Making the Passage With a Friend

Will A. Sanborn

2/5 - 2/6/97

Revised 7/17 - 7/19/01

Alfen sighed softly to himself as he walked through the wilderness. The young dingo's spirits dropped a little lower as he saw the late- afternoon sun sinking slowly lower in the western sky. Already it was a day and a half into his walk alone, away from the village, the test of passage into adulthood for members of his tribe. So far he had accomplished nothing.

The point of the trial was simple, testing the youth's survival skills on his journey, and besides the one requirement of making it through trip alone, the goals were mostly personal. Still Alfen felt uneasy with his progress as he continued to walk along, plodding off in the same general direction he'd taken since leaving the familiar and comfortable confines of the village the previous morning.

As he trod along, still lost in his thoughts, his stomach rumbled once again, another reminder of his current lack of progress. He'd never been much good at hunting, even when with others it had been hard for him, and now that he was out on his own, things had been markedly worse. He'd tried it again a couple of times that day, and like the day before, his attempts had been met with failure, as much from lack of confidence and patience as for skill, perhaps even more so.

He'd finished off the last of the meat he'd been allowed to pack from the village for dinner the night before and his meager meals that day had consisted of foraging for edible plants. That kept him from starvation, but it didn't seem as impressive or honorable as stalking prey. Again he felt the pangs of failure as he remembered the latest of his unsuccessful attempts, the wombat he'd been trying to sneak up on had scurried for cover before he'd even gotten close enough to attack.

With uncertainty nipping at his mind, his thoughts turned to the village, something else that had been occupying his attention. Only a little more than a day out on his trek and the loneliness stole over him again. Out here in the wilderness, away from the familiar contact of the rest of his tribe, he was alone, really alone, for the first time in his life. For more than the first time the impulse to turn around and head home washed over him, but he knew if nothing else, he must carry on and push forward.

His eyes were watering slightly as he let out another sigh, which barely disturbed the wilderness with his lamentation. He continued onward, his tail hung limply behind him. Just what was he supposed to do out here anyway? This was no way to prove himself by wandering around lonely and hungry while he couldn't even manage to catch himself a proper dinner. What would the elders think?

As he plodded along, his thoughts were interrupted when a yelp of alarm sounded over the relative silence of the wilderness. His ears came up to attention, and he heard the scream again. It was definitely the scream of someone else, no matter how unlikely that seemed, and from the sound of their voice, they were in trouble. He reacted quickly, and turned to the sound of the cry. He ran towards the unknown danger with all the speed he could muster. While he raced along, his mind brought clear and alert by the sudden crisis, he heard the cry once again before coming upon its source.

He stumbled onto the scene and was surprised to see another dingo. It was a female, about his age and a stranger to him, and she was trying to fend of the attack of a wild boar. She was alone and wasn't doing too well in her efforts. By the looks of things, the boar had probably decided to charge her when they'd met up face to face, and she'd turned and fled. She must've tripped and fell, for she lay on the ground, trying to fight the beast off with a stick as it growled and snapped at her. She seemed to be unharmed, for the moment, but it looked like the boar could get the upper hand at any second.

He barely hesitated, his mind afire with adrenaline. He rushed at the wild animal, and pulled his knife out in an instinctive and fluid motion. He lunged at the beast and swiped at it with the knife, connecting with the boar's flesh. His thrust wasn't perfect, but it did more than simply graze the animal. He'd succeeded in getting the boar's attention at least, and turning it away from the fallen stranger, but his blow hadn't done enough damage to critically wound it.

He struggled as the boar turned it's head and snapped at him, spitting and snarling, animal rage dripping from its teeth. He thrust his weight upon the beast and fought against the animal, its body writhing in its frantic intent to get at him. He dug his canine claws into the beast, and held onto it as he tightened his grip on the knife and made ready to stab again.

The boar's snout found contact with his other arm, if only briefly, and it gnawed at him. He screamed as the pain shot through his flesh, and drove the knife into the beast again, throwing all his effort into it. His mind reeled from the pain, but he managed to pull his arm from the animal's mouth as it let out its own injured squeal.

His wound throbbed as he fought with the beast. He pushed on, then felt the boar's struggles subsiding, its deafening cries dying into labored breathing. His own strength faltering, he managed to keep his hold onto the boar and the knife within its chest, as the animal ended its death throes with one final whimper.

He laying there panting as the rush of the adrenaline left him. Exhaustion and pain subdued his awareness until he heard a stirring near him and remembered the one he'd been trying to save. Opening his eyes weakly, he saw that the stranger had crawled over to him and was looking at him anxiously.

"Are you all right?" she asked nervously, her ears drooping as she surveyed the carnage left from the fight. The blood from the boor was staining the ground as it seeped into the soil.

"I think so," Alfen replied. He panted out the words as his heart still thumped loudly in his chest.

She breathed a sigh of relief at that and after a moment's hesitation reached out to him, and helped him up to a sitting position. "Thank you" she said, her voice almost a whisper, as she looked into his eyes, their faces so close to each other. "That was very brave."

"You're welcome," he replied, his voice still tinged with his panting, "but it's nothing really impressive..." His words trailed off into awkward silence.

"Nothing impressive? You probably just saved my life and you don't think that's impressive?" She gave him an incredulous stare.

"I got lucky, that's all, I got the jump on it and was able to surprise it, but to tell the truth I was pretty lucky to be able to kill it..."

"But you did and that's what matters, don't you think so? I'm the lucky one... lucky that you came along when you did."

He could see her point and nodded slightly, then another thought jumped into his mind. He had killed the beast, and it was his first solo kill. He might not have stalked it as prey, but he'd managed to take it down like a hunter. His thoughts tingling with the implications of this knowledge. He was then distracted when he shifted his position and his arm cried out in protest.

She noticed his wince of pain and looked at him, her features touched by a worried expression once again. "Oh, your arm's hurt... here, let me take a look at it."

He put up a token resistance, and shied away from her touch at first, until he saw her reach for the medicine pouch she carried at her waist. He let her examine the wound, and clenched his muzzle shut tight as her fingers gently probed the cuts left by the boar's teeth. He whimpered slightly as she worked on him, to which she offered soft assurances.

"It's okay. Fortunately it didn't get a good bite into you so the wound doesn't go that deep. This will heal well..." she said as she finished applying the medicinal compounds to his wound, then after a pause, she added "In all of this I forgot to ask you your name."

"Oh... It's Alfen," he replied and found himself smiling slightly at her.

"Well you're going to be fine Alfen, though it will hurt for awhile, but it's not serious... Thanks again for saving me... my name's Tressar" She returned his smile with a gentle one of her own.

It was then for the first time that he really looked at her and noticed her as more than just a stranger, and in doing so he didn't miss her attractive figure. He darted his eyes from her pretty face, and glanced down to notice himself and was aghast to see his leathers were spattered with blood. His ears drooped, if only slightly, as he realized he was stuck that way; there was no way he'd be taking off his clothing with her watching.

As he though of that, awkward feelings washed over him. He tried to make conversation, and stumbled over his tongue a couple of times. "You're welcome Tressar... Ummm, I didn't expect to find anyone out here on my walk alone, where is your village?"

Ignoring his slight nervousness, she replied casually "it's about half a day's journey that way," as she indicated the general direction with her hand.

That puzzled him, for there weren't any villages around the area, at least none that the members of his village knew of. That had been the reason for choosing the direction he'd walked in, so his trip would be spent alone, as was mandated by the test. Still it was possible for the hunters of his village to not know of such a settlement, and tribes were known to move on occasion; after all she was there telling him this, and that gave weight to her statements.

She looked over to the body of the boar and interrupted his thoughts. "We should probably clean the beast and prepare it for dinner... We'll certainly eat well tonight" she added with a grin.

His ears perked up at the notion and he matched her enthusiasm, his tail twitched slightly in anticipation of a real meal. He also grinned at the thought of his accomplishment, eating a meal he had fought for himself. He licked his muzzle quickly, and turned toward the boar's carcass. He put his weight on his good arm as he moved.

As she rose from her kneeling position and tried to crawl, she yelped and brought her foot up from the ground, holding it gingerly. He turned to look at her in surprise, and asked "Are you okay... your foot?"

"Ouch. I hurt it when I was fighting the boar. It caught me by surprise and I was trying to run from it when I tripped and twisted it." She rubbed her ankle lightly, and grimaced with pain.

She then answering him quickly before he'd even managed to ask the question. "It'll be okay, I just can't go anywhere on it today. I think it should be okay by tomorrow, and it's getting late anyway... You don't mind if I stay here tonight do you?"

"No of course not Tressar," he answered, feeling awkward thoughts and conflicting emotions tug at him again. For one thing he was supposed to spend this time out in the wilderness by himself, but he figured there could be an exception for the current situation.

She crawled over to the fallen boar, favoring her wounded foot, and he went to the carcass as well. As he looked down at the beast, which just a short while ago he'd managed to tackle and kill, he was once again filled with awe and pride. He glanced up at Tressar and caught a quick smile from her. He reached down to extract the blade of his knife from the animal's body. He held the instrument with a firm grasp, and after a moment's hesitation slit the carcass open to begin the task at hand.

With Tressar's help they cleaned and dressed the boar, and as she finished the job he went about the process of gathering wood and starting the fire. Later, as the sun was setting and the fire was blazing, they sat back and watched the flames lick at the chunks of meat roasting on sticks placed over the coals.

As his mouth watered at the scent of roasting meat, with his muzzle open slightly and tongue sticking out in expectation, she asked "is this your first kill Alfen?"

"Yes... Yes it is" he answered, and turned to look at her, surprised. "How did you know."

"You didn't seem too confident, when we were first talking, after you'd killed it, and then you seemed so excited by it... Maybe you didn't do it as elegant as a more-experienced hunter would have, but you did a good job Alfen... Thank you again."

He was silenced by her words and searched for a reply, only coming up with a simple "thank you." That was enough as he met her smile, and he found himself grinning back at her. "Come on, let's eat... I'm starved."

She was all too quick to agree, as he grabbed two sticks holding the meat above the fire and handed one of them to her. He bit into the meat and his tongue danced as the sweet flavors flowed across it. The thrill of this personal victory, added to his hunger and memories of the battle fought made it the best meal he could ever remember having. He tore into the meat, eating it greedily. He waited until his second piece to slow down and fully savor its taste.

After they'd both eaten their fill, there were still several pieces of meat left over, enough for a couple more meals. He leaned back and watched the stars come out in the night sky, and as he felt the glow of the fire, Alfen smiled to himself. He and Tressar sat like that for some time, enjoying the silence and each other's company.

With her gentle presence beside him, his mind wandered again. He stole furtive glances, and caught her attractive figure illuminated by the flickering light of the fire. If only... but what was he thinking? She'd be going her own way in the morning, though he would most-likely walk with her to her village, but after that he'd be on his own again, alone, out here in the wilderness. There was tonight... but no, that couldn't happen.

"Alfen, what are you thinking about?" Her quiet voice roused him from his musings.

He turned to look at her, as the glow of the fire played across her face, and he managed to stammer out "oh nothing... just thinking."

This firelight caught the briefest of a smirk as it darted across her muzzle. She countered with "were you thinking about tonight... about me... about us, maybe?"

He stared at her, his eyes widening, his ears flicking in surprise. He then forced a small nod.

"Would you like to be with me tonight, to bed down together... That is what you were thinking about wasn't it?" She punctuated her question by reaching out to gently touch his shoulder, then added "were you thinking I wouldn't want to be with you...?"

He stared at her in disbelief, feeling the contact of her hand against him. He had chided himself that she might not accept him. Her touch suggested otherwise though. The moments ticked off between them, as he looked into her face. When he finally answered her, his voice was soft. "Yes... I was wondering about that Tressar... You're very pretty and I was feeling so alone out here before meeting up with you... But you'll be gone tomorrow, back to your village, and I must carry on with my walk... alone."

"Shhh, tomorrow has not come yet and we have tonight together... You're so handsome and I want to be with you... Please love me, if only for this one night."

He felt the glow of her warmth as he gazed back at her. The reflections of the firelight danced in her eyes. He could see her longing as those eyes reached out to him, her emotions played out on the gentle, hopeful smile spreading across her muzzle. He reached out to her and shyly touched her cheek. He felt the softness of her fur and saw her eager flash of excitement.

Slowly and tentatively, he moved forward, his eyes locked to hers as their muzzles made contact. Feeling the cool softness of her nose against his, he parted his lips, opening his muzzle and licked at her gingerly. His efforts were awkward at first, but as she responded he gained confidence and inspiration.

He opened his muzzle a little wider and worked his tongue against hers. He moved his other arm behind her, and their kiss deepened as he pulled her closer. With one hand he gripped her back, the other one caressed her cheek, as he ran his fingers through her hair. Their tongues played together and he felt her reciprocate his actions, her own hands clutching desperately at him. Her fingers played over his back, and even through his clothes he could feel her caresses, as they sent sparks of excitement up and down his spine.

Their kiss lasted a small eternity. She slowly pulled away to look up at him once again; a quiet desire and admiration flickered in her eyes. She smiled at him, and silently reached out to play with the vest he wore. She ran her fingers along the edges of the leather, then slowly opened the garment up wider, to reveal more of his chest to her.

She worked the vest over his shoulders and down his arms, and was sure to be very careful of his tender wound there. She soon had him bare to the waist. She then trailed her fingers gently through the white fur of his belly and chest. She giggled as he moaned softly at her touches. He reciprocated her actions, and ran his hands through her hair once again. He played with the soft, light-brown locks that ran in gentle, flowing waves, then scratched behind one of her ears. She let out a little sigh, flicking her ear in approval as he smiled at her.

He then moved his hands to her clothing, and made good work of undressing her. He quickly untied the stings to her shirt. As he traced his fingers along it, he could see the glimpses of her beauty beneath. He reached up to open the top of the garment, and in doing so he revealed more of the string of beads she wore around her neck. As he parted it further, back along her shoulders, he could see the necklace completely for the first time. It was a simple ornament, but beautiful against her soft fur. He continued to peel back the leather covering her, and the glimpses of her beauty came into light; soon he'd exposed her breasts to his gaze. The flickering glow of the firelight danced on her nude chest as his eyes played gently across her form.

He reached out to her, and ran his fingers over the necklace, tracing the path of the beads as they hugged her neck. He met her approving smile with one of his own, and he trailed his fingers slowly downward. He came to one of her breasts and touched it experimentally, his fingers gently touching the curves of her body. Her small nod spurred him on, and he cupped her soft flesh in his hands. His touch grazed her nipple poking through the light covering of fur, and he felt her shiver slightly as she let out a moan at his caress. He brought his mouth back to hers, and they fell into another kiss. Their bodies came together once again and his fur tingled with electric sensations as she made contact with him.

While they were lost in the kiss, their hands played over each others bodies, exploring for the first time, tentative steps now becoming bolder. The growing passion ignited sparks of emotion and desire in his mind, and he felt the blood rushing to his loins as he clutched at her tightly in their embrace.

He eased out of the kiss to nuzzle against her neck, and lick gently at the fur there. He felt her hands working at the last bit of clothing he wore around his waist. He smiled as he let her slide it off of him, then moved his hands to her remaining garment. His grin widened as she raised her hips so he could pull the leather covering from her. Now, both stripped down to their fur, they caressed each other once again, their nude bodies lit by the warm light of the fire washing over them.

He ran his hands down her sides, to gently touch the soft curves of her beauty. He hesitated at the inviting warmth of her sex, but her playful touch upon his awaiting manhood was all the encouragement he needed. She guided him to her, and with a smooth, fluid movement, he pressed against her, trembling with excitement.

He pushed gently, and gasped as they joined together. He felt her warmth slowly surround him. His drawn-out breath swept by her as she moaned softly. Their bodies now become one, he stopped. New sensations rushed through him as he shivered with excitement. He nuzzled and nipped her tender flesh, and she responded in turn, gripping her arms around his back, to hold him to her.

He paused only briefly, then slowly pulled out from her. His gasp met hers as they felt the intimate touch of their union brushing against their bodies. Tendrils of fire spread outward from their loins, the heat between them growing. As he slid into her once again, she responded in turn, and pressed against his gentle strokes, meeting his movements with eager insistence.

They found a common rhythm, and began moving together in the fluid, intimate dance of lovers. Their movements became a slow, undulating wave, building in power as the heat of their passion washed over them. Their moans, soft at first, mingled together with panting breaths, deepened with intensity as they moved together. They found the peaks and plateaus of new sensations which raced throughout them as they came together again and again. He pressed his body to hers and nuzzled her cheek, his breath was hot in her ears. He felt her hands wander in desperate patterns along his back as she gripped him to her. Their tails brushed together, and every nerve in his body tingled with excitement.

Their efforts built in speed, as their bodies moved together, the passion burning bright flames in their minds. The pace of their lovemaking quickened as they drove onward, the rhythms of their movements punctuated by their fervent panting, as they moaned into the stillness of the night.

He held her tightly as they climbed towards the peak. He pushed against her with growing desire, and panted wild, heated breaths, his tongue hanging out of his open muzzle. As they moved quicker, he worked with all his efforts, and felt the fire building within him. The forces rushed toward his loins and drove him onward. Finally he crested the pinnacle, and howled loudly with the rush of energy. He shivered as he felt the waves of pleasure flowing through him. He eased his motions and fell against her, and laid still, panting heavily.

Slowly he recovered, as he rested against his newfound lover. He leaned his head against her as she softly stroked his hair, and he soaked up the afterglow between them. Minutes passed as he caressed her in return, and nuzzled her cheek once again. Finally he lifted his head to look at her as a gentle tiredness washed over him. His eyes met hers. He smiled, gave her a soft kiss, and then managed to tell her "thank you" before falling into sleep.

His eyes were already closed when he vaguely heard her whisper "you're welcome, my brave hunter" as she held him to her. She continued to caress his body as he passed into dreams, a contented and happy smile played across her muzzle.

* * *

Alfen came awake gently in the morning, and slowly blinked the sleep from his eyes as he stretched and yawned. As he reveled in the memories of the night before, his contentment was only broken when he realized Tressar was no longer with him. He jumped up and searched the area for her. He frantically called out her name, suddenly worried something might have happened to her.

She was nowhere to be found. He'd become quite nervous by the time he discovered his clothing laying on the ground. Looking at his leathers, they weren't crumpled in the pile they'd been discarded in the night before, they'd been neatly folded. When he picked them up, he was surprised to see the blood stains from the fight with the boar were no longer there. The clothing was as clean as if they'd been recently washed, but there was no stream or watering hole nearby to have done that in; the stains had completely vanished.

A dream, but how? As he looked back to the remains of the fire, he saw the rest of the meat still left there from dinner the night before. He briefly noticed the dull pain from his wounded arm as well. So it had happened, at least the part with the boar, but what about Tressar, where was she? In his search around their campsite, he hadn't found any tracks which she would've left.

It was then he noticed something laying on the ground, which he'd missed before. He bent down to pick it up and saw that it was Tressar's necklace, left there for him to find. As his fingers touched the string of beads, he felt a warmth still contained within it. He hesitated for a moment, then placed the necklace in his hand. He studied it briefly, as he pondered its significance, then closed his eyes.

His breath was slow and deep as his fingers closed gently over the keepsake his lover had left him. Concentrating, he could almost feel the hint of her presence. As he thought of her, the feelings grew. He let out another long breath and he heard the breeze stirring around him. It was a warm breeze, and it blew gently against him. As the air brushed through his fur, a shiver of recognition rippled through him. The hint of her touch, no matter how brief, was unmistakable.

He kept his eyes closed and sighed softly as he remembered the feel of her body, and recalled the scene from in front of the campfire the night before. He held onto that warmth, then he thought of their meeting. He remembered the fight with the boar and felt another flash of pride at his first kill. The breeze brushed against him again, and he heard her voice whisper in his ears. "Alfen, my brave, handsome hunter, you've done well..." Her voice was soft, barely above the sound of the wind, and then it was gone.

He stayed there for some time, and felt the tears forming in his half- closed eyes, as he knelt there on the ground. It was just like in the shaman's stories. His heart ached at that knowledge, but his mind held onto the memories of their encounter and the confidence it gave him. He held the necklace to his heart and breathed his quiet thanks to her, to be carried along with the wind. There was no reply, but he smiled slightly; he knew that she'd heard him.


Copyright 1997, 2001, Will A. Sanborn - was1@shore.net