His eyes clouded over a little. I'd wiped the smile from his face far too easily. "You don't need to worry about anything Peter. Being gay is not contagious." "I know it isn't. And I don't believe any of the stupid things the bigots say. Believe me, it made me really angry when Paul started making cracks about me not being able to turn my back on you. I wanted to know about something else he said... about the name you said in the shower." I hesitated while saying it, and my nervousness seemed deserved when Michael actually went white. I now had a lot of work to do, but on the other hand he shouldn't have reacted that badly if it wasn't mine. "It doesn't matter whose name it was," he muttered. "It does to me. I need to know." That turned his fear into anger. He wanted to strike out rather than admit anything, and he rolled away from me, turning his back and hugging his knees to his body. Foetal position for protection. I was handling this so badly I couldn't quite believe it. "You don't need to know anything. Can't we just pretend you haven't heard about it and go back to how things were?" "That's not going to work for me." He span round to face me again, and his body and face were tense. "Well, I'm glad I know that I can't even trust you. I thought you were fine with me and you wanted to help." He practically spat this out. "You can trust me, and I will help," I said, putting as much intensity into my words as I could to try and soothe him, but I still had to find out the truth. I put my hand out to touch his arm, and flinched myself when he moved away from my touch. "Michael, was it my name?" I said softly. He froze again. He wouldn't look at me and he wouldn't confirm it. "Why does this matter so much?" he asked, very quietly. I took a deep breath. One look at Michael then was almost enough to break my heart, and a sudden moment of clarity made me kick myself. I was expecting him to admit everything but I wasn't prepared to make it easy for him and let him know what I was feeling. He'd just gone through weeks of fear and I was giving him more. He was fully expecting me to run away from him if he told me the truth. How could I let him suffer any more? It was time for me to put myself out there and let him take the lead on where it went. If it was nowhere, at least I had tried, and if I failed then I had only myself to blame. I stroked his arm again, trying to get his attention so he would look at me. He stiffened a little but didn't move away, so I guess that was some sort of a start. "Michael, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be pushing you after all that you've had to deal with lately. This whole thing has been hard on me, but in a different way, and I'm not handling it very well. You don't need to tell me anything. I need to tell you something, and I just hope afterwards you won't want to run away from me. But you need to know I'm not going to run from you unless you tell me to." He glanced at me, his face showing his confusion. I felt like my heart was pounding harder than after I'd done a 20 mile run, and I was more scared than I had ever been. "I'm not going to make you tell me if it was my name. I just need you to know when I heard that it was I hoped desperately that it was true. I hoped that you were thinking about me the way that I think about you. Because I can't get you out of my head." He was looking right at me now, but he looked like he didn't believe me. I needed to convince him further. At least he wasn't pulling away from me. I moved a little closer to him, and noted with pleasure that he didn't move back at all. He was just watching me intently waiting for my next words or movement. "I didn't know what to do Michael, it's not like I've been in this situation before. I spend every moment I can with you because I need to have you close. I even dream about us being together. You're amazing and gorgeous and I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to resist the urge I have to kiss you every time we are alone together." I stopped. I didn't know what else to say to him. I was actually shaking waiting for some kind of response from him. His voice when it came was some kind of hoarse purr I'd never heard before and it made me tremble with desire. "Then don't resist." My heart soared. I managed a smile, but I was still shaking with a combination of my nerves and my want. That was a blatant invitation to kiss him, but I still moved very slowly towards him making sure he wouldn't back off. He didn't; he started moving towards me too, uncrossing his arms and straightening out his limbs so I could reach him. My hands moved to cup his face a moment before our lips met. It was electric. His lips were soft and their movement against mine made me purr. I heard the same sound coming from him and it spurred both of us on. Before long he was laid out on his side again and our bodies moved closer and closer together as we kissed. Our arms wrapped around each other and the feeling of being in his embrace while I held him made me moan. Soon the kiss was deepened and our tongues began to play, gently touching and tasting at first, but soon delving into the warmth and exploring fully. I don't know how long we might have stayed like that if we hadn't kept working our bodies closer, both obviously wanting as much connection as we could achieve, because when our hard cocks met it made both of us break away with a groan and gasping for air. That was final confirmation we were equally into this, but also a reminder of things I had never done except in my dreams. This was the reality. I glanced down to look at him and was amazed that the sight of his hardness pressing against mine just turned me on even more. I wanted to touch and play with him and make him feel really good. I looked back into his eyes and saw his desire, knowing it was mirroring my own. I rolled onto my back, taking him with me so I was pretty much pinned down with the weight of his sexy and naked body. There were twin moans from us again when our cocks were trapped between us. His lips pressed back to mine, wanting more kisses and I readily responded, only aware of our mutual wants and needs. We both were purring our pleasure constantly. Afterwards it occurred to me that I'd always been told that our animal sides came out more in moments of sexual desire, but I hadn't realised it would be like that. At the time all I knew was that sound of his pleasure drove on my own. I felt him start to move on top of me, his hips thrusting so our cocks rubbed together and against our stomachs. I was so hot and hard and I joined him in his movements. Nothing then mattered except our tongues playing together and our need for release. The lack of opportunity to even play with ourselves didn't make for this lasting long. I felt myself start to twitch in anticipation of my orgasm at the same moment I heard Michael purr my name and stiffen in my arms. The sound of my name, the feel of his cock pulsing, and the warmth of the cum spreading between us combined to have me shooting only a second later. And I don't think I had ever come harder. My brain switched off and all I could do was try and keep breathing. As I recovered slowly I heard Michael's voice. "It was your name I said. I do think about us and I've wanted you since the day we met. I just never thought you would want me too." "Sorry for being an idiot and not realising it sooner then. I knew there was something about you, but I didn't put my finger on it until I dreamt about us being here and kissing. Suddenly it all became clear and then I spent weeks trying to figure out what to do about it." "In a strange kind of way Paul has helped us. I didn't want to tell you how I felt because I was sure I would lose my best friend." "That's pretty much exactly what I was thinking. Thank god we haven't lost each other, and hopefully we've found something more than best friends." "Definitely," he said, firmly. "I think we should have another swim and clean up, and then perhaps we can get back to the kissing. I'm not sure I can get enough of that to last me because after today I can't see us having much chance to." I was disappointed at that thought too. "Kiss while we clean off then. And I'm sure we will find a few moments to ourselves now and again. It is going to be difficult, but we can work on it. To be honest, I'm not sure I'm ready for a whole lot just yet. I mean, I want us to be together, but I'm not sure I'm ready for any full-on sex." I ended up embarrassed. Michael just lifted my head and placed a soft kiss on my lips. "Absolutely fine by me. I'm in no rush to lose my virginity either." I smiled at his understanding, pleased that he was in the same position as me. I had no doubt at that moment that he would be the one I did all those things with. We headed to the water with difficulty because neither of us wanted to let the other go after our admissions and moment of passion. I knew it would be hard having a relationship at training camp, but now that everything was out in the open I was going to savour every moment I could be with the man I had wanted for so long.