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You are here: Home > Story Shelf > All Authors > Hunter Woods > Wild Boys and Metal Horses | Chapter 1 | Hunter Woods

Wild Boys and Metal Horses

by Hunter Woods

Chapter 1

Taming A Wild Boy

It was already getting warm as I pedaled my bike along the mostly empty two way single lane roadways in the rural town of Vass, North Carolina. It was a small town to be sure, with a population of slightly over seven hundred people. To me, it really wasn't hot, not like it is in Texas where I was from, but it was humid so I could already feel the sweat beading up beneath my t-shirt starting to cling on my lanky fifteen year old body. Shaking my head I smiled at this latest thought because I just turned fifteen last week so was still getting used to thinking of myself as a fifteen year old teenaged boy.

After a slow start to the morning, I had groaned and slowly crawled out of bed slipping into a lightweight cobalt blue short sleeved v-neck t-shirt and a pair of golden colored jean shorts after taking a piss, cleaning up, and brushing my teeth. I knew it was going to be a warm day, but hadn't been prepared for this type of heat where it was a sweltering eighty five to ninety percent humidity. Sighing, I wondered if perhaps I should have worn one of my sweat wicking shirts and maybe a lighter and airy pair of shorts.

I could already feel the slickness of my perspiration forming in the crack of my butt where I was seated on my rarely used mountain bike, not to mention the way my balls were burning up and already slimy with sweat. It was hot and humid here, and I was positively yearning for the dry heat of my grandparent's Texas ranch where I had just moved from a couple of days ago.

Mom was still back in Texas because there were some final projects she needed to finish up for her work so I had come ahead of her. Right after school got out for summer vacation I packed up all my stuff and had moved out here with my dad who was stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. For as long as I could remember mom and I had called the small ranch cabin in Texas our home. The homestead belonged to my grandparents on mom's side, but we didn't actually live in the same house with them. Instead, we stayed in the small two bedroom cabin on the northeastern side of the ranch and about a fifteen minute drive from my grandparents through the small winding track of roadway that meandered through the property.

The ranch itself was only an average sized one of about 10,000 acres. Well, for Texas that was considered average, some may even say a 'tad' small, but a guy could get lost on that much property. I was used to the wide open expanse of the territory often going out and exploring the backcountry while on horseback. It was something I was used to doing on a regular basis.

Just because I lived on a 10,000 acre ranch didn't mean I was lonely or anything. I had plenty of friends from school that mostly lived in the nearest small town, but naturally my closest buddies also lived on the surrounding ranches. For the most part our properties radiated outward from a small central area with all of my friend's homes sort of close by to one another. Of course it wasn't like I could cross the street or something to connect with my buddies, but we all had horses so we'd get together often; especially, during the summer months where we'd ride back up into the hills. Our favorite spot was a small pond with a little creek feeding into it making for the perfect spot to go swimming and goof around. We were guys after all and what boy wasn't in for a bit of adventure away from any adult supervision.

Most of my life was spent on the ranch since dad was always gone. During my young fifteen years dad had been deployed 13 times in Iraq and Afghanistan alone, not to mention many other deployments before I was even born. Some were short stints while others longer, but after each tour both mom and I would pack our things and stay with dad wherever he was posted back here in the states. These were only short stays to be sure, with us moving back home to Texas when he was redeployed. So for me, Texas had always been considered my home until now. After all these years my dad finally announced barring any catastrophe he would be spending the remainder of his military career right here state side.

My dad was Special Forces and a highly decorated combat veteran with his courage and leadership qualities well known by the military brass. Actually, they'd have to be blind as a bat considering all the combat missions and medals he had received over the years. He was well regarded by both the officers and enlisted men, and when the chips were down they could always depend on him to lead them out of any sticky situation they found themselves hunkered down in. It came at a price though; in many different ways. When I thought on it dad had probably missed out on half my life having been deployed many times over the years, and that's despite those numerous times in-between tours when he was back home stateside. He had also been wounded in combat three different times and almost died on one of those occasions.

Recalling the incident from a few years back when I was only ten years old made me shiver involuntarily. Mom had shaken me awake in the middle of the night saying she had to go to the airport and find a flight over to Germany. While I got hastily dressed she had quickly filled me in how dad had been hurt and was being flown into Germany at place called Landstuhl Medical Center. Come hell or high water she was bound and determined to get there as soon as possible. I shivered again now, recalling the look on mom's face as she tried to reassure me, but I knew by her pale gaunt features this was very bad indeed.

She had dropped me off at my Grandparents and for two whole days I had fretted over dad, not knowing if he was going to live or die since I had finally been told his injuries were very extensive and severe. Somehow dad had survived and even surprised all the medical staff by recovering back to one hundred percent. Up to that point it had been the only time I felt vulnerable, discovering dad wasn't invincible and could actually never come back home. Of course I had always known dad could be killed oversees, but until then the reality of it had never really sunk in for me. At ten years old I was beginning to truly understand about such things.

After that everything changed sending me almost into a panic every time dad was deployed. My first panic attach happened soon after he came back home stateside. Once the medical doctors cleared him for full duty, he was once more called into combat and rejoined his military unit. Seeing my dad leave like that upset me to no end and I felt anxious, nauseous, and downright awful for weeks. It slowly subsided, but from then on it was always in the back of my thoughts. Dad was Special Forces so mom and I often didn't know where or what some of his missions were about. I wasn't an idiot though and did know they were dangerous due to the nature of his military training.

Now, as I pedaled down the street in the sweltering humid heat, for the first time in many years I no longer had those feelings of tensions tying me into knots on the inside. Naturally, it came at a price because I had to leave behind my home and friends. I was used to saying goodbye to them, but this was the first time I knew it would be permanent. Unlike in the past where I'd only be gone for a few months or even half a year, this time around it would be for good. Of course I would be visiting from time to time since my grandparents still lived there, but Texas wasn't going to be my real home anymore.

Now as I reached the outskirts of town heading towards a paved wooded track I furled my eyebrows thinking it was a fair enough exchange. If it meant dad wouldn't be seeing any more action and put in the middle of danger I was willing to leave behind my home in Texas to make a new life with all of us safe and sound under one roof. It felt a little crowded for me to live in a house situated right inside the town limits, but there were plenty of woods around the area to go exploring on bike. It wouldn't be the same as getting on one of the horses at the ranch and heading out for the day, but it would be good enough.

Pedaling along the wide paved trail under the canopy of the dense woods it seemed as if I had entered a whole new realm. The trees really weren't big or towering in the sense of old growth, but it was dense enough to know I had entered a forested area. It was slightly cooler now in the shade beneath the mostly leafy types of trees, but still humid enough where I continued to sweat a little. It wasn't bad though and I knew if I rode casually down the trail I'd cool off soon enough. Looking around I noticed the trees were a mix of hickory, oak, gum, poplar, pine, and cedar.

It was nice here and I liked it with all the smells and sounds exuding a sense of wildness. The region had a lot of open country, but dotted in-between where swaths of forests one could explore. I could hear the leaves rustling in the gentle breeze as I swiveled my head back and forth getting a feel for the place. It was way tamer than the back country of Texas, but wild enough to make me feel at ease; especially, since there were side trails that weren't paved. Of course 'wild enough to make me feel at ease' was like a contradiction of terms, but I was used to the wild aspect of nature and understood it so felt relaxed when I was in it.

After pedaling along the paved path for another ten minutes I had cooled down and was enjoying the little journey. I had come across some side pathways, which captured my interest, thinking I'd explore them later, but right now I wanted to stay on the main trail to get my bearings and a sense for the place. When I had checked out the map of the area I noticed that this forest was rather large with several tracks meandering throughout which would occupy my natural curiosity.

After pedaling another minute or so I finally came to a stop in a clearing where another one of those dirt trails veered off the main one. This path was different though because it sort of dropped down into a downward slope that was steep at first before leveling out a little as it continued its gentler slower like downwards trajectory. The small clearing allowed me to see all around. Currently I was sitting up higher on the main trail and as I scanned the area I noticed this side trail seemed to traverse all along the ridge winding its ways steadily downwards with some areas leveling off while in other places taking a steeper trajectory.

It looked like it would be a wild ride indeed, seemingly several miles long as I picked out the trail from the clearing. At this vantage point I could make out parts of the track noticing it traversing a river at times and even crossing over it in places as it switched along back and forth throughout its entire route. There appeared to be wooden crossings in places, looking nothing more than about a foot or two wide and bumpy as it spanned a small distance just enough to get across any wet areas.

On the map I recalled seeing a river running through the area called 'Little River.' This must be the one indicated on the map and seemed to run the entire length of the forested area feeding into several ponds and lakes throughout the region. The trail looked rugged as it meandered through the trees. When dad had indicated we would be moving off post into the small town of Vass, he had given me some information on what was popular in the region. I now seemed to recall how he had indicated that other than the normal types of sports and outdoor activities typical in most places, the area also had plenty of trails for mountain biking. Now as I gazed at the winding path that seemed to go on for several miles I got the sense this must be one of the trails used for mountain bikers.

This was just too tempting for a teenager who tended to live on the wild side so without a second thought I secured my helmet along with the elbow and knee pads before pointing my wheels over the sudden drop and going for it. The bumpy trail sent me flying down at a fast clip, the front of my wheels jarring into my hands, wrist, arms, and shoulders while rattling my entire body. I wasn't used to riding a bike that much and it was definitely different from riding a horse racing down a trail.

With a horse there was a sort of symbiotic relationship, almost as if I was running and had more control, but with the bike it felt almost reckless as the wheels bounced around catching me by surprise at times when it began to slide and jump about. Between the jarring all along my arms and body, in addition to the sliding sensation this was way more reckless than I had been prepared for so I started to tap on the brakes a little to stay in control. Despite the danger, the adrenalin rush felt totally awesome and I continued to tear across the downward sloping trail which had now smoothed out becoming gentler.

At fifteen years old I was a fairly fit kind of teenager with wiry limbs and a lean lanky body. I was only five foot five inches and weighing in at a buck twenty, but my willowy physique made me appear taller. Even though I was on the thin side I had a solid build which tended to be the norm for many teens like me back in Texas living and working on ranches. The types of chores we did tended to keep us all fit and trim in a wiry kind of way. I was a teenager, so my body was still in the transitional phase on many fronts as my boyish features vied for the more mature ones of adulthood. I had been a late bloomer in regards to puberty, which had been the butt of many friendly ribbings from my friends, but I was discovering now as an older teenager I sort of preferred it that way. Some of my friends were already getting kind of hairy all over their bodies, while mine remained relatively smooth. I could tell I'd still have those young features as an adult keeping me looking youthful and sprightly through the years as I got older. Some of my buddies already had those very rugged manly like features and I knew that over the years they wouldn't age very well.

Even though I was pretty fit I could feel the burning in my muscles that were rarely used for this type of activity. I'd definitely be feeling this tomorrow, but right now I was enjoying the rush of wind on my face and the excitement of doing something a bit reckless. The trail had a downward slope for the most part, but there were plenty of flat areas along with some places that actually angled back upwards so I was also using my legs to pedal and keep me moving forward. The bike would slow down a little in these parts before once more ripping down the trail at a good clip after I got past those areas. The ride was jarring as I tore across natural jumps and over wooden structure like obstacles, but very exhilarating giving me an adrenalin rush like when my friends and I would race our horses.

At this pace I had to remain focused, always trying to keep my eyes scanning for any sudden obstacles as the trail wound around turns and sometimes even narrowed between trees. Some places tapered down so much between two trees I had to be careful not to smack my hands and handlebars on them. Then there were all the ruts and roots which made for very tough terrain which I suppose it was meant to do for mountain biking enthusiasts. I had to admit this was a type of thrill I was beginning to enjoy. Everything was cruising along until unexpectedly something went horribly wrong.

The ride was jarring and a bit reckless with me losing some control at times when the bike slid, swerved, or jumped around, but this was different because suddenly the front end didn't want to respond just when I was rounding a corner. I tried to slam on the breaks, but it was too late because as the handle bars began to wobble precariously I had the misfortune of hitting a bad patch of exposed roots. My front tire became wedged between the roots sending everything to a screeching halt.

There had been so much forward momentum that when my front tire got jammed it managed to flip my back end forward effectively sending my body flying into the air. The bike came with me and I found myself being hurled onto the ground only to flip over several times. Somehow I managed to let go of the bike watching as it bounced around in one direction while I tumbled several times in another one. I felt my body jolting to a sudden stop when I slammed into something unyielding.

My head exploded as I slumped downwards on to my back and I saw stars for several long moments with everything going dark. I became totally disoriented with my vision swimming in front of my eyes when I began to blink them rapidly. There was no noise or anything with my vision transitioning slowly from darkness to a sort of misty gray like a rainy day. Gradually things began to unfold in slow motion within the small realm of my immediate vicinity. From the corner of my blurred vision I could see the bike bouncing along the trail for several more feet until it tumbled to a stop with the front tire continuing to spin lopsidedly. It was deathly quiet all around me for what seemed like an eternity.

Tears were welling up in the corners of my eyes making things even blurrier when I noticed another set of wheels come to a screeching halt just at the bend of the curve I had hurled down from. A small figure dressed in mostly green swam in front of my vision hastily approaching me. By the general size and shape I could tell it was another kid maybe a year or two younger than me as he ran over quickly, removing his gloves and helmet.

My ears began to ring and I could hear the boy's concerned voice somehow managing to work its way through the clanging noise inside my head. "Are you alright?" I heard him asking his voice sounding almost as if it were traveling through a bad phone connection.

Opening my mouth I began to respond, but I couldn't speak for some reason and I began to gasp for air with nothing entering my lungs. I immediately knew the wind had been knocked out of me, but it didn't stop the panic for a moment or two, my eyes bugging out while I struggled to catch my breath. It was as if my chest and lungs had seized up like a rusted crank shaft on an old car and I squirmed around with my gloved hands clawing at my chest and neck.

The other boy must have realized what happened and he began to panic just like me. He looked around quickly for help, but we were all alone. Once he realized this, his features suddenly changed from panic to controlled determination and he took charge. Reaching down he grabbed on to the front of my shorts at the waist and lifted me up from the mid-section. I knew what he was doing because I had the wind knocked out of me once before during football practice and my coach had done the same thing. I never asked as to the reasoning behind it, but at the time it seemed to have worked as I felt myself being lowered down before once more being lifted up.

"Take it easy and try to breath." I heard the boy's gentle voice loud and clear now that my ears had suddenly stopped ringing.

With another heave upwards I felt my chest abruptly relax inside my chest and I sucked in a lungful of air. "Hhhhhhhaaaaauuuuugh," I wheezed, the air rattling in my chest as I began to inhale and gulp at the same time.

"That's it, just breath." The other boy spoke softly as he released me and took a step back letting me suck in air until I managed to calm down and nod my head appreciatively.

He stood there for a bit letting me recover while looking me over critically. The boy was studying me while I gazed back at him. Neither one of us said anything as we continued to discreetly size one another up. It wasn't anything nefarious, just something guys typically did with one another that had more to do with it being instinctive. I suppose throughout the evolution of man it had a lot to do with the pecking order in society.

The boy sort of had a medium kind of build, but in some ways appeared to be lanky like me. If I had to guess I figured he was a couple of inches shorter than me and perhaps fifteen to twenty pounds lighter. Unlike me, with my light colored short cut hair and features, he had a medium length style of cut with hair that was dark brown in color. At first glance he looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old and was wearing some sort of green colored biking gear. The outfit seemed to accentuate his nice physique as I watched him squatting down next to me with his butternut brown eyes furling checking out my limbs before gazing back up into my own blue gray colored peepers.

"You alright…anything broken?" He asked still looking concerned while I slowly sat up into a sitting position and wincing when some of my muscles cramped up shaking my head 'no' to his inquiry about broken bones.

It was mostly just aches and pains accompanying someone having taken such a tumble and I knew I'd be feeling them even more later, but right now it didn't appear to be anything serious. Sighing, I removed my own helmet, glad I had decided to put on my protective gear. When dad had asked me last night what my plans were for the day while he was gone at work I had told him about taking the bike out to go exploring. He didn't say anything other than to remind me about wearing a helmet and pads, not to mention be careful of snakes. Back home in Texas I never wore such things when riding my horse and almost thought about not wearing them this morning, but at the last minute decided I better humor my dad because he was sure to bring it up later when he got home. As for snakes we had those too in Texas including the copper head, cotton mouth, rattle snake, and coral snake so nothing new for me; although, there are a few in Texas not located in North Carolina and vice versa.

It was a good thing I had decided to put my protective gear on though because I saw a decent sized ding on my helmet where I must have rung my bell on something. It's why I probably saw all those stars in front of my eyes when I first took the spill. If I hadn't been wearing the helmet I might be in serious trouble now.

The boy was still studying me. "You sure about not being hurt?" He asked again not looking too convinced about it as I smiled at him reassuringly waving off his concern.

"Nah, it's all good other than a few scrapes and bruises." I shrugged while he checked me over once again; the boy's soft gentle eyes studying me while he furled his eyebrows at my grimy dirt covered state, almost as if I looked worse for wear before wincing when he noticed some of my scrapes and bruising.

"You sure…I mean…you look pretty banged up." He insisted gazing back over into my eyes still looking worried.

"Naaaah," I waved off his concerned look shrugging my shoulders. "I guess I'm not used to riding a Metal horse anymore." I moaned slightly from a small twinge of pain the sudden movement caused seeing the confused look on the other kid's face.

The other boy's expression made me chuckle as I clarified what I meant. "Um…it's just been a long time since I've ridden a bike." I admitted.

"You're like…kidding right?" I heard the other boy respond looking a bit shocked because what kid doesn't get around on a bike most times.

"Yeah, well where I'm from a guy tends to get around on a real horse, not these metal ones." I chuckled seeing the boy smile as if it sort of made sense to him now.

"That's kinda cool. I've always wondered what it is like to ride a horse, but riding a bike and a horse can't be all that different." The other kid chuckled standing back up with his deep brown eyes dancing around mirthfully while I shifted and groaned moving my arms and legs tenderly to make sure I hadn't done any real damage like I had indicated.

Shaking my head I disagreed with the other boy. "I wouldn't go so far as to say that. Besides, from where I'm sitting a real horse isn't as wild as this metal one and way tamer." I huffed grumpily in a sort of mocking way, the other boy catching on as he giggled and shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, from what I understand the goal is the same." He offered impishly his eyes gazing at me a bit mirthfully and without thinking I took the bait.

"Oh yeah, well what's the goal then?" I grunted once more when I took his extended hand and stood up brushing myself off and hearing the kid sniggering in response.

"To not fall off goofball…everyone knows that." He answered without any hesitation while I stopped what I was doing and stared at him for a second before I began to bust up nodding my head in total agreement.

"Yeah, well maybe you can teach me how to tame this metal beast." I continued, gingerly making my way towards the heap of a mess I had once known as a bike while giggling from his comment hearing him chuckling too and shaking his head.

"Well, first we've got to tame the wild boy riding the damn thing. Crap, for a guy who says he hasn't ridden a bike in a while you were pretty damn wild ripping down this trail."

"Good luck with that. My mom's been trying to tame my ass for years. She keeps saying just because we live in cowboy country is no excuse not to be…oh how did she put it now…oh yes…no excuse not to be a bit more gentrified. Whatever the hell that means. By the way, I'm Pim Merckx." I offered glancing at my bike and sighing while he nodded and held out his fist to bump knuckles.

"I'm Carter Chasson. Merckx? Haven't ever heard that name before." He added while I shrugged.

"Yeah, my dad says it is Dutch or Flemish." I replied bumping knuckles with him by way of greeting.

You just move here?" He asked with me nodding as I began testing my limbs again for any serious damage feeling more confident that for the most part I was alright.

"How'd you guess?" I smirked knowingly.

"It's a small town." He chuckled as I nodded my head again noticing the continual use of this motion made my head ache a little so I stopped the whole nodding thing for now until my brains managed to settle back down.

"Yeah, sort of used to it from where I'm from too. I mean the nearest neighbor was like a mile away from us." I sighed missing my friends because despite us living kind of far apart there wasn't a day that went by where we wouldn't hang together as we rode our horses and goofed off in the back country.

We both stared at my bike for a moment before I sighed. "Damn, I don't know what the hell happened. Everything was going fine; although, I have to admit I was probably going way faster than I should have. Then suddenly it was like the whole front end got all mushy and quirky like." I explained watching as the other boy stooped over and righted my bike taking a closer look.

"Ah, yeah, this sort of makes sense now. You've got a flat tire. More than likely something sharp punctured a hole in it while you were riding and on this trail it could be disastrous. Let's see if we can find the hole and get it patched up for you. I've got a repair kit with me." He offered up removing my small daypack I had strapped to the handle bar and handing it over to me before wheeling my bike over to his.

As I followed him I noticed for the first time he was wearing a small pack on his back with a tube running from it and attached with a clip to his shirt in the front. It dawned on me it must be one of those special hydration packs where he could easily get something to drink while still riding his bike. He now removed it from his back and began rummaging through the bag looking for something. From the type of clothing he was wearing to the look of his bike I realized he must be an avid mountain biker. All of his equipment; especially, his gloss blue with green lettering and accented mountain bike looked like it probably cost a pretty penny making me wonder if he competed. Mine was just the general of the mill type of mountain bike, and pretty beat up to boot, while his was snazzy. Of course it looked like it was well used, but also meticulously cared for.

While he began to look over my bike I couldn't help but take a closer look at my rescuer. My initial assessment of him appeared to be right. He was about five foot three inches tall and probably weighed around a hundred or hundred five pounds. He was definitely younger than me and I figured maybe thirteen or so. Now that I could look at him closer he did appear to be lanky but with a medium kind of build. His green colored biking shirt clung tightly to his damp torso revealing a nice sleek firm body as my eyes dipped downwards. He was wearing those form fitting nylon types of spandex shorts, also green in color, which tended to be very revealing as I noticed the nice tightly formed bulge between his legs. Not wanting to get caught staring at him in that way I quickly tore my gaze away from his package and focused on what he was doing with my bike.

"Wow, that's like kinda cool." I stated noticing the compact sized repair kit he had produced and was opening up. "I wouldn't have thought it's got all that stuff inside that small bag." I noted, the boy glancing over at me and beaming proudly.

"Yeah, it is cool, huh? It's super lightweight and has everything a person needs if he gets in a pinch. It's just enough to repair just about anything so a guy can get moving again and to a place where he can make more permanent fixes." He smiled at me before getting all shy like and blushing. "Um…well…at least that's what the guy in the bike shop told me." His voice getting softer as he spoke with his eyes no longer holding my gaze and looking away to focus on the bike instead.

It was kind of strange because it was as if he suddenly became a bit more self conscious and not so self assured like he was before when there had been a crisis. One of my friends back in Texas was sort of the same way. Around most people, including those he's known practically all his life, he was always a bit shy and on the quiet side not so sure about himself. It was only when he hung around with his family or his closest friends that he was able to crawl out of his shell.

Not wanting to make the other boy uncomfortable I tried not to stare at him or make any suggestions regarding the way he was fixing my bike. Besides, he was doing a way better job by far than I ever could as I tried to make casual conversation with him.

"Man, this is way cool that you came by because I'd be hoofing it out of here carrying my bike." I chuckled seeing the boy glance at me to make sure I wasn't teasing him before blushing again when he realized I was being sincere. "No for real Carter, even if I had a repair kit it would probably take me forever just to figure out how to get the wheel off and patched. I really appreciate your help on this." I added before hissing when I wiped my hands on the side of my shorts to clean them off.

"You alright," Carter asked glancing back up at me when he heard me gasp in pain.

"Yeah, damn, I think I've got a raspberry along my hips and thigh. I didn't feel it before, but now it is beginning to sting like a mother fucker." I grumped, hearing him giggling at the way I was cussing. "Sorry, I don't normally cuss like this…well not around adults at least. Around my buddies it tends to be a different story though with things getting carried away at times. Even then, I really don't cuss all too often though." I added not wanting to offend him if he was one of those types of kids who didn't appreciate foul language.

The other boy shrugged and turned his attention back to the patch he had applied. "Doesn't bother me so much…so it's cool." He stated somberly as he began inflating the tire with the coolest looking little hand pump before giving it a spin to see if I had damaged the rim while I scrutinized him fixedly trying to figure him out.

As I watched him working on my tire I got the sense he was kind of a lonely kid, which didn't make any sense to me. From my first impression he seemed like a nice enough guy and I really liked him, getting the feeling he would be a good friend to someone who could appreciate the kid for who he was on the inside. I wasn't hung up on this whole popularity thing in school like most kids my age were; instead, opting to make friends with people who had character. It's why I had such a great group of friends back home in Texas and the reason we all got along so well. We all grew up together and were never hung up on that sort of thing remaining friends through thick and thin even when peers at school tried to pit one of us against another. I suppose having to rely on each other in the back country we all realized it was important to have friends who would have your back no matter what happened.

While Carter continued to check over my bike, looking preoccupied at the moment, I took the opportunity to look him over again. He really did have some nice features as my gaze quickly scanned his lean body with my eyes once more immediately dropping downwards focusing on that bulge between his legs. I couldn't help myself, not with the way his biking clothes clung to him. The round like contoured shape protruding outwards from between the younger boy's legs looked like a respectable size for a kid his age and I could even detect the outline of what had to be his penis.

Even though the shorts hugged his body snuggly, it was still difficult to make out anything distinctive since the elastic like material held everything all together into a tightly formed ball. I could make out a part of the tubular outline from his penis, which seemed to curl partially over the boy's rounded billiard sized ball sack. There also appeared to be the shape and outline of his knob as the tip of his glans pressed outwards against the elastic fabric trying to contain everything in one spot. The heat began to rise in my cheeks as I realized I was starting to gawk at him. I quickly glanced up, relieved I hadn't been caught staring at him as I tried to focus on something else.

Twisting around I lifted up my shirt checking out the source of the burning sensation along my hip. I was covered in dirt and grime as I hooked my thumb in the waistband of my shorts and tugged them out as far as I could, which wasn't much since they were made from jean material, noticing some blood and red blotching on the skin I could actually see. There was even dirt down there making me wonder how on earth it had managed to make its way beneath my shorts.

The other boy's voice brought me out of my scrutiny as I glanced up noticing him staring at my bleeding hip and red raspberry that had formed along my side. "Um…your rim is slightly bent, but shouldn't give you too much trouble until you can get it straightened out. I've got better tools at the house and can fix it for you later on if you want. Also, I'm sure the patch will hold for now too, but we should give it a few more minutes to dry. Once it's completely sealed it should hold until you can replace the tubing with a new one." He murmured softly and swallowing, his gaze riveted on my exposed hip.

"That's way cool. You'd actually do that for me?" I asked sincerely my question seemingly catching him by surprise.

"Huh?"

"You know, fix my rim for me." I reiterated, the kid suddenly realizing I was accepting his offer.

"Oh…yeah…no biggie really. I work on my bike all the time so know what to do."

"Well, it's a big deal for me since I don't have a clue. Now give me a horse and I'd have no problem fixing him right up if there were any problems, but this metal beast here is another story." I chuckled as it got a bit quiet now the silence becoming a bit awkward.

Looking around for a second I focused back on him. "I really appreciate you helping, but since we have to wait for the patch is the river close by so I can clean myself up a bit?" I asked watching as he looked around and furled his eyebrows as if trying to get a read of where the river was relative to our current location.

"Um…well we crossed it just up the hill not too far, but it's pretty steep to head back that way. I think if we cut through the trees over here we should come across it quicker versus trying to trudge back up. I'd rather try cutting through the trees instead of heading back the way we came because it's kind of hot already, but whatever you want is fine by me." He added deferring to me as if his decision didn't really matter.

It made me wonder now if he was one of those kids that got bullied all the time by some of the more popular kids as I quickly sized him up again. It seemed kind of strange to me because he really was a cool enough looking kind of guy for his age. He wasn't small, fat, or anything in regards to what most kids zeroed in on regarding flaws. He also seemed to have a good sense of humor and a great personality so I didn't know where any of this was coming from, but I wasn't going to needle him about it. Personally, I liked the guy even if he was a year or two younger than me and I decided right there and then we were going to be friends if he'd have me as one.

Shrugging I stepped next to him and tossed my arm around his shoulders in a casual friendly kind of way feeling him flinch slightly as if I was going to hurt him. I ignored it keeping it on friendly terms as I turned forcing him to move with me and looked up the hill before once more shifting and gazing towards the trees. Squinting, I shifted my eyes towards the boy and he automatically gazed back at me with a slightly screwed up face looking a bit worried. I smiled at him pleasantly trying to set him at ease.

"Well, I'm the new guy around here and you just saved my ass so I think I'll trust you on this one too. I couldn't ask for a better new friend to steer me in the right direction. So what do you recommend?" I asked seeing the stunned expression on his features at this turn of events.

"Friends…you're saying we are friends?" His voice quivered in disbelief at how a person could make such a bold statement in such a short period of time after meeting someone new.

"Well…yeah…that is if you'll have me as a friend. After all I've been nothing but a hassle to you so far, but I like you and I've got a feeling we could be good friends. So…which way?" I asked settling the matter without him realizing it as his jaw dropped for a second before he pointed towards the woods.

"Cool, let's go." I chuckled setting my bike upside down behind some shrubbery and trees keeping it hidden well enough from anyone who might come riding down the trail before pausing. "Um…I hear you guys have snakes around here just like we do back in Texas. How dangerous is it?" I asked seriously the boy shrugging his shoulders.

"They say North Carolina has more snake bites than anywhere else here in the U.S., but I hardly ever have come across any." He admitted while I nodded because in my experience snakes tended to leave you alone unless provoked.

"Cool, lead the way." I prompted.

"You're just going to leave your bike out here?" Carter asked me while I shrugged my shoulders.

"Yeah sure, I think it's hidden well enough so it should be alright. Besides, it's either leave the bike behind or lug it through the trees since I need to let the patch dry. Mine isn't a fancy one like yours so I'll help with your stuff since we definitely can't leave yours behind. Anyone trying to steal my bike will find it is more work than worth the effort. It doesn't look like a lot of people are hitting the trail today anyway." I offered up tossing my arm over the boy's shoulder giving the kid a friend kind of pat before reaching over to grab some of his gear shoving some of it into my own bag.

The boy didn't flinch this time and he flashed me a big smile, the first real one I've seen on him so far. He had a really nice smile on him with a thin upper lip and a pouty lower one that spread out broadly revealing sparkling pearly white straight teeth. It is strange how such an innocent thing like someone smiling can make another person feel good. The more I interacted with Carter the more I realized I really liked the guy. There was something about him that tugged at me, and I instinctively knew we were going to be very good friends. This day was already turning out a lot better than I could have expected. If everything went well he'd be the first real friend in my new home and I hoped it would form into a friendship like I had with my closest buddies back home.

With the dark haired boy leading the way and pushing his bike along I smiled trudging along behind him. I couldn't help but notice the way his sleek body moved effortlessly through the brush and undergrowth beneath the trees. I saw him glancing over his shoulder and blush when he looked at me before he turned back around.

Carter could feel the older boy's eyes watching him as he made his way through the trees and underbrush. He glanced over his shoulders at Pim and felt the heat making his cheeks all flush as he quickly turned away focusing on finding the river. The older kid confused him, but he found himself drawn to the blue eyed fair haired boy. Carter often rode his bike on this trail and it usually didn't have anyone on it so he had been surprised when he spotted someone tearing down the trail when he came to the upper clearing taking the plunge as well. The younger boy was pretty fast and he figured he'd catch up at some point, but he was kind of surprised at how long it took.

He knew it would have taken a bit longer had the older boy not punctured the tire on his bike taking a pretty good spill. It had frightened him at first, but soon it became apparent the older teen wasn't hurt too bad. The new kid was really a friendly kind of guy and it kind of surprised Carter when out of the blue he sort of indicated he'd like for them to be friends. The younger boy never really had any good experiences around older boys so didn't know what to make of it.

Still, he kind of liked the teen who was at least a year or two older. Carter was only thirteen himself, but Pim looked to be around fourteen or fifteen years old. It was kind of hard to tell because the older boy had such fair features. With teenagers sometimes it was difficult to pinpoint an age. The older boy seemed to be a bundle of energy and had a sort of infectious type of personality. Even though Carter liked the new boy he didn't think they would ever really be friends, not once Pim got to know him better and found out things about him from some of the other kids in town.

He didn't really know why things had gone all horribly wrong a few years back, but it had, and ever since then the constant bullying had become almost a nightmare for him. It had him feeling sad almost all the time with his only real escape coming when he hopped on his mountain bike ripping down some of the back trails or when he was in the safe comfort of his own home. His eyes welled up for a moment because he knew that soon enough Pim wouldn't want anything to do with him anymore once he saw how some of the other kids in the neighborhood teased him. It wouldn't be fair for Pim to be picked on too because of him, so he knew he'd have to say something at some point. He wiped away the tears resolving to let the other boy know as soon as possible that being friends wouldn't work out after all.

As I continued to follow the younger boy my eyes traveled down the length of his body from behind noticing his sleek strong legs and his cute perky butt making me blush at these sorts of thoughts. Over the years I've often found myself having these sorts of thoughts about other boys. I figured out a couple of years ago that I was into boys more so than girls so probably gay, but never acted on those feelings before. It wasn't as if I had those types of feelings towards my friends back in Texas. We grew up together so I thought of them more along the lines as siblings and never had any sexual feelings or inclinations towards them. I did for other guys my own age in general though and as I watched the dark haired boy wind his way through the trees wiping his face with the back of his hand I could feel the familiar stirring between my legs making me furl my eyes.

These feelings had always been towards boys around my own age, but Carter was a year or two younger than me as I began to realize he was an attractive looking guy. I also never had to contend with these types of feelings towards a friend of mine since I always thought of them the same way I would a sibling or family member, so for me having possible feelings like this towards the other boy was a bit confusing. My thoughts were interrupted when I heard the gurgling noise coming from the river just up ahead of us making me smile as we stepped into a nice open area and I set the stuff I was carrying down on the ground.

It was completely isolated around here and the water looked crystal clear and refreshing. It was a small river that wasn't big enough for any boats including small ones as I surveyed the water noticing what appeared like a nice pooled up area with calm water. It only looked like it was a couple of feet deep at the most with a nice flat area of soft dirt leading into the water's edge almost like a small beach.

"Whoa, this is like perfect," I beamed unable to resist the temptation as I kicked off my sneaks and removed my socks and shirt glancing over towards Carter and grinning from ear to ear. "This is totally awesome, what are you waiting for?" I giggled as I unsnapped the button on my shorts and pulled them off too leaving me in my dirt smudged Hanes Boy's briefs noticing the smaller boy's eyes bulging and his cheeks turn crimson.

It was as if he's never seen another boy naked before as he turned his head slightly trying to avert his eyes while still sneaking peeks as if watching what I was up to. It wasn't as if I was totally naked since I was still in my underwear. Not wanting to make him feel self conscious about it I didn't pressure him any more and with a whoop that made the other boy jump in surprise I ran towards the pool not even stopping as my feet kicked up water all around me.

"Yeehaaaw," I yelled and began splashing in the chilly water playfully feeling it getting all over my skin and immediately cooling me off while I noticed a big smile forming on the younger boy's features as he watched me having fun.

The temperature of the water felt a little chilling, but to me perfect for this sweltering humid heat as I splashed around some more before sitting down and sighing in relief. Glancing over towards Carter it was my turn to smile because I saw him sitting by the edge of the water removing his specialized biking shoes before peeling off his socks. My eyes were immediately drawn towards the boy's nice bulge as it shifted around beneath the spandex like material of his shorts. Tugging on his shoes and socks I chuckled to myself noticing how his ornaments were getting squeezed between the boy's thighs forcing the natural rounded form of his ball sack to transform into odd types of shapes.

One moment they were perfectly rounded, the next elongated and almost cylindrical before getting separated into two smaller sized ball shapes when the crease separated his testicles for a few seconds. Then back to being one large ball before flattening back out with two chestnut sized oval bulges pressing against the elastic material. The entire incident made me shiver and begin to chub up slightly. It was my turn to blush now because of the way I was sort of perving on the kid. Even though I was gay, the feelings I was experiencing towards Carter still confused me because he was a couple of years younger from me.

As I thought on it now I suppose it wasn't really so much the age difference as it was me never really having a significant kind of relationship with anyone else before. Other than using my hand I've never had any sort of intimate sexual contact in any meaningful way. I've dated girls before because it was the thing guys did, but nothing ever came of it since it never really felt right. Then when I was about thirteen years old I began to realize I was different from my friends where it came to feelings in regards to how I felt towards girls versus boys.

Sighing, I stood up and twisted my body pulling down the waistband on my wet briefs a couple of inches so I could get a look at my side. Sure enough I had a pretty good raspberry that stung like the dickens. It didn't burn so much now because the cold water had helped as I heard the soft splashing noise coming from the edge of the water knowing it was the younger boy walking barefoot into the pool. The splashing noise stopped and I glanced over towards him. He still had his shorts on, but he was barefoot and shirtless his physique not disappointing. The smooth ivory bisque coloration of his youthful skin exuded an almost statuesque like quality and looked really nice on him.

Smiling at his beautiful torso I glanced up into his face noticing his jaw had dropped open and he was gaping at me his soft doe like eyes fixated. Frowning I followed his gaze and looked down at myself realizing that beneath the white fabric of my underwear he could clearly see the outline of my penis and ball sack. Since the material was wet they were fairly translucent with the skin coloration of my boyhood leaving little to the imagination.

It wasn't the only thing that was being inadvertently revealed by me at the moment as I blushed a tad embarrassed by the innocent moment. Since I had tugged down the left side of my briefs to take a look at my hip the waistband had shifted down in the front as well. It forced the gummy part to bunch up around the base of my shaft exposing part of my pubic mound. Currently, my small patch of pubes shimmered wetly in the sunlight with the lighter colored filaments reflecting the warm sunny rays from a clear light blue colored sky.

Glancing back over towards Carter I noticed he was now pitching a decent sized tent in his elastic shorts as his penis strained against the fabric. With his type of shorts being so form fitting it tended to keep a guy's penis snuggled up and curved over the top of his balled up purse of skin. Now that he had suddenly popped a stiffie the elastic material didn't allow his erection to straighten out. Instead, it tried to hold it in place as his penis strained against the material and bending slightly almost like the curve of a banana. It was actually kind of sensuously sultry and I could feel my own penis begin to react.

"Oh shit." I heard the smaller boy suddenly squeak as he realized what happened, his face totally crumbling with a look of complete humiliation and his eyes beginning to well up with tears tumbling down his cheeks.

He quickly placed his hands in front of him trying to cover up the naughty evidence as a small whimper escaped his lips and he ran back up onto dry land his body quivering. I could tell he was looking around trying to decide what to do because he couldn't bolt for the woods since he was barefoot. Before he could do anything rash I quickly ran up behind him placing my hand on his shoulders feeling him flinch and let out a little squeak of surprise.

"I…I…please don't hurt me." I heard his whimpered plea which shocked me.

"Wh…what…I mean of course not. Why would someone want to hurt you for something that can happen to anyone?" I asked gently leaving my hand on his shoulder afraid to do anything else which might upset him even more.

"Be-because of…I…I…because…," he stuttered making me wince since what he wasn't saying spoke volumes and I could tell he was being bullied by others for stupid silly kinds of things making him feel insecure about things that happen naturally for most guys.

Dropping my hand from his shoulder I sighed and walked over to a log and took a seat staring out at the river enjoying the warmth of the sun on my wet skin. The smaller boy glanced sideway at me sniffling as his body shivered slightly. His hands were still plastered over the front of his crotch as if trying to hide his shame.

"Listen Carter, you popping wood doesn't bother me in the least and I care even less why it happened. Hell, it happens you know. You have no idea how often my friends teased me when I popped a stiffie while we went skinny dipping together in our little pond on my grandparents ranch. We've all teased each other when it happened to any one of us, but it was in good fun and we all knew it just sort of happens. I can tell it is different for you though, but I don't want you to feel bad about it happening." I exhaled softly shaking my head and feeling bad for him now because it was apparent that something deeper was going on with him.

We both fell silent for several long moments not saying anything else while I let him digest what I had just admitted to him. As I sat there staring out at the river, he remained standing where he was looking down, his toes digging into the sandy like dirt. Every once in a while he would glance over towards me biting his lower lip as if he was contemplating something. From the corner of my vision I saw him turn his head towards me as if he wanted to say something before turning away again. A couple of seconds later he turned his head towards me again, his voice whispering softly, while I strained my ears to hear what he was saying.

"I…it…," he paused as if trying to think what he wanted to say. "Pim, it isn't just the thing about me…uh…you know…um…popping wood…," he managed to get out blushing at the admission and turning his head away from me a little ashamed about what happened as he paused making me scrunch up my face in thought.

Nodding my head I scooted over and patted the vacated spot where I had been sitting. "Want to talk about it some? I mean my friends back home have always felt I was a good listener. I promise that no matter what you tell me I won't make you feel bad about it or tease you. I know we've just met Carter, but I've always been a very faithful friend. I won't let you down…I promise." I told him sincerely watching him as he gazed at me his eyes watering up.

"Do you really mean it Pim…I mean about us being friends?" He sniffled with my own eyes watering up because whatever was going on with this kid he didn't deserve being made to feel this way.

"Yes, that much you can be sure of. You are my friend Carter, and I hope you will let me be yours too if you will trust me with that friendship. I want us to be friends, but only if you want it too." I offered up sincerely as the other boy seemed to study me for several long moments.

Carter stared at this studly older fair toned boy in disbelief. After everything that's just happened, the medium blonde haired boy still wanted to be friends with him and actually indicated the choice would be up to him. It amazed the brown eyed boy how Pim would still want to be friends with him after he saw him getting an erection because of being half naked. Not to mention seeing him cry afterwards like some little baby because he was so embarrassed by what had happened.

There was so much Pim didn't understand as old memories of something almost similar once more invaded his thoughts reminding him of his past. He liked the older boy and didn't want to be disappointed like so many other times over the last several years if this didn't work out. Still, maybe it would be different with the other teen as he looked at the older boy who had tears welling up in his beautiful blue eyes, the brighter shades reminding him of the lighter blue colored flowers of the Dwarf Crested Irises that would bloom in April and May in his mom's garden. Some of those flowers were almost purple, but Pim's eyes reminded him of the lighter shades of blue he would see blooming on many of the irises in his mom's garden. Coming to a decision he stepped towards the older boy and took a seat on the log.

The smaller boy's features reflected the conflict he was struggling with as I watched him closely hoping he would trust me. I knew he must be having some problems with the local kids and for the life of me I just couldn't understand why because I could tell he was a good kid at heart. I decided right there and then that I didn't care what may have happened in the past because from here on out I was determined for him to have at least one person he could call a friend. To my relief he seemed to decide on putting a little trust into me as I watched him taking a seat next to me, both of us sitting there side by side now gazing out at the river.

After a few seconds I turned my head and looked at him admiring his soft features. "Listen Carter, you don't have to say or tell me anything if you don't want to. I'm perfectly happy just sitting here with you and enjoying your company. Whatever you are comfortable with will be perfectly fine with me." I spoke softly watching his beautiful brown eyes welling up as I quickly looked away blinking rapidly because him being sad made me feel awful.

"I'm sorry about ruining your fun. You looked so happy, free, and wild splashing around out there in the water. You didn't deserve having me taking that away from you. It has to be difficult for you to move so far away from your home and family; especially, the way you talk about it. I could tell you were happy there and to move out here away from it all and still find happiness is…is just amazing, but I ruined it for you." The smaller boy sighed as I leaned over and draped my arm across his shoulder like I had done earlier.

"Nah, you didn't ruin anything Carter. Besides, it was because of you that I got so excited and happy in the first place. Like I told you before, my mom tends to think I get a bit too wild at times. My friends back in Texas always kept me from getting into too much trouble. They were a good influence on me, and I think you will be good for me too." I chuckled pulling him towards me a little and showing him some warmth and friendly companionship.

The smaller boy turned his gaze towards me furling his eyebrows. "You know I was just kidding earlier about that whole 'taming the wild boy in you first' thing." He interjected while I shrugged my shoulders.

"Well, I suppose a little taming is fine so long as it doesn't go too far. After all, my mom's gotta have something to live for and if I became too gentrified she won't have anything to strive for." I smirked feeling the boy lean into me wrapping his arm around my waist as we both sat there side by side gazing at the river no further words necessary at the moment and just enjoying the simple act of being in this time and place together.

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We support Ukraine — Мы поддерживаем Украину — Ми підтримуємо Україну
We support Ukraine — Мы поддерживаем Украину — Ми підтримуємо Україну