Wild Boys and Metal Horses
by Hunter Woods
Chapter 12
A Friendly Shoulder To Lean On
There was an excitement in the air when we woke up earlier in the morning with Colton looking refreshed and no worse for wear. We were both a little sore, but nothing that loosened up once we got moving around. I slipped into a pair of burgundy colored jeans and a blue short sleeved v-neck shirt figuring I'd slip into something more appropriate when we arrived at the trails. I had packed up both jeans and shorts along with a few t-shirts for Colton yesterday and since he noticed I had put on pants decided to do the same slipping into a regular pair of jeans. It was the first time I've seen him in anything but shorts and I had paused checking him out appreciating how he looked wearing his snug fitting pants. Even though he didn't have much to brag about yet in the basement department, it still showed a little down there making him so damn cute along with the way his rounded butt cheeks filled out his jeans in the back end. Tossing on a short sleeved button up lightweight plaid shirt managed to finish off his ensemble. In the end I had to admit he looked too damn cute for his own good.
Since it was only an overnight trip it didn't take long for me to pack up my own duffle shaped sports bag as I started to shove my daypack inside of it realizing I hadn't emptied it out yesterday. Opening it up I began taking things out and smiled when I came across Colton's colorful cartooned underwear. It was kind of small as I scrutinized it shaking my head. It was the typical tight form fitting bikini type of briefs younger boys wore. With the little guy preoccupied on something else I held it up to my nose and took a big sniff right around the area that tucked away his boy budgie. The familiar sweet flowery like fragrance sent shivers up and down my spine. It was very much like Carter's with some subtle differences reminding me of vanilla and lavender stirred in with a touch of Colton's own clammy like youthful muskiness. Wrapping his underwear up in a plastic bag, I tossed it over into the corner of my closet thinking it would be kind of nice to have a bit of a keepsake. I knew it was a perverted thing to do, but I was a teenager and I loved the way Carter and Colton smelled. Both had the fragrant bouquet that was nothing short of, well, all boyness.
We grabbed a couple of pop tarts eating them in the car to hold us over and then stopped on the way filling up our bellies with a heavier meal to help get us through the day. At first we were all animated, but as the miles wore on Colton began to doze his body leaning into mine as I wrapped my right arm over his shoulder. He looked so damn cute and my eyes were drawn to that little itsy bitsy bulge in his jeans. Unable to resist I shifted slightly removing my arm from around his shoulders and placed my hand on his thigh slowly running it along the inside of his leg. At first he didn't notice until I cupped his slight bunion in the palm of my hand and gave it a modest squeeze.
That seemed to grab his attention because he let out a little squeak of surprise his body jolting as we both sat up looking forward because of the noise. My dad had the music on though and if he heard anything didn't comment on it as Colton frowned at me giving my offending hand a slight slap. We stared at each other for a second and then giggled at the playful exchange before I wrapped my arm around his shoulder again allowing him to settle back into me. Of course he reached down giving my own teen bump a mischievous grope making me flinch while he giggled impishly at me.
"What's good for the goose is good for the gander." He teased tossing my own words back at me with both of us chuckling and once again settling down as we dozed a little.
It was still early when we pulled into the parking lot at Brandt Marina. Since the group ride through Owl's Roost wasn't taking place until around one in the afternoon I figured it might be fun to take Colton out with me on one of the easier trails. I had initially thought about doing a trail I hadn't done yet looking at a couple of beginner ones like Bald Eagle Trail, but after reading some reviews didn't think it would be a good idea. From what I read it was a beginner's trail, but very rooty leaving a person's wrist, arms, shoulders, and body all jarred up when it was all said and done. Colton was very athletic, but wasn't an avid rider like his older brother and I figured it might be too tiring for him once he got together with others to do Owl's Roost. That was a tougher trail and having him starting out with wrists, arms, and body that had been jolted about wouldn't be wise.
In the end I figured Wild Turkey would be challenging enough while not getting him all worn out for Owl's Roost. The last time Carter and I tore through it the ride was fast and a lot of fun. Unlike some trails it wasn't as rooty and fairly groomed allowing riders to enjoy a fast pace while also giving them a good enough workout. My dad helped by pulling out our bikes and I began stripping out of my shirt and jeans while Colton looked around because there were a lot of people walking around in the Marina Parking lot. He only hesitated a moment realizing most weren't even paying much attention as he reached for his own bag pulling out a pair of red silky shorts and an airy lightweight red colored sports shirt that would allow his body to cool off while riding.
Kicking off his shoes, the smaller boy tugged his shirt over his head dropping it into the bag and then pulled down his jeans. I had to smile because he didn't seem to care about anyone seeing him in his underwear as he sat on the back bumper tugging them off his legs. I had to admit he was a really cute looking boy and my own penis stirred at the slight bump in his small cartooned bikini style little boy's briefs. There was just something cute about how little boys looked in their form fitting bright colored underwear. Colton didn't have that much to show off, but he was still cute as he shifted around while taking off his jeans and the little lump between his legs bulged a bit when his thighs pressed up against his youthful kit.
He didn't even flinch or get embarrassed when another boy about his age casually walked by pausing for a second when he noticed Colton sitting there in his underwear. It wasn't blatant or anything as the other boy's eyes automatically dipped down checking Colton's little packet out as he continued to move on.
"Hey," the kid mumbled blushing a bit at having looked and sort of getting caught.
It hadn't been like an overt gawk or anything, just the typical eye drop checking out type of scenario as Colton responded back casually, "Hey."
It amazed me how different the little guy was from his older brother. Carter would have been totally mortified and immediately covered up, yet the younger boy didn't seem to have a care in the world about another boy seeing him in nothing but his underwear. As the other boy moved on Colton stood up and slipped into the rest of his clothing before the two of us put on our helmets and padding.
"All set?" My dad asked with us nodding our heads. "Good, I'll pick you guys up in a bit at the end of the trail and we'll drive on over to the parking area in Bur-Mil Park. You sure you'll be able to find the road?" He asked with us having decided instead of going across the bridge and pedaling over to the park he'd pick us up so Colton could rest up a tad before heading out with the other younger boys on Owl's Roost.
"Yeah, no worries." I assured him as we got on our bikes and pedaled through the parking lot picking up the trail for Wild Turkey.
There were people walking the trails as well, but we had no trouble with picking up the pace as they quickly moved over for us. The foot traffic thinned out quickly though and we began putting on some speed. It was fun as we tore through the fast trail and there was something wild and energizing about letting loose. Both of us began laughing and whooping it up as we tore across some of the obstacles jumping over them or being launched off into the air as we simply had fun with it. Colton wasn't an avid rider like his brother, but he was extremely athletic so none of the obstacles on this run presented any major difficulties for either of us. We were tearing across the track at a fast clip as I began keeping my eye out for those little side jaunts figuring on taking a few just for the fun of it.
Our pace had picked up and we became a bit reckless about it as both of us put our metal horses through their paces. There was just something thrilling about letting the wild boy in us bust loose as we felt the air tugging at us when we zipped through the flat or downhill areas. We were pedaling hard throughout it all, feeling the burn in our legs as we pumped them for all we were worth. It was a fast trail but there were plenty of tight areas, with some hairpin turns that also made it a bit dangerous for the fast clip we were maintaining. Colton was a lot like me though when it came to these things and seemed to enjoy the thrill of the danger as we both laughed our way through some of these dangerous patches with wild abandon and total disregard for parental caution that would surely have been putting a damper on our exuberant day.
Rounding a hairpin turn I spotted one of those side trails and was about to bust down it, but at the last moment passed it by because I saw some movement on it heading back towards us and the main trail. I didn't want anything to disrupt our forward momentum so pushed past it and a short distance further up spotted another slight opening recognizing it as another side path. Without tapping on the brakes I leaned into the sharp turn feeling my back tires sliding so corrected for it and continued down the narrow path. The trees zipped by on either side when suddenly the trail took a steep downward slope. I caught a bit of air due to my speed, the slope allowing me to have a smooth landing as I felt the bike speeding onwards at an even greater clip. Along the way there were several rolling dips making the downhill jaunt like a roller coaster ride.
"Whoooohooooo," I yelled exuberantly hearing a higher pitched voice several yards behind me whooping it up too as we kept screaming, our voices bouncing around through the trees and along the small like ravine. A few moments later I heard another voice whooping it up along with ours, but I could tell it was a tad further back from us making me realize the movement I had detected on the other side trail had probably joined us on this one as well.
The trail was tight but straight until we got to the bottom veering off and skirting the lake. This area was flat and straight for the most part as we pedaled along keeping the momentum. It was fun and thrilling with us zipping through the tight path, sometimes barely missing bumping our handlebars between the trunks. Even though this section was flat and straight it was still dangerous enough to provide that thrill because there were just enough tight spaces and turns where anything could go wrong at any moment. Several minutes later the trail veered back towards the main trail and began to climb but at a longer gentler slope. I began pumping the pedals feeling my thighs burn as our momentum slowed a little into something more manageable.
By the time we finally topped out I was breathing heavily from the exertion so pulled over with Colton coming to a stop right behind me. A moment or two later another boy topped the rise pedaling a bit past me and stopping on the other side of the trail in a small clearing so he wouldn't block the trail.
"Oh man, that was a total blast!" Colton beamed his grin splitting wide open as his puppy brown eyes sparkled jovially.
He was a skater and got his kick out of doing various jumps and tricks, but even he appreciated the carefree thrilling ride we just took down that steep ravine as I nodded in total agreement pulling my small daypack off my shoulders. The other biker was also grinning with his long dark blond hair flowing out from beneath his helmet. At first glance you'd think he might be a girl, but his soccer shorts and shirt, along with him straddling the horizontal crossbar on his bike immediately dispelled any confusion. Oddly enough I knew if my hair was the same length it would probably look similar including the same kind of coloration. My eyes quickly took in the boy's cute features figuring he was a year or so older than Colton and standing a good two or three inches taller than the eleven year old along with having about ten to fifteen pounds on him. He had a wiry frame with long arms and legs. I could tell right away he spent a lot of time outdoors since he had a nice bronzed kind of tanned skin tone which looked nice on his smooth boyish features.
He was currently looking at Colton since the younger boy had spoken up and I saw his large sparkling greenish blue eyes dipping down making me smile because this seemed like the typical type of thing for guys to do. It was discreet, but the boy's beautiful eyes seemed to light up when he noticed Colton's slight youthful bulge. The eleven year old boy didn't have a lot to brag about down there, but since he had shorter legs the crossbar on his bike was currently pressing up against the crease between his crotch. It forced the fabric or Colton's red silky shorts to bunch up tightly against his kit showing off his little rounded bag along with the tip of his dapper boy nozzle. There wasn't anything large about it, but the eleven year old boy was cute as a button and it definitely made things react in the basement department of most anyone including other boys.
Like me the other boy had long enough legs where our shorts hung loosely beneath our crotch, but it didn't mean the other boy also didn't have a bit of a revealing bulge. The silky material of his dark blue soccer shorts with white lines running down the outer thighs clung loosely around the front part of his wiry frame. It fluttered slightly in the breeze as it hugged his own boy packet giving a brief insight to a decent sized protuberance he was hiding just below the belt. I could tell just by the way the fabric clung to his boy bits that he wasn't wearing any underwear. If he had been wearing briefs it would have been more of a smooth kind of rounded lump, but the clingy material sort of revealed a more refined shape. I'm sure my shorts were probably doing the same thing in the breeze, but I had on underwear so probably had smoother contours showing as I began to rummage through my daypack noticing the new kid's gaze shifting over towards me doing the same downwards glance before focusing back on my features.
"Yeah, that was like way cool." The other boy piped up his voice slightly deeper than Colton's, but still in that young youthful kind of tone where it was sort of transitioning.
"Yeah, dangerous as all fuck riding our metal beasts like a bunch of wild boys through some of those tight spots, but yeah, tons of fun." I agreed not holding back on the typical teen cursing since we were all guys without any adult supervision.
The younger eleven year old boy was already used to my colorful language that busted out of me at times, but the other kid was new. It didn't seem to upset him, not that I had expected it to, since even most guys his age cussed among their own peers. The other boy who I figured was probably around twelve years old nodded his head in agreement as I pulled out a bottle of water from my pack noticing him begin to shuck off his own small bag around his back.
Taking a big swig of water I handed the bottle over to Colton, who didn't bother wiping it clean, chugged down several swigs handing it back. I smiled at the younger boy glad we had taken this trip together. It was almost as if the little guy was reading my mind.
"Thanks for thinking about doing this. I needed to get away." He admitted while I nodded in agreement taking a big swig of the water not bothering to wipe the bottle clean or expand on his comment since there was another kid who had joined in with us now.
"Damn…," I heard the other boy sigh as he continued to rummage through his bag.
"What's up?" I asked curiously the other kid shrugging his shoulders.
"Oh…nothing really. It's just I left my water inside my dad's car." He sighed before zipping up his pack and slinging it back over his shoulders.
Screwing the cap back on the bottle of water I was holding I held it up, "here, have some of ours." I offered tossing it over to him as he reached out snatching it up from mid-air.
"Thanks," he replied flashing the cutest smile ever as he unscrewed the cap and without bothering to wipe it off simply took several swigs.
It was almost as if the three of us were long time friends. These days most everyone was so conscious about 'catching' something they always reacted by breaking out the hand sanitizer or whatever else to keep things sanitized. It was refreshing to simply let things go and be a regular kid without such adult like concerns.
"I'm Pim by the way and this is Colton." I introduced, the boy finishing up and nodding his head.
"I'm Julian." He replied screwing the cap back on and tossing it back over to me.
I got the sense if we weren't all straddling our bikes several yards apart we would probably have done the typical knuckle bump greeting. The other boy's demeanor seemed very casual and I could tell he was the kind of kid who made friends really easy.
"So you out here by yourself?" I asked casually, the blue green eyed boy flashing me another one of his cute grins.
"Yeah, my dad's going to meet up with me afterwards at the gathering in Bur-Mil Park. I wasn't sure about going since it is for twelve and under. I mean I'm only twelve years old, but didn't want to be like the oldest kid participating and looking kind of dorky if there were a lot of younger kids." He added while I smiled back.
"Well, we are heading over there too so Colton can cut his teeth on Owl's Roost. I'm sure they will take things a bit easy since it's a tough ride and all, but it'll still be a good workout for you and Colton. He's eleven so at least it won't seem like you are way older." I chuckled seeing Julian smiling appreciatively.
"That's like cool then. If Colton is going to ride it then we can hang together." The twelve year old boy added.
"Yeah, I'd like that. I was kind of worried too since Pim wouldn't be riding it and thought I might get a little bored or something since I didn't know anyone." Colton smiled looking happy that the new boy would be joining in as well.
"Well, since we are all going to be heading to the same event did you want to join us? I mean, we are going to meat up with my dad too." I added, the long haired boy nodding his head indicating that would be way cool.
With that settled I decided to let Colton take the lead for the remainder of the stretch allowing Julian to go next while I took up the rear. The eleven year old boy put on a nice pace continuing our reckless ride through the trees and narrow trail with him popping off now and again taking another one of those side trails. They were all fun, but not as heart pumping like the first one we took as I committed that path to memory for the future thinking it would be fun to do again sometime.
From behind I caught myself staring at Julian noticing his cute butt and the way his shirt would ride up on his frame sometimes while his shorts would pull down enough to catch glimpses of his butt crack. The more it happened the more convinced I became he wasn't wearing any underwear making me wonder what he looked like down there. The way the silky material had clung to him earlier I got the sense he had something fairly decent tucked away for a twelve year old boy.
A little while later we popped out at the intersection with the Lake Brandt Greenway and the Nat Greene Trail, just south of the H. Michael Weaver Bridge. Glancing at my watch we still had some time to kill before meeting up with my dad so taking the lead I decided to head over to the bridge. We found a nice shady spot under some trees on the south side of the bridge along Lake Brandt, and climbing off our bikes I spread out a small blanket so we could take a seat and relax for a bit.
The twelve year old boy removed his helmet with his hair tumbling out and spilling over the front of his face. It looked all wild and jumbled as he ran his hand through it a bit to straighten it out. I had to smile because he really was kind of cute. His hair was long and stringy, dropping down and spreading around at shoulder length, including over the front of his face. I could tell when he didn't have it parted or combed it would hide his boyish features providing a bit of intrigue. As I watched he began running both of his hands through his long hair pulling it back making me realize it was out of habit. When he did that, Julian exposed his beautiful heart shaped face with a wide forehead, prominent cheek bones, and a chin that narrowed slightly with the cutest very noticeable dimple right smack dab in the middle. His long sleek neck seemed to match the rest of his body type fitting proportionally.
As I studied him I realized he probably kept his hair parted on the left side sweeping his long hair over towards the right of his face. Seemingly out of habit the twelve year old boy now brushed it over with his fingers before subtly flicking his head managing to keep most of it clear of his face allowing us now to see his beautiful big round blue green colored eyes. Even his eyebrows looked adorable and seemed almost too perfectly formed with a gentle arc, and hues slightly darker than his hair. I got the sense he tended to have a more serious expression most of the time, his mouth naturally turning slightly downwards, but also that the smiles did come easily to him when the occasion called for it just like now with everyone in such a good mood. Currently his nice plump pouty lips were formed into a nice soft expression as they straightened out into an almost smarmy kind of smirk that was simply too delightfully charming on his features. My gaze flittered over to his nose noticing how the bridge was a little broad with nostrils that flared out slightly and a nice rounded button like tip.
Reaching for my bag I pulled out some snacks and sharing the bottle of water we began enjoying the relative quietness as the two younger boys began chatting away. I smiled watching and listening in on their conversation joining every once in a while when something was directed my way. It was nice seeing Colton so animated as the horror of the previous day's incident began to fade into the background.
At some point the two younger boys stretched out on their backs looking up through the branches of the trees into the clear bright blue skies. Their bodies were facing opposite directions with their heads next to one another, right ear to right ear, allowing them to talk with one another almost conspiratorially in whispered tones while I sat on the edge of the blanket lost in my own thoughts.
Glancing over my eyes flared open and a soft smile spread over my mug because from this angle I could see right down Julian's right leg opening. His left leg was bent at the knee and tucked under his right leg which was propped up giving me an unobstructed view of his crotch. I noticed my earlier assessment of him not wearing any underwear had been correct and now I knew why. His shorts had that type of netting material on the inside designed to hold in a guy's stuff, but on Julian they sort of hung a tad loosely. The fabric had all those tiny like holes in them and was rather translucent, but still managed to hide enough so I couldn't quite make out any real defining features.
The long haired boy had his right hand shoved down the front of his shorts, his fingers just below the gummy band in a casual like fashion. His right leg was swaying back and forth adding to the mystery of what was barely hidden behind the translucent like barrier. I could see the skin coloration of his ball sack that snuggled loosely against the flimsy material sending shivers up and down my spine. It was then when Julian slipped his hand inside his shorts giving his pecker a quick squeeze in typical boy like fashion when a guy has an itch. I smiled, watching the silhouette like features of his fingers when they wrapped around the shape of what I knew could only be the twelve year olds' penis. There wasn't anything definite in form or shape, but I could tell it seemed like a decent size for a boy his age.
The kid gave his penis a good squeeze or two when it suddenly happened, the silky barrier shifted over slightly with his right marble unexpectedly slipping free. I just about busted my nut right there and then as the smooth hairless soft like flesh of his purse exposed the boy's cherry sized testicle for several moments until Julian released his rubbery peg and the silky netting fell back into place once more concealing the boy's truffle. It had happened quickly, but long enough to make me smile and appreciate what had just happened.
Removing his hand from beneath his shorts the other boy sat up and so did Colton as both of them crossed their legs in Indian fashion. The silky fabric seemed to settle around his wiry legs making me shiver again because I began to realize he was kind of sexy hot and my typical teenaged hormones had been kicked into high gear with that little peep show I had just been offered up. My penis had bloated up inside my own shorts feeling all primed and pumped up now. The way my own shorts were pulled up around my crotch it was obvious I had boned up.
It didn't seem to go unnoticed by the twelve year old kid as his gaze settled casually over my crotch his eyes flaring open for a second making me smile knowing it was a typical reaction with most boys. Even though it had been unintentional, the new kid had provided me with a nice peep show, so I decided to return the favor as I reached down and pressed my thumb and finger along the length of my erection giving it a bit of an adjustment providing the other boy a good view of what was hidden beneath my shorts.
Glancing over at the younger boy his eyes shifted upwards and I saw him blushing because he realized I had just caught him staring at my boner. He quickly looked away his cheeks turning red for a few seconds before he glanced back a little nervously while I smiled and shrugged letting him know it was cool. He flashed me a shy smile showing a bit of relief that I wasn't going to make a big issue over it as his attention was once more drawn away when Colton got him engaged in another casual conversation.
The entire incident had lasted all of five or six seconds, but sent a giddy shiver through my insides at the naughty flirtatious exchange. The other boy was only twelve years old so in my mind still too young for anything to really come of it. Of course Carter was only thirteen, but somehow that additional year made a big difference to me. It's strange how a year or two at our age could make such a difference. I was gay, but fifteen years old so never expected to have these sexual and deep emotional feelings for a thirteen year old boy. Yet somehow something had clicked for me and I had fallen in love with Carter.
What I was currently feeling for Julian was more of a sexual playful type of emotion. I was starting to discover how it was kind of fun to flirt around and he was cute, turning me on in a sexual way. That's all it was though because I also got the sense that like with Colton, acting on such feelings for the twelve year old boy somehow wouldn't feel right. Of course with the eleven year old boy there were other things that fed into that sort of feeling; especially, since he was more like a little brother to me. Not that any of it really mattered where Julian was concerned since we only just met and it wasn't as if we lived close to one another. For that matter, I didn't even know where he lived.
A short while later we gathered up our stuff, hopped on our bikes, and made our way back towards the connection of Wild Turkey trail before veering off and stopping where we had made arrangements with my dad. We didn't have to wait long because a minute or two later the car came into view and my dad stopped along the side of the road. In the front seat was his buddy as I leaned in shaking the man's hand in welcome before turning my attention back to my dad who was loading our bikes in the back.
"Hey dad, this is Julian." I introduced, before adding, "We sort of met on the trail." I mentioned casually the two of them shaking hands while Julian seemed to study my dad closely looking as if he was missing something.
"Nice to meet you son, so where are you headed off to?" He asked casually, Julian shrugging his shoulder seemingly shaking free from something that was nibbling at his thoughts.
"I'm meeting up with my dad at the start of Owl's Roost for that group ride. Pim says Colton is going to do that one as well so I guess I'll see you guys over there." He smiled bumping knuckles with the other eleven year old boy while my dad frowned.
"Well if you are heading over that way we can shove your bike in with Pim's and Colton's and take you with us." My dad offered up, the boy frowning as he took a look at the car as if not only gauging whether his bike would fit, but also if he should take up the offer with people who were virtual strangers.
I could tell he was probably mulling over his parents' words about never getting into a stranger's car and his response confirmed my suspicions. "I…um…my folks would…uh…you know kind of chew me out. I mean…you know…," he began when his gaze settled on the windshield as he paused and frowned looking at the sticker that all military people had on their vehicles in order to get on base.
"Are you in the military?" He asked curiously. "I mean, are you guys like stationed out at Fort Bragg?" He asked looking over at me and my dad.
"Yeah, we just moved here to North Carolina from Texas. I mean, my dad is stationed over at Fort Bragg, but we actually live off post in Vass. We got a house there and that's where I met Colton and his older brother Carter." I added, the long haired boy frowning.
"Colton…Carter? I thought you two guys were brothers?" He asked while I chuckled wrapping my arm around the eleven year old boy and giving him a quick noogie hearing the little tyke tittering and protesting lightly as he shoved my hand away.
"Yeah, well we might as well be the way he keeps carrying on, but no, not real life brothers. Carter and I met when I took a spill off my bike on a trail back in Vass and he helped me out. We became instant friends and of course all his baggage including his little brother came with it." I teased getting a friendly elbow in the ribs from Colton who gave me one of his famous pouts making me chuckle.
Ignoring the pointed jab I continued. "Since Carter's off on a mountain biking competition Colton and I decided to go on our own adventure. It worked out perfectly because dad wanted to meet up with a buddy of his over here in Greensboro so in the end we decided to make a short weekend of it." I explained quickly with the other boy frowning and nodding his head.
"Oh, way cool!" Julian exclaimed excitedly. "My dad's stationed over at Fort Bragg too. His name is Colonel Finley. Do you know him?" His eyebrows rose questioningly as he looked over at my dad. "I mean I know you just got transferred there and it is a huge base." He added while my dad thought on it for a moment or two and then nodded.
"Yes, I believe I've met him a time or two. Doesn't he work over there at CAPOC with the Major General?" He pondered as if trying to put a face to where the man worked.
"Yes sir, that's him." Julian responded at the same time Colton asked the obvious. "What's CAPOC?"
My dad chuckled rubbing Colton's hair playfully with the smaller boy smiling and straightening it back up. "It stands for Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command." He offered up with the eleven year old boy furling his eyebrows trying to digest the information.
"You know like in the movies…PSYOP." I offered up, Colton perking up and smiling because he sort of understood what that was all about while my dad shook his head.
"Yeah, well I suppose some of it is like that but it's more than that as in sharing of information to foreign players in support of U.S. policy and our national objectives. The civil affairs part focuses more on dealing with the civilian aspects in a battle area. They sort of coordinate efforts such as identifying non-governmental and international organizations operating in the battle space, handling refugees, civilians on the battlefield, and determining protected targets such as schools, churches/temples/mosques, hospitals, etc. So a lot of responsibility in broad terms not only nationally but in dealing with foreign countries." My dad tried to explain knowing the other boy wouldn't understand most of it.
"Cool," Colton responded getting some of the gist while the rest simply going over his head and my dad understanding as he chuckled good naturedly.
"And you?" Julian wondered.
"Oh…I'm the new Command Sergeant Major." My dad offered up with the twelve year old boy's eyes abruptly bugging out.
"No way, me and my dad were just at your awards ceremony yesterday!" He exclaimed excitedly.
"I had my Medal of Honor book with me hoping to get you to sign it, but it was like a mad house over there and even with my dad being a Colonel we couldn't get close enough afterwards. I've managed to get four other people to sign it who are in the book. Well, mostly my dad gets the signatures for me since he's constantly making rounds to different military bases and gets chances to meet with some of the award recipients both still active duty and retired. I was actually hoping to get to meet an MOH recipient for real though." He explained his eyes getting big and round at being so close to my dad.
"And here we are." My dad chuckled. "I'm really sorry you missed out yesterday since I really didn't stick around too long. I'm not really good at these sorts of things sometimes because it reminds me of friends who deserve it much more than me. I tell you what, have your dad bring you by one of these times and I'll personally sign the book for you. How's that sound?"
"No way, for reals?" His voice kicked up a notch because of his excitement as he tried to calm down. "You won't mind? My dad isn't too keen on the idea of interrupting a man while at work about these sorts of things and says we should be courteous, respecting another man's time away from work. He says there is an appropriate time and place for such things and it's why we went yesterday hoping to get your autograph." He explained my dad smiling appreciatively because in the past he's had some bad experiences with people simply coming up to him at the oddest moments making things awkward.
"Well, I won't mind taking time for you, so whenever you and your dad can find the time we will make plans to connect on post. Anyway, how about giving your dad a call to see if it is alright for you to catch a ride over to the park with us? This way you will have some time to relax and rest up a little before hitting the trail again." My dad suggested.
"Um…yeah sure. I guess that would be alright." Julian nodded pulling out a phone from his pack and calling his dad. "Hey dad, yeah it's me, you won't believe who I just met out on the trail." He began excitedly while I helped my dad shift some things around making room for a third bike since we also had a folded up wheelchair in the back belonging to my dad's buddy.
A couple of minutes later we made our way through some side streets that forced us to go around before popping onto the road that led back into the park. Five or ten minutes later we pulled into the parking lot and began unloading. My dad helped his buddy back into the wheelchair as we all sort of roamed around and chatted casually before heading back to the car to wait for Julian's dad. We didn't have to wait long as another SUV pulled in next to ours and a man in his forties stepped out. An excited Julian immediately gave his dad a quick hug before dragging him over making the introductions.
The man immediately snapped a salute of courtesy to my dad even though they were in civilian clothing with my dad returning it shaking his head. "Good to meet you Colonel but the salute isn't necessary." My dad pointed out softly looking embarrassed by it.
"Like hell it isn't, and it is truly a pleasure to meet you in a more informal setting." The man replied with his arm draped affectionately over his son's shoulder. "I hope Julian has been on his best behavior." He chuckled, the twelve year old boy rolling his eyes.
"Daaaadd," the boy whined making the man chuckle as he pulled his son affectionately towards him in a sort of manly quick hug types of gestures.
"Just joshin with you kiddo. I know you are always on your best behavior." The man chuckled glancing over towards my dad. "But you should have seen him yesterday at the awards ceremony. He was on pins and needles to be there and see a real life hero. Ever since he heard you were being transferred here he's read up on you in his MOH book along with some of your other postings on the internet." The man beamed proudly at his son who only blushed because parents always seemed to say embarrassing things about their kids.
"So I've heard." My dad chuckled, reaching out and ruffling Julian's hair before draping his arm back over my shoulder. I'm really sorry he didn't get a chance to come up yesterday so I could sign his book. I'm not very good at sticking around for these things, but as it was we had a bit of a…um…crisis…back at home." My dad added cryptically pulling Colton into his body for a quick hug and running his fingers through the boy's hair. "Anyway, I told young Mr. Julian here that when you have time to bring him over on Post and I'll sign the book for him." My dad gave the twelve year old a wink with the boy looking up at his dad hopefully and the man giving a firm nod indicating it would be alright, which made Julian one of the happiest kids ever as a big smile split his features.
"Oh, before I forget, this is a good buddy of mine who saved my hide on more than one occasion." My dad began with the Colonel leaning in to shake hands as he nodded with a firm look on his features getting right to the point.
"Prognosis?" He asked not bothering to mince words, his commanding temperament simply kicking into gear naturally while my dad's buddy seemed to fall right in line.
"I'm doing just fine sir. Lot's of rehab ahead of me still, but the doctors seem to think I will recover most of my capabilities. They indicated with a lot of hard work I might be up to about ninety percent of normal and walk again. That's the important thing." The man replied with the Colonel nodding.
"Good-good, I take it you go to the VA hospital just up the road by Winston-Salem?" He asked casually, my dad's buddy nodding in the affirmative.
"Yes sir, and of course I have to make trips over to Fort Bragg as well." He replied.
"I see, well if you have any issues just give me a buzz and I'll straighten them out as to what's what over there at the VA or the hospital in Fort Bragg. My department has to coordinate with a lot of the civilian facilities and we've got a bit of pull and if any of those pin headed pencil pushers give you any flack you be sure to call me up so I can straighten them out and in a hurry. Awful shame about the state of affairs with our VA. You promise now because I'm not kidding here. It burns my ass how our combat vets have been treated." The Colonel asserted laying it out in the open with my dad's buddy thanking the man as they chatted for another minute or two before he focused his attention back on to Julian.
"Anyway kiddo, I've got a bit of bad news. We've gotta head back. Some dignitary or other is flying in unexpectedly today and I've gotta get to work. Sometimes I wanna throttle some of these idiots, but…," he sighed apologetically to Julian who looked totally bummed, but didn't make a fuss over it, which I thought was pretty noble of the kid.
I got the impression this happened often. His father had a unique job which required him to travel around to various bases taking him away from home. Coupled with all the dignitaries that constantly flew into Fort Bragg as well and I'm sure he probably ended up getting called in often out of the blue. Still, it didn't mean the other boy wasn't bummed out about it which my dad seemed to notice.
"Um…listen Colonel, if you want he can hang out with us and I'll drive him back home. I mean, we are staying overnight in a couple of hotel rooms because we have a few things to do while we are here, but Julian is more than welcome to stay with the boys if you are good with it." My dad offered up, Julian's eyes popping out of his skull as he instantly got excited again over how my dad would offer such a thing.
"Please dad, I'll be on my best behavior. I was really looking forward to trying out this trail and hanging out with some kids my own age. I won't cause any trouble." He promised begging his dad who smiled down at his son and frowned.
"I don't know Julian; I mean you don't even have anything with you for an overnight stay." He pointed out, his son looking a bit bummed again while my dad chuckled.
"For real Colonel, how much does a kid need on an overnight stay? We can pick up a toothbrush if we have to." My dad rebutted with Julian speaking up as well.
"Yeah, and I've got an extra pair of shorts and shirt in my gym bag I left in the car the other day that I can get changed into later after the bike ride." The boy pointed out with the Colonel looking at his son, eyeing the boy critically before glancing up at my dad.
"It wouldn't be any bother?" He asked just to be sure, my dad shaking his head.
"I've already got two rambunctious animals I'm looking after now so what's another tiger in the mix." He pointed out good naturedly, the Colonel chuckling as he sighed shaking his head.
"Well, it's alright with me son, but you know I'm not the one you really gotta convince." He hinted with a raised eyebrow. "Better give your mother a buzz." He suggested with Julian not looking so confident about it, but perking up when his dad added, "I'll talk to her about it too, but its best you break it to her first and I'll be laying in wait so we can ambush her when she puts you into retreat mode." He chuckled promising the boy it would be alright in the end while I sort of got the feeling they had played this tactic a number of times on his mom when the situation called for it.
As promised it was the Colonel who came to Julian's defense. It took some convincing, but with the long haired boy's dad holding the line they slowly whittled down the home front. Julian's dad convinced his mom it was perfectly fine. After all my dad did look after thousands of young troopers so a twelve year old boy shouldn't be anything the man couldn't handle the Colonel pointed out winking at his son who chuckled. With permission finally given Julian's dad handed him some extra cash giving last minute instruction which mostly contained the typical 'be on your best behavior or else,' innuendo making me smirk because I've received plenty of those as well.
After the twelve year old boy's dad said his goodbye's things began to pick up with others starting to arrive who were going to be a part of the young group of boys trying their hand on this challenging course. Julian and Colton got their stuff together and after getting settled in with the other kids in the group we let them know we'd be back once they finished up. There was no sense in us sitting around since it would take several hours for them to get back. Hopping in the car we made our way back into town to do some shopping for my dad's buddy. It was just general stuff which kept us busy until it was time to pick up the boys. Finishing up we dropped off my dad's buddy promising to meet up with him in the morning before making our way back over to the park.
Pulling into the parking lot we smiled when the two younger boys made their way over to our car having just finished up a couple of minutes earlier as they jostled and joked around. We helped them load up their bikes while they rattled off excitedly about the trail and how much fun they had, giggling about how hilarious it was when several of the kids ended up riding backwards on their bike during that huge dip and steep hill. I immediately knew which part they were talking about because you had to take that section without tapping on the breaks so your speed could carry you through on the uphill rooty part. Evidently, they were the only two kids in the group that made it without having to climb off their bikes and pushing it back up to the top.
We pulled into the parking lot of the same hotel we stayed in the last time and to no one's surprise even ended up with the same rooms as my dad made his way to his little abode while we settled into ours. "Um…my dad says we are going to be heading over to Spare Time for a bite to eat and a bit of fun, but we've got a little extra time so maybe we should get cleaned up." I suggested motioning for Julian to go ahead and go first.
There was no complaints coming from him as he grabbed his other shorts and closed the bathroom door behind him as I plopped myself down on the bed closest to the wall noticing Colton hesitating looking at the two beds. "Uh…Pim, who's sleeping where?" He asked while I shrugged.
"Haven't really thought on it much. I mean the last time Carter nearly froze to death on the other bed. You might want to bunk with me and I'll see what Julian wants to do. It's a queen sized bed so I'm sure we would all fit in one bed, but we just met so he might just try staying in the other one. You can snuggle up with me tonight though unless you want to bunk with Julian." I left it up to him as he sort of made the choice by climbing on to the bed I was stretched out on and snuggled up with me.
Just then my cell phone rang and digging it out of my pocket noticed the number was from the area Carter was staying at. Smiling I answered it and began to chat with the thirteen year old boy while wrapping my arm around Colton as he listened in on our conversation. It was great to hear from him as we chatted for a moment or two before I handed over the phone to Colton. The younger boy got excited telling his older brother all about the trail and our new friend we picked up while on Wild Turkey. I could tell Carter was still worried about his little brother who told him not to be such a worrywart making me chuckle since it was a phrase he had picked up from me. A couple of minutes later a refreshed looking Julian stepped out of the bathroom and into the room wearing a loose fitting pair of orange colored shorts and the white towel draped over his shoulder.
"Oh, hey Car…I gotta go. The shower just opened up and I wanna clean up from the ride. Here's Pim again and I'll chat later." He added handing the phone over to me, hopping off the bed, grabbing his stuff, and then popping into the recently vacated bathroom closing the door behind him.
Julian tossed the damp towel on the empty bed, my eyes taking in his sleek wiry frame noticing his golden tanned features. There was a definite area of transition where his skin changed from a buttery golden tone to milky white indicating he spent a lot of time outdoors without a shirt on. The loose baggy orange colored silky like gym shorts made me shiver because they hung low around his slim waistline exposing a good portion of the porcelain like pale smoothness of his pubic mound. The gummy material barely remained around his thin frame and it appears as if the only thing holding it up at the moment in front was the base of his penis. That's how low his shorts hung as I realized he appeared to have no pubes yet at all indicating he probably hadn't hit puberty yet.
I shivered as my eyes gazed at the way the material clung to the dampness of his boy baubles. It was obvious he wasn't wearing any underwear and it also looked as if these shorts didn't even have any netting indicating the boy was probably free balling. I wasn't sure if this was typical for him or simply because when he had put on his other shorts this morning they had netting so there wasn't a need for any underwear. After all he hadn't expected to spend the night when he left this morning.
The orange material looked flattering on him and also very revealing as I gazed at the protrusion created by the tip part of his penis as it forced the silky material into a slight tented type of shape. He wasn't boned up or anything, but the way the fabric flowed about silkily left very little to the imagination as I truly got a good idea about the size, length, and girth of the other boy's penis as he now walked over towards the small mirror along the one wall.
Even from behind, the way his shorts barely stayed up managed to send shivers all up and down my spine. He had a cute looking ass, but it was kind of small as he reached back tugging his shorts upwards trying to keep them from falling off in the back. While I chatted with Carter, wrapping up our conversation, I watched the boy from behind enjoying the show as my eyes kept dipping down to the small little pale rise of his upper butt cheeks that was constantly being exposed since his shorts persistently slid downwards.
As I hung up the phone with Carter the twelve year old boy standing in front of the mirror kept running his fingers through his long hair trying to get out some of the tangles. He sighed, reaching back and tugging up his shorts grimacing in the mirror since it wasn't working out so well with his hair.
"Need a comb?" I asked, the other boy looking over his shoulders and smiling at me.
"Yeah, that would be great. If I don't comb it I'll end up with knots in my hair when it dries." He admitted as I sat up rummaging through my bag and tossing it over to him.
The boy snatched it up from mid air and then immediately grabbed at his shorts that threatened to drop down around his ankle making me chuckle. "Dude, what's up with your shorts? If you aren't careful you are either going to moon someone or poke someone's eye out with that pokey you've got between your legs?" I teased hearing him chuckle.
"Yeah, well these shorts are kind of big on me even with the gummy band. It's got a cord to tie off but it slipped inside so I can't cinch up my shorts." He complained.
Waving him over I motioned for him to take a seat on the bed and lean back so I could take a look. He scooted on to the bed and leaned up against the back of the bed post running the comb through his hair while I took a closer look at his shorts. Careful so as not to expose something by accident I ran my fingers along his waistband, the other boy sort of shifting around so I could get a better angle. I had to admit with my fingers working so close to his intimates they began to shake a little until I focused on the task at hand. I could see the outline of his soft bulge just beneath his shorts making me shiver excitedly. The boy even smelled nice, with that youthful kind of scent mixed in with the hotel's bar of soap.
Running my fingers along the gummy waistband I found the end of the cord as I began to work the material like an accordion slowly edging the tip towards the hole in front on the inside part of his shorts. It took a couple of minutes, but I finally got it all the way to the hole. Working with my deft fingers and thumb I finally managed to grab the end pulling the cord free. The other side was fine as I quickly tied it into a bow knot for him cinching his shorts around his waist a bit tighter so they wouldn't fall off.
"Thanks that's perfect." He admitted scooting off my bed and finishing up with his hair using the mirror no longer having to pull on his shorts to keep them from falling off.
Just then Colton stepped out of the bathroom all cleaned up and looking spiffy. He was completely dressed as he plopped down on my bed while I took my turn. By the time I finished up dad was knocking on the door to see if we were ready. Fifteen minutes later we were making our way inside Spare Time for another evening of fun. This was both Julian's and Colton's first time as they gawked with the look on their faces too classic reminding me that Carter and I probably had the same expression the last time. My dad had purchased the same package deal from the base like the last time and was going to buy some more tickets for the laser tag, but the guy at the counter indicated they were already full up the entire night. It was a good thing my dad had called up ahead setting up the time slots, but he kind of felt bad now since he couldn't get any time for Julian.
Smiling, I told my dad it was cool because I didn't mind letting Julian take my tickets for the laser tag game. The other boy protested, but I told him I had a blast the last time playing with Carter and that he should have fun with Colton since the two of them were hitting it off really great. I could tell Julian still felt bad about it saying we could switch out since there were three sessions, but I told him not to worry so much and to have fun. Besides, it would give me time to hang out with my dad bowling or something and we could all share some times with the various video games.
After sitting down for a bite to eat, which we all enjoyed, the boys headed off for their first laser tag round. As we watched the two younger boys heading off my dad draped his arm over my shoulders saying he was proud of how I had given up the laser tag game for our guest. Sighing he shook his head as his gaze settled on my features running his fingers affectionately through my sandy colored hair.
"You are growing up right in front of my eyes." He smiled softly making me blush as he got a little serious. "If there's any regret in my life Pim, it's that I missed out on so much with you. Now you are almost a man yourself, and it is tough sometimes to come to terms with this. I do love you son and you make me proud every single day." He confided while I shrugged my shoulders.
"It's alright dad I understand. Besides, there's still plenty of growing up for me and I will always need you." I admitted feeling a keen connection of kinship to him. "I love you too and I'm glad we've been having this alone time together. I miss mom, but I've missed you too…a lot…and I'm really glad you are home." I admitted leaning into him enjoying the feel of his strong arms around me as we cuddled together while people walked by looking at us weirdly, but neither one of us caring in the least, or even embarrassed by this display of affection.
Like with Carter, the evening was a total blast as we mixed around our activities. We bowled some, played in the arcade room, and snacked on a ton of food. The only real hiccup to the evening came right after Colton's and Julian's first laser tag game. When the two boys didn't show up afterwards we got a little worried so ambled around looking for them. This was a relative safe place for kids with video cameras all over the place not to mention plenty of security, but when they didn't show up we got a little concerned. We spotted the two boys huddled together in a quiet spot away from prying eyes and I could tell Colton had been crying. Julian was sitting there wiping away the other boy's tears before wrapping the eleven year old up in his arms trying to comfort his new friend.
My big brotherly like protective instincts kicked in and I started to step forward when my dad stopped me while I looked at him questioningly. "Sometimes a guy just needs another friend's shoulder to lean on…someone else closer to his own age so he can work through some things. I know it's tough to sit back when someone you care about is hurting Pim, but right now Colton needs a friend like Julian." My dad pointed out while I furled my eyes in thought.
"Yeah, but he's got plenty of friends back home dad. I mean, he's like one of the most popular kids at his school. He's also got his brother and in some ways us too?" I posited with my dad smiling and nodding his head in agreement.
"Yes, he's very popular and has lots of friends, but sometimes that makes things even harder. He grew up with these kids, has to go to school with them, and interact with them practically every day. Look at how rough it's been for Carter because of the whole small town situation. What happened to Colton is a tough one for him to deal with, but some things he can't talk about with some of his other friends since it's too embarrassing and because of the gossip it would create. Know what I mean?" My dad explained giving me a moment to dwell on it before I nodded my head understanding as we both turned away letting the two younger boys work through it together.
At least Colton seemed to have found someone he could trust with what's happened to him. We had talked about it some as well, and I helped him get through it last night, but I also knew he needed someone else he could confide in that was closer to his own age. I could tell it probably ate at Colton not knowing how things would turn out with the other kids who were his friends back home once some of this got out. I was fairly certain that both David and his buddy Peter would be trying to twist and turn things to suit their needs like they had done with Carter, but this was also a little different from before since they wouldn't be able to explain everything away; especially, the part about possibly getting in trouble with the police.
My dad already confided in me earlier today, while the boys were on their group ride, how Colton's mom had called him up saying the police were investigating and would be needing to talk to her son and any witnesses which included me. Principle Moore had handed over the phone to the police so the evidence was pretty damning for David and his buddies. The video had not only captured the part where they had teased Colton and stripped him naked, but also the part where I had come in to fight them off. That portion of the video didn't capture everything in regards to the actual fight, but the audio was very clear with what had happened.
Leaving Colton and Julian alone seemed to have been the right call because a short while later they showed up and Colton seemed all bubbly and his old self again as if the chat had lifted some of the weight from his shoulders. It had given me and my dad some time to chat about some things as well. He seemed to think Julian had a lot of moral character just by the way he came off. He was a typical exuberant kid, but also respectful coming off as a decent sort. In a way, we both felt it was probably fortunate that we had all met on the trail. It gave Colton a chance to not only make a new friend, but also be able to hang out with someone else closer to his age that he could confide in without worrying about how it might affect him back home.
With the boys back we enjoyed the rest of the evening. The highlight of course was the laser show and bowling competition at the very end. We were three tired puppies when we finally made it back to the hotel room, crawling into bed totally exhausted in a good kind of way.
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