Wild Boys and Metal Horses
by Hunter Woods
Chapter 5
Watershed Trails
The following morning we all got up with Mrs. Chasson fixing us a nice breakfast of French-toast, home-fries, and bacon, the scent oozing throughout the house making our mouths water. Carter seemed a little withdrawn and quiet blushing a bit embarrassed every time our eyes connected. I could tell what happened overnight was bothering him, and it was a little confusing for me too because I began to realize I had real feelings for him. I was a year or two older and knew it wasn't right to get him mixed up with me in a sexual way, and it was obvious by the way he was behaving he didn't have the same kinds of feelings towards me.
Of course a lot of guys his age were still struggling with their sexuality because I sure was at thirteen. Hell I was still kind of struggling with it now even though I had sort of come to accept I was gay. At thirteen a lot of guys were still learning, experimenting and maybe messing around with friends sometimes, trying to muddle through their raging pubescent hormones and never thinking much about it other than viewing it as simple gratification. Carter didn't have any friends though so what happened last night had to be a little awkward for him. I was his first real friend in a long while and with puberty awakening his sexual curiosity I could tell it had sort of put him in a bind. He didn't want to lose me as a friend so I'm sure this created a conflict for him about saying anything to me.
The incident had been mind blowing for me, but I was gay and would love to have a wonderful relationship with another boy who was special. I knew it was different for the thirteen year old boy because he probably just wanted to have a normal life with the typical kinds of friendships that's been denied to him for such a long time. I felt bad about the incident because somehow in my sleep I had been grinding against the younger boy so naturally his body had reacted while he slept. It would happen to just about any guy if stimulated in their sleep like that whether they were gay or not. It wasn't unusual for boys to have wet dreams at our age and what happened forced him to have one last night. This had to make things a little awkward for the thirteen year old boy because he just wanted me as a friend, yet something deeper had happened between the two of us last night which had to be a bit troubling for him.
I'm sure it would be even worse if I ever told him I was gay. Not that I thought he wouldn't like me anymore as a friend, but rather because it would probably create a sort of cautious guardedness in our friendship. Every time I'd unceremoniously drape my arm over his shoulder, wrestle around, give a friendly hug, casually kick back next to him, or simply goof around there would always be the thought in the back of his mind wondering if this was something innocent or if there was more to it. Last night had sort of crossed some boundaries that a gay guy doesn't do with his friends just for the very same reasons. It was an accident, but still the result was it made people feel uncomfortable. It was frustrating for me because I really liked him as a friend, but also as something more. Life was so unfair sometimes, but I knew as a gay teenager this was something I had to endure.
As Carter sat at the breakfast table his mind began to wander over what happened the previous night. It confused him and he felt ashamed because his dreams had been vividly sexual involving another boy. Not just any boy, but specifically his new friend Pim. He's never had a wet dream before and having one while dreaming about his first real friend made him feel a bit guilty because he liked the older boy as a pal and didn't want to lose him for something that seemed kind of gay. Of course he knew the older boy had a wet dream too, he had felt it, but it was his fault for grinding against the blond haired teen while they slept. He wasn't an idiot and knew boys at their age tossed their cookies when stimulated in any way shape or form. It was only natural, but he felt awful with how it happened because even though it had been innocent enough it was still his fault.
Carter liked the older boy, but had enjoyed the way it felt to be snuggled up next to him last night. It made him feel really nice on the inside. At first he just thought it was because of having a real friend for the very first time, but now he wasn't sure what it all meant because the more he thought about last night the more he enjoyed what had happened. It was embarrassing and every time he looked at his friend he could tell it was bothering the other teen. He didn't want what happened to change their friendship even though he was beginning to realize he had real feelings that were different than what they should be for another boy. Maybe it was just because it's been such a long time since he's had a real friend, but right now these feelings of his made things a little awkward. He didn't want to mess everything up though, so he decided it would probably be best to suppress those urges he was beginning to feel when hanging around the older boy. Having come to a decision Carter began to feel a lot better and only hoped it wouldn't be too late considering what happened last night. Still, it didn't seem as if the older boy was holding it against him, which he thought was kind of cool of the teen.
As I sat in my chair discreetly studying the thirteen year old boy I could tell he was still kind of figuring out how to handle last nights incident. I for one just sort of wanted to ignore it hoping he wouldn't hold it against me. My attention was diverted for a few seconds because Colton asked me what my plans were for the day. I started to speak up when my cell phone rang and I dug it out of my pocket.
"Um…I'm sorry about that," I apologized because we were at the breakfast table, but Mrs. Chasson simply waved it off indicating it was alright.
At home I'd turn off my phone because mom didn't like it ringing while we were eating, but it was my dad so I answered it. Glancing over at Colton I rolled my eyes and he giggled knowingly as I told my dad I'd be heading home shortly. Sighing before giggling at the little boy I shook my head.
"Well I guess that answers your question. You jinxed it you know." I teased reaching over and poking the twerp in the ribs.
The little guy jolted and chuckled. "What'd he say?" He wondered.
"Nothing much just the typical chores and getting some things squared away at home. We still have boxes sitting around and he figured maybe we should get some stuff done first thing in the morning before it gets too warm outside." I sighed glancing towards Carter who seemed a bit disappointed making me smile because it actually did appear as if he wasn't holding last night against me.
"That kind of sucks." Colton replied sadly as if he had been looking forward to hanging around a little.
"Well, my dad did say just to work on stuff in the morning. If you guys want maybe we can hang out a little over at my place for a bit later on after I'm done. Maybe we can figure out something to do together." I offered up hoping maybe for Carter having his brother around might set him at ease today since things were still kind of awkward.
The eleven year old boy perked right up asking his mom if it would be alright. She smiled warmly at her youngest boy reaching over to run her hand through his hair straightening it out saying it would be fine so long as I wasn't going to be so worn out. Glancing over at Carter I could see he had perked up too setting me a little more at ease knowing things were going to be cool between us after all. Last nights incident was just going to be one of those types of things that happened between two friends which would simply be pushed off into the background and forgotten.
"Nah, we'll just kind of take it easy today. I'm sure my dad will want to meet my new best friends." I chuckled poking Colton teasingly in the ribs again while giving Carter a wink seeing his face light up at my 'best friends' reference making me feel good inside.
"If it's alright maybe they can have dinner with us tonight?" I asked Mrs. Chasson who nodded indicating it would be alright with her.
Turning my attention back to the brothers I began to make plans. "My mom's still back in Texas so it will be nice to have some company. I'll tell my dad and I'm sure he will fire up the BBQ or something. How does that sound?" I asked the guys noticing Carter beaming and nodding his head while Colton began bouncing around excitedly because an older teenager was including him and immediately piped up how today should make for a fun day.
It indeed had been a nice day with the two brothers coming over and spending the afternoon with me. After that school vacation seemed to kick off into full swing as the warm summery days started to slip away. I began spending a lot of time with Carter and our friendship cemented into something really special. We left behind the accidental incident, neither one of us giving it much thought anymore. That is at least Carter as far as I could tell because ever since that wonderful night I couldn't help myself when I was alone and my gay needs began to run wild over the cute thirteen year old boy.
Over the years I had gotten used to jacking off at least four or five times day and lately my fantasies always included Carter and the way it had felt grinding and rubbing my erection up against his while we had slept. I could still feel how his curved steel scythe had felt rubbing up against my rigid rapier as we pressed our bodies together. Even the way he had smelled, a little earthy with hints of vanilla as we had grunted in our sleep, invaded my senses while choking my Chode setting off my orgasms and rocking my body with intensity. I still didn't squirt a lot, but my powerful spasms sent my little speed swimmers bursting from the tip end of my nozzle day in and day out.
It's been only a couple of weeks and already I felt Carter was as close a friend as any of my other ones I had left behind. I missed my buddies and mom, but video conferencing made things a lot easier. I chatted often with my pals back in Texas and between this and the Chasson brothers I didn't feel so bad about the move any more. I told my friends all about the thirteen year old boy and they were genuinely happy I had made such a good pal.
My dad and I also chatted just about every night with my mom who said she'd be done wrapping things up in a month or two at the latest. I could tell she missed us, but was happy to hear all about the brothers who were fast becoming tight friends, even chatting with them a time or two when they were over letting me know afterwards how she really liked the boys.
The two brothers were spending so much time with me that my dad was becoming good friends with their parents. Even my mom and Mrs. Chasson were chatting on a regular basis now with Carter's mom keeping mine up to speed on things. I could tell our parents had hit it off. The Chasson's were older, but it really wasn't an issue with my parents finding several things they had in common. It was as if our families had known one another for years and we all seemed to click well together even though my mom was still back in Texas.
One night I even heard my dad discussing some important issues with the Chasson's. He had asked them if they'd be willing to become my guardian temporarily in case something happened. My dad explained how back in Texas they had a power of attorney drawn up for my mom's parents in case of emergencies. Of course they also had made other legal arrangements in case of something dire happening to both of them, but the power of attorney was just something quick and simple for any number of small emergencies until things could be straightened out.
Due to the nature of Dad's work my parents had no illusions as to the possibilities of the unexpected happening in life. Of course if something happened to him while on deployment my mom would be responsible for me, but when he was gravely injured the last time they had both discovered it was extremely important to have something in place where I would be looked after if my mom had to suddenly leave for whatever reason. My grandparents on my mom's side were stipulated as my primary caretakers, but they were in Texas. What my parents needed was for someone who lived here to take on the responsibility for those small emergencies or to watch over me if something big happened until my grandparents could get to me and take over. The power of attorney wasn't only for those emergency types of situations where they had to leave me with someone, but it was also good if something happened while they were at work and some authorities needed permissions with anything like medical emergency or whatever.
The Chassons didn't even hesitate saying they were honored my parents trusted them with something so precious and even asked if my parents would be willing to do the same for their boys. They had never really thought about such things and they had even asked my parents to become something more permanent if anything happened to them. They didn't really have other family members they felt could adequately take care of their kids and was wondering if it would be alright to list my folks as permanent guardians over their boys if anything happened to them. They explained how financially everything was set up for their sons in the event of something happening, but just needed good people to take their boys in and raise them with love.
These were really major life issues and it only made me realize just how close our two families had become. With my mom gone it also provided the chance for me and my dad to get close again. In many ways we had sort of become strangers because over the years he had been deployed in combat situations for long stretches of time. It was a chance for us to get to know one another again and I began noticing there were days where I could tell his stints oversees had changed him and in some ways weighed heavily on him, but he was always a loving father towards me. As a teenager I was more independent, which at times created some friction, but we soon ironed things out finding appropriate compromises along the way as we found our bearings with the new situation.
The house my parents bought was older so there was plenty to do around the place keeping us busy. I enjoyed spending that type of quality time with him and we were becoming closer because of it. So one night over dinner when he asked if I wanted to go to Greensboro over the weekend with him or stay with the Chasson's I found myself not knowing how to answer at first. Spending the night with Carter and Colton again would be a lot of fun, but going with my dad meant I'd be able to spend the weekend with him.
Evidently, my dad was going to visit a Special Forces buddy of his who had gotten hurt and could use the company. I knew my dad was going over to actually see how his friend was doing and find out if there was anything he could do for the family. He had talked about his friend before who was married with a young baby, but got hurt and was in a wheelchair going through therapy until he could walk again. There was a long road ahead for his friend and I knew he just wanted to check out the man's home to see if there were little things he could do to make it easier for him to get around.
It wasn't going to be all about work though because my dad hinted that there were things we could do over in Greensboro as well. It sounded great to me so he nodded saying he would get us a hotel room while I had slipped into my room and gotten on the computer to check out Greensboro. To my surprise I found out they had some really nice biking trails over there that looked like a total blast. The more I checked them out the more I became interested thinking it might be fun if Carter were along. When I brought it up to my dad showing him the trails and some of the other stuff in the area he thought on it for a few moments and nodded his head indicating it would be alright with him.
I gave my dad an impulsive hug seeing the surprised look on his face as he returned my warm embrace. We didn't do much of that anymore, after all I was fifteen years old now, and as I released him and made my way quickly into my room I began to wonder why. I mean, just a couple of years ago I couldn't cuddle up with him enough when he was home and I still felt the urge and need to snuggle with him sometimes. I didn't do much of that with my mom either these days, but I did hug her more. I suppose growing up also meant not doing those types of things so much anymore, but I did miss it as I made my way into my bedroom sitting in the chair in front of my computer.
Sighing, I realized it was a choice and decided to maybe cuddle up more often with my folks, at least when we were alone and if it didn't sort of creep out my dad. As I thought on it I didn't think he would mind so much because he still knocked on my door every night before I went to bed and kissed me good night. My dad was a manly kind of man, but when it came to his family he had a tender heart and never shied from showing his love and affection towards me or mom.
Fishing out my phone I opened my contacts page and tapped on Carter's name hearing the phone ringing and his voice on the other end. "Hey dude, what are your plans for the weekend?" I asked hearing him chuckling on the other end and in my mind's eye seeing him shrug.
"Um…nothing yet. I mean, Colton's staying over at a friend's house for the weekend since its Michael's birthday. He's kind of jazzed about it I think. Even though they are best friends they don't do sleepovers all that much. I suppose with Michael being the youngest of five kids he doesn't have much say most times over what is going on at his house." I heard Carter sigh as if he felt kind of bad for his little brother's friend.
"That's kind of perfect then because dad's heading into Greensboro and told me I could either stay at home, which meant staying with you guys, or go with him. I checked some things out in Greensboro and discovered they've got some wicked mountain biking trails and he said it would be alright for you to come with us and we can do the trails." I explained hearing him getting excited.
"No way, for real…he doesn't mind and we can do those trails?" He asked without pausing long enough for an answer as he pushed forward. "I've heard about Owl's roost and have wanted to give it a try. You sure it will be alright with him?" He asked getting all keyed up about the trip while I chuckled telling him my dad would talk it over with his folks to get everything set up before we talked some more about the trip.
The weekend couldn't come fast enough and to my surprise dad managed to get the entire weekend off from work including Friday. As the Command Sergeant Major at Fort Bragg he had a lot of responsibility to the base and men on post, but he somehow managed to get special permission to go. It wasn't just his normal duties on base, but there was always some formal function or ceremony going on that he was invited to attend. No matter how large or small the event there were always formal invitations coming in the mail and I was sure he was constantly hounded at work by the brass, NCOs (non-commissioned Officers), and enlisted alike. He hated all the pomp, circumstance, and fuss made when he attended some of these ceremonies; especially, when it dealt with officers of high rank. They always seemed to fawn all over him because of his combat missions and decorations.
They even made a big to do with a huge ceremony and everything when he took over the position of Command Sergeant Major at Fort Bragg. Usually only the new incoming base commander or some other high ranking dignitaries were afforded such ceremony and I could tell my dad had hated it because he was there to oversee the training and combat worthiness of the men on post. He's been in enough battle conflicts to know this was a matter of life and death for many of those who were now under his responsibility.
Even though I was just a military brat it didn't mean I wasn't aware of the importance my dad's position bore at Fort Bragg. In general, the command sergeant major carried out policies and standards of the performance, training, appearance, and conduct of all the enlisted personnel on post. In his capacity he advised and initiated recommendations to the commander and staff in matters pertaining to the local NCO support channels. The command sergeant major was expected to function completely without supervision. Like the old sage of times past, the command sergeant major's counsel was expected to be calm, settled and unequivocally accurate, but with an energy and enthusiasm that never waned, even in the worst of times.
It described my dad to perfection because he took his responsibilities very seriously, but in clutch situations was known for the ability to assess the dangers and make appropriate adjustments to keep his men safe. He knew how to handle the brass and was well respected by all including those under him and above him in rank. When he spoke people listened, and if they were smart, followed his advice or simply did what they were told. It was a very stupid enlisted man who didn't hop to when my dad barked out an order and any disobedience or hesitation was swiftly and justly dealt with by him. He was a kind and gentle soul, but not to be trifled with when it mattered.
With all these responsibilities it's why it sort of surprised me he managed to get a Friday off from work. Then again I suppose the base commander would be kind of reluctant to say no; especially, since it was for a good cause. After all, the Army looked after their own since facilities like the VA were run by a bunch of bureaucrats and civilian hacks. None of them gave a rat's ass over the sacrifices men and women in our country had made so they could sit comfortably on their self imposed laurels to cheat, rob, and literally murder combat personnel. I was only fifteen years old, but even I knew we had a broken VA system and a political administration who was more concerned about everyone else in the world at the expense and detriment of people in our own country; especially, those who served in the armed forces.
Of course my mom and dad always kept politics neutral in our home, but as a military brat I wasn't an idiot and could see how our military were used as simple fodder for political gains. I saw how the civilian population didn't have a clue and when combat veterans came home there wasn't a decent support system for them to come back to. It was left to people like my father to reach out and help friends. The military personnel of all branches were left holding the bag in trying to help their comrades in arms on their own because the civilians in charge of helping the combat veterans, who were injured not only physically but mentally, simply didn't care except for how they could gain and benefit by manipulating their numbers. Our VA was in shambles and with all the talk and bluster from politicians not a damn thing was being done, if anything all those thieving murderers working for the VA received bonuses, raises, and promotions.
Turning my thoughts away from these issues since I was a bit sensitive about them because my dad could have been one of those statistics, I began to think of our trip as we traveled down the road to Greensboro. It was only a little over an hour long drive from where we lived and we got an early start, but we had stopped along the way for breakfast. By the time we finished eating and hit the road it was close to two and a half hours later when we pulled into the city. It was almost eleven in the morning when dad finally began to make his way through the narrow street meandering through Bur-Mil Park and the city's watershed lakes. It's where some of the watershed trails began or ended skirting around Lake Brandt and Lake Townsend.
Before we started on the trip Carter and I had scoured over the maps on the computer deciding where we wanted to cut our teeth on the trails. The thirteen year old boy was focused on Owl's Roost trail so after looking through some choices and checking things out I sat down afterwards creating a route for us to try. Now, as we pulled into the small parking lot located by the Frank Sharpe Jr. Wildlife Education Center, I had to smile because Carter looked about as excited like I felt inside, my stomach getting all fluttery with eagerness.
The plan was to start out here and hop on to Owl's Roost Trail first. It was an advanced trail of 4.3 miles, but we wouldn't be completing all of it; instead, veering off and heading south on the Atlantic and Yadkin Greenway about three quarters of the way through the Owl's Roost loop. It was alright though because if we went north it would just loop us back to the starting point and the Atlantic Yadkin greenway was just a main track without much of a challenge. It used to be a rail-trail and currently occupied the abandoned bed of the Atlantic-Yadkin Railroad, but had originally operated between 1899 and 1950. Some of the line was part of the Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley Railway which ran from Wilmington, NC, to Mount Airy, transporting granite and, on occasion, visitors to the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park.
Heading south down the Atlantic and Yadkin Greenway for a short distance would take us across a tenth of a mile long spit into Lake Brandt before we reached the 140-foot historic H. Michael Weaver Bridge. This would take us to the other side of the lake which connected to Wild Turkey Trail, an intermediate 4.46 mile long track. From there we would cross over Reedy Fork Creek scooting on to Reedy Fork Trail, a beginner's 3.5mile long track that followed alongside Reedy Fork Creek. This small stream connected between Lake Brandt and Lake Townsend. We would take this trail traveling next to Reedy Fork Creek and Lake Townsend to the end where I planned on having my dad pick us up on the corner of Plainfield Rd and Church Street.
Parking the SUV, we all climbed out and my dad helped us pull the bikes out of the back. I just had a regular mountain bike, but Carter had a really expensive professional one. It was a gloss blue green colored Santa Cruz Superlight R and looked really nice. I had to smile as I watched Carter take off his pair of blue colored polyester gym shorts, which he had slipped over his form fitting green colored Gore-Tex bike shorts, the very ones he wore that first day he found me. Pulling over his bag of clothes he peeled out of his blue colored jersey short sleeved shirt my eyes taking in his nice pale colored torso reminding me that he rarely went around outside without a shirt on. I couldn't figure out why because he had a nice looking body.
Opening up his bag he pulled out a matching green and black colored Fox Racing Livewire Descent Short Sleeved Jersey made with a moisture-wicking polyester fabric that was designed to keep a rider dry and cool. The Jersey also had a silicone gripper back hem to keep a rider covered up while in the riding position, an internal optics wipe at the hem to keep a rider's shades or goggles clean, and a set of pockets to hold gels, water, or phone when pounding the pedals. Rounding off his outfit was a green and black colored set of Fox Racing Reflex Gel Gloves and the same matching green colored Fox Racing Transition Hardshell Helmet.
Pulling over my bag of clothes I quickly slipped out of my golden colored jean shorts and yellow shirt noticing how Carter glanced towards me and blushed as I stood next to the car in nothing but my white briefs. Reaching into my bag I slipped into an airy pair of regular red colored Jersey style shorts before pulling a red and white colored Under Armour moisture wicking shirt over my head. I just had a banged up black colored helmet and black gloves to match my typical every day type of mountain bike. Carter had checked over our bikes last night getting them all tuned up and into tip top shape for today which I really appreciated.
Slipping back on my sneakers I chuckled shaking my head as Carter straightened back out with his fancy riding shoes that were designed for bike pedals. He was seriously into his mountain biking which reflected the way he put a lot of energy and focus into his riding when we were out together. I knew he always held back when I was with him, but also knew he went out on his own a lot working his legs and technique by himself. The first part of the course would be challenging for him, which meant a tad rough for me as my dad gave my helmet a good slap.
"You guys all set?" He asked zipping up my small daypack that had some water, snacks, and a lunch inside handing it over to me as I slipped my phone into a side pocket before putting it in place over my back.
"Yup, I think so." I replied looking at my watch. "How about you pick us up over on Church street around two. It shouldn't take us three hours, but I figure we will take a little time to eat lunch and maybe goof around a bit by the lake or whatever when we take a break or two. I'm sure Carter could blaze through the miles and rough terrain with a breeze, but I'm going to need a bit of a break I think." I admitted getting a smile out of Carter.
"No problem. I'll be over at my buddy's house and will pick you guys up around two then." He smiled giving me a quick hug which I returned holding on for a few moments longer enjoying the closeness before pulling away. "We can then check into the hotel rooms and rest up a little before we head out for dinner. You've got your cell on you right?" He asked while I nodded pointing to my pack. "Good, if you boys get into any trouble call me. I've got my phone as well and I'm only about fifteen minutes away from here." He instructed a bit surprised when Carter leaned in giving him a quick hug too.
"Thanks so much Mr. Merckx. This is like the best. I've never really been anywhere else before." He admitted shyly catching me by surprise.
"What, you're kidding?" I joked glancing over at my dad because how can people in this day and age never have been anywhere before. "You mean you've never gone anywhere?" I asked seeing the other boy blush and shake his head.
"No, never. It's not like I have anywhere to go. I thought about going on some bike tournaments and stuff, but I never wanted to put out my folks. Dad's always working and mom's got a part time job, so…," he shrugged his shoulders while I furled my eyebrows thinking that's the weirdest thing ever, but then again, my friends back home in Texas never much went anywhere either unless it was to a local town or city to play against another team like in baseball or football.
My dad draped his arm around Carter's shoulder and pulled him into his body while using his other hand to rap his helmet with his knuckles. "Well, I wouldn't worry about it so much. Just have fun and enjoy the bike ride. We've got all weekend so I'll be sure to give you plenty of riding time on some of the other trails as well if you want." He prompted as he reached over giving my helmet another friendly slap before waiving and giving a big toothy grin telling us to behave as if he didn't know better.
We watched him pull away before hopping on our bikes and taking the road a short distance to the trail head of Owl's Roost. "Ready?" I asked seeing him give me a big toothy grin and thumbs up nodding his head for me to take the lead.
The trail started out innocently enough with the first mile and a half being fast and smooth, but then things began to shift with some serious technical challenges lurking along the lake's edge. There were lots and lots of roots, often on the fast downhill portions laced together into long, gnarly off-camber welcome mats. It was during one of these fast patches where I became a little complacent and suddenly found myself in a tumbled heap alongside the trail with Carter immediately hopping off his bike and once more running over to my rescue. The look of sheer terror and fear on his features was just hilarious as I began to bust up and laugh my ass off.
He didn't look amused at all as I sat up and with his helping hand got back to my feet. "Shit, that's not funny." He snapped at me while I furled my eyebrows.
"Geeze, don't be such a worry wart all the time. People fall off these metal beasts all the time." I retorted working my arms and legs making sure there wasn't any serious damage.
I've been active all my life around the ranch and in sports so a few bumps and scrapes never much affected me. They would hurt for a bit and go away. It was just a part of growing up and being active.
"Yeah, but you could get seriously hurt if you aren't careful." He added a bit put out at my carefree attitude while I shrugged my shoulders.
"I told you before; this is different from riding a horse. These metal beasts are way more wild, fierce, and unpredictable." I chuckled facetiously while he rolled his eyes at me and shook his head.
"The only wild thing around here is the boy riding that so called metal beast, not the other way around." The thirteen year old boy countered seriously before shaking his head and chuckling knowing talking to me about such things was a lost cause.
Still, he did try to remain a little serious. "For real dude, you do have to learn how to gauge your skill level and adjust it accordingly. This is a tough trail and you really are a little reckless at times you know." He sighed sounding way too adult like in a mother hen kind of way looking me over still concerned I might have hurt myself.
Shrugging my shoulders and waving off his concern I made my way over to the bike checking it over. "Yeah, but it's no fun for me if I don't push it a little. I'm used to it so don't be such a worry wart." I told him again, seeing the frustration on his face.
"You don't have anything to prove. You are good on the mountain bike all things considered, so don't have to push it so much. I've been riding on the back trails for years now. I'd rather you be safe instead of getting hurt." He pressed helping me with my bike.
"Yeah, whatever. No pain no glory." I smiled at him while he rolled his eyes shaking his head before giving in a little and chuckling.
"God, you are going to give me a heart attack." He grinned continuing to shake his head.
"And you are worried about me getting hurt." I smiled toothily regarding the whole heart attack thing. "For real, sometimes you have to take a little risk. Sure, you could get a little hurt along the way, but if you get up and brush yourself off then in the end it will be worth it. I don't want to live my life in fear. It's no fun." I snorted, hopping back on to my bike motioning for him to do the same and take the lead.
Even though Carter eased back a bit as if gauging my abilities he still pushed things and put on a blistering pace for my benefit. There were quite a few rooty up-hills now as well on the trail, along with some strategically placed logs making Owls Roost very technical at the moment, but the speed of the trail was still making for a great ride. Then about halfway through, we hit a slick 20 foot smooth-bellied gully after the worst of the roots for a weightless roller coaster drop. The drop down looked a bit rooty again and dangerous, but even though instinct screamed for us to tap the breaks Carter instead kicked it up a notch with the potential energy being on our side to make it up the other side. We cranked it through the down side, and more so on the up side, to ride through the roots at the top. This was one point where losing steam and being forced to go back down the gully backwards would be no fun. After that there was a monstrous log pyramid, on an uphill no less, squatting at the top of the last hill. The rest of the ride on Owls Roost took us along the edge of Lake Brandt and into pine tree filled woods.
We were both sweating and grinning ear to ear by the time the trail connected with the Atlantic and Yadkin Greenway shifting into a smooth ride along the land spit that jutted into Lake Brandt. It was hot and muggy outside, but the ride alongside the lake and through the trees made it a lot cooler and very pleasant. We paused for a minute on the bridge enjoying the view on this bright sunny and blue skied day. We couldn't have asked for a prettier day as we saw others walking over the lake bridge and riding bikes. To my surprise we hadn't really encountered a lot of people on Owls Roost, but there appeared to be a lot of people in the park itself in places along the lake and on the bridge.
We took the bridge over to the other side of Lake Brandt and connected with the four and a half mile long Wild Turkey trail. Compared to Owls Roost it was relatively easy since it had been cleared of most roots as our ride transitioned on to the smooth groomed single-track trail in the beautiful woods along Lake Brandt. The trail was fast, fun, and flowed great with fantastic berms, rock jumps, skinnys, and even a few climbs. The setting was spectacular and the conditions perfect with various shades of green colored leaves creating a nice shady canopy above us which blocked out most of the heat from the bright sun. It made the trail a nice cool run with numerous twists, turns, berms, and hills making Wild Turkey a lot of fun in its own way.
The trail really had a very nice flow and feel to it. There was some climbing involved, but all worth the effort and not too difficult compared to what we had just done on Owls Roost. It was the perfect trail for an intermediate rider like me, but also fun for Carter who was an advanced biker. I could even see how it would be perfectly fine for beginners as well giving them just enough of a challenge without it becoming too overwhelming for them. There wasn't anything much in the way of technical riding, except for a few options scattered here and there such as log piles to jump or bunny-hop over. We were able to get enough speed up in certain sections creating a roller coaster like feeling in a mountain forest.
Wild Turkey trail was a lot of fun and we made short work of it as the trail ended and we pulled into Lake Brandt Marina. "Man that was a lot of fun." Carter grinned ear to ear at me. "After Owls Roost it was just perfect." He sighed as we casually rode through the parking lot of the Marina.
"Yeah, Reedy Fork trail is supposed to be a really easy run, but also kind of nice though." I admitted thinking it had been a good idea to do the more difficult trail to begin with because I was getting a bit winded as sweat glistened on my arms and face.
It was cooler under the trees alongside the lake, but out in the open the sun was blistering. At least there was a gentle cool breeze blowing off from the waters of the lake. Looking around I thought it was a pretty area as I motioned for Carter to follow me down to the docks. We rode our bikes to the end of one of the piers and came to a stop as I planted my feet onto the wooden boards with the frame of my bike straddled between my legs.
The cool breeze licking on my sweaty body felt nice as I glanced over towards Carter noticing he was straddling his bike as well gazing across the lake. He had removed his helmet his damp sweaty hair plastered on his forehead while some of it flittered around in the breeze. My gaze took him in and I licked my lips because he really was cute. I'm sure most people would say he was just an average kind of looking kid, and I guess he was, but he really did look boyishly sexy in his outfit; especially, that nice bulge between his legs. I was totally smitten as I continued to scrutinize his average, yet fit form.
My eyes continued to stare at his crotch and I could actually see the outline of his soft penis including the shape of his knob making me wonder for a moment if he even wore underwear beneath his elastic like shorts. His pecker seemed pretty typical for a boy his age, not quite three inches long and what I thought was about the thickness like a roll of quarters. It was currently sort of angled upwards towards the left. He also had a nice sized ball sack, about the size of a billiard, and from what I could make out two very distinct chestnut sized lumps on either side of the slightly indented crease splitting his nut sack in half. I was pretty sure he was wearing underwear beneath his biking shorts if nothing else because of his shy nature, but the way the fabric clung to him it did very little to hide much of anything.
The thirteen year old boy looked really nice and the outlined shape of his teenaged ornaments and candy cane left me once more wondering what he really looked like down there naked. I mean of course I had seen him that one time when we took a piss together by the river the first day we met, but it was sort of from the side. Everything looked pretty average for a boy his age, but it had only been a brief look and not really like he was completely naked. The imagery of the special moment made me shiver because it had fed plenty of my five fingered knuckle chuckle batter basting fantasies along with the memory of how it felt when our bodies and hard erections had ground against one another the other night. I shivered recalling how it had forced us to have a wet dream climaxing as we suddenly woke up embarrassed by what had unexpectedly happened.
Sighing, I tore my gaze away from him feeling my lustful desires rising up inside of me as I once more gazed across the lake enjoying the gentle breeze. "This looks like a nice spot for some lunch." I smiled as I glanced towards the brown haired boy catching him checking me out like I had just done with him.
"Huh, oh…um…sure." Carter blushed, quickly looking away while I grinned knowingly.
At our age guys were naturally curious about certain aspects of other boys and girls, but it didn't necessarily mean anything. Carter was still shy about things and kind of naturally quiet, but he was starting to come out of his shell. Lately he's been more outgoing and open when the two of us hung around together. Even our conversations had turned playful as we teased one another and wrestled around just like any other teenaged kids. It was nice seeing him start to blossom and open up more, but in a lot of ways he remained very bashful and quiet. I suppose it was just a part of his personality which I found charming and appealing as we got off our bikes and took a seat on the wooden planks.
We quickly got lost in the moment as we spread out a small lightweight blanket I had shoved inside my small pack and sat down chatting away enjoying our sandwiches, chips, and snacks while our feet dangled over the edge just above the water. I watched him as he became animated talking about some of the jumps and other tricky parts of the trail we had just traversed and I had to smile because he looked so damn handsome. Everything about him glowed because he was just so happy at the moment like any other typical teen. I felt myself falling for him even more as my heart pounded in my chest while I nodded my head and smiled interrupting at the appropriate moments to keep the conversation going.
Seeing his face light up made me happy and I was glad we were here together. He might just be an average looking kind of kid, but to me he was beautiful. There wasn't anything fancy about him, but he made me feel good and I was happy we were friends. I felt good about the way we got along so well in such a short period of time. Other than that one incident with the kid on my block the first day I met Carter there hadn't been any more incidents. I was glad about that because I really didn't want there to be any problems. I was hoping the rest of the summer would be free of any conflicts, but I hadn't come across any of Carter's real bullies yet, which was kind of surprising for a small town.
Shaking these other thoughts aside I focused my attention back to Carter. This was such a wonderful day and I didn't want to ruin it with thoughts of "what if," types of scenarios. Like anything else in life I would deal with it when and if the time came. Right now, I was happy and so was Carter. That's all that mattered in the here and now. Besides, he was just too damn cute sitting there in his very revealing biking outfit. There was just something about him that made me feel alive in a way I hadn't felt before. It was just the little everyday things like how he would grin sheepishly and look away his golden brown eyes glittering for a moment, the way he seemed shy at times while emboldened at other times, the way he cuddled with his little brother, and the way he would run his hands through his hair or flick it a little to keep it in place. It was just the average little nuances that made him unique and fun to watch.
We took our time and relaxed before finally getting up and hopping back on our bikes. On the way out we tossed away the trash and dropped on to Lake Brandt Road heading north with the lake on our left side. A couple of minutes later we crossed over the small bridge and little dam that fed into Reedy Fork Creek looking for the trail at the other end. As we approached a small parking area just off the road we veered right and popped on to the mostly level track. This was an easy three and a half mile long trail skirting alongside the creek the entire way, but felt nice as we ducked beneath the canopy of trees.
Much of the west end was pretty flat, with a few thirty to fifty foot climbs in middle third, while the east end between Plainfield road and Church Street had a couple of really steep ravines which gave us more of a challenge. The first mile was relatively smooth and easy going, but also really twisty and tight. The middle section that ran along the creek was very rooty taking away some of our speed. There were a few side trails off the main trail that we tried out since we had time and found some nice down-hills and technical sections. Overall, there was very little elevation change with our main workout coming from trying to keep pace over all the rooty sections.
We were about two thirds of the way through when I began to slow down checking out the area. According to the map the first half of the trail skirted the narrow creek which widened out when it connected with Lake Townsend. There was a long narrow part of the lake before it actually widened into the main part of the lake around Church Street.
Looking around I slowed down to a crawl. "What's wrong?" Carter asked while I grinned shaking my head.
"Nothing, just we have some time to kill so I wanted to head off the trail maybe and find the lake." I told him jumping off my bike and heading south through the trees automatically keeping an eye out for snakes.
Glancing over my shoulder I noticed Carter tagging along also carefully scanning for snakes. It actually didn't take long to find the lake that looked about fifty feet wide in this area. As we entered a small patch of open area I set down my bike removing my gear and walking towards the edge of the lake. It was quiet with no one around as I glanced over at the thirteen year old boy and grinned mischievously while he furled up his eyebrows at me wondering what was up.
Without saying anything I kicked off my shoes tugging on my socks dropping them in a pile before pulling off my shirt feeling the warm sun and cool wind licking along my skin giving me goose-bumps. Dropping my shirt on the growing pile of my clothes I hooked my thumbs in my shorts and pulled them down along with my underwear kicking them on to the rest of my clothes.
There was a gasp of surprise from Carter and when I glanced over his eyes were big and round staring right at my floppy bits. "What the hell." He managed to squeak out.
"What?" I asked as he suddenly seemed to come to his senses and immediately blushed because he had been gawking at my cock and balls.
"Y-your naked…I mean…what are you doing?" His voice got a little higher cracking slightly as he now began to look around like a deer caught in headlights while I shrugged.
"I'm going skinny dipping. My buddies and I used to do that all the time back home. What's the big deal?" I asked as I gingerly made my way over towards the refreshingly cool looking water.
"Wh…what if someone sees you and what about snakes?" He squeaked nervously as I tiptoed into the perfectly chilled water that would cool me down without being too cold.
"Who's going to see us out here? There's no one around and anyone on the trail isn't heading through the trees. We are far enough away from the trail." I told him as I sighed dipping my hot body completely into the water. "As for snakes, do what we always do, keep an eye out for em." I retorted closing my eyes for a second. "Damn, this feels awesome." I moaned softly. "Don't be such a worry wart all the time. I'm going to swim across to the other side and back." I laughed before dipping my head under the water and propelling myself forward in easy long strokes.
I reached the other side and began making my way back noticing Carter was also now casually swimming in the water on the other side waiting for me to come back. As I made my way back he met me part of the way and I could see him grinning ear to ear.
"Man, this feels totally awesome." He smirked while I smiled back.
"Yeah, I told you." I giggled, suddenly lunging for him and dunking his head under.
His head popped back up to the surface as he sputtered and grinned impishly at me before returning the favor by launching his body at me and quickly dunking my head under. I inhaled air into my lungs at the last moment my eyes clamping shut just as my head dipped below the surface a couple of feet. I pulled slightly back grabbing his wrists wrestling them from my head opening up my eyes under the water to get my bearings. I felt my eyes literally bugging out of my head when I realized not six inches in front of my face was his soft worm and nuggets devoid of any clothing what-so-ever. To my surprise he had stripped naked like I had before wading into the water after me which was so unlike him. I had expected Carter to maybe leave his underwear on, but to my pleasant surprise he was completely starkers as my head finally popped out of the water and I sputtered coughing to clear my throat.
"H…holy fuck dude, you are like…naked." I continued to hack while he suddenly busted up and splashed water in my face making me splutter and cough some more.
After that it was on as we began horsing around completely forgetting how we were totally naked with our bodies rubbing up against one another. It felt good to be carefree and I didn't even bother hiding my boner when I popped one a time or two. Carter was a little shyer about it when he sprung one, but I didn't make a big deal over it because it had taken a lot of guts for him to come skinny dipping with me. After about fifteen minutes of good ole fashioned fun we slowly waded out of the water and made our way over to a grassy area. I pulled out the small lightweight blanket, spreading it out on a soft area with a slight incline and laid down on my back so I could dry off and soak up some of that nice sun.
The thirteen year old boy had followed me out of the water, but had clamped his hands over his penis and balls keeping them hidden. I didn't say anything as I stretched out, relaxed, and closed my eyes completely exposed to his scrutiny. I could feel his eyes on me, but didn't say anything knowing this was a little uncomfortable for him. After several long moments I felt him settling next to me, our arms and shoulders rubbing together on the small blanket. I heard him sigh and felt him shifting around a little as if getting comfortable.
The sun and gentle warm breeze was nice as I felt my skin beginning to dry out. The water had been cold enough to shrivel up my pecker and balls, but now as the sun began to dry and warm me up I could tell everything was beginning to loosen up and relax into a more normalized size down there. My right hand was tucked under my neck and head bent at the elbows in support, while my left arm was stretched along the side of my body. I felt Carter reaching out with his right hand placing it on top of mine as he sighed sounding tranquil at the moment. Opening up my eyes I glanced over at his face which looked really peaceful as he began to doze his breathing coming in even rhythms. He looked relaxed and calm, his serene boyish features belying his usual anxious shy nature. Smiling I swiveled my head and glanced down at him the breath catching in my throat.
He had a beautifully fit body with his soft creamy smooth skin almost sparkling in the sunlight. The thirteen year old boy had a medium build, but he wasn't flabby in the least having a nice flat chest and smooth stomach. That isn't really what captured my attention though as I began to scrutinize his flaccid penis that was currently lopsidedly nestled in his small patch of downy pubes, the brown strands still slightly damp and glistening invitingly. We were on a slight rise so I could see him in all his naked, glory taking in his beauty and feeling my penis stir slightly between my legs threatening to plump up on me.
Since he seemed to be dozing and not so self conscious at the moment I took the opportunity to really look him over, licking my lips because this was a little bit naughty. I was perving a tad on the thirteen year old boy, but I couldn't help it because there was no denying I had a bit of a crush on him as I continued to soak in his beautiful sexiness.
Taking my time I let my eyes roam as my gaze continually dipped back to the ultimate prize taking in the small nuances of what made Carter so appealing to me as I committed them to memory. As I had noted when we had taken a piss together his penis was what I would consider fairly average in length and thickness. Now that it had warmed up under the hot sun it was maybe two and three quarter's of an inch long and about the thickness of a "C" sized battery. His circumcised tube had a standard shaped penis head that was both curved and a bit pointed and about an inch in length, which I thought was pretty normal for a boy his age. The shape seemed typical with what I had seen on my friends and most other boys around our age where the head was broader at the base than at the tip while the underside curved smoothly. All in all I thought the size of his glans itself was fairly standard with it being slightly thicker around the ridge than his shaft.
The younger teen's soft penis was currently nestled a little lopsidedly on top of his pubes curving slightly around his plump scrotum sack while his chestnut sized testicles hung low inside the boy's smooth billiard sized scrotum. With his strong legs angling slightly outwards creating a gap it allowed his supple loose purse of skin to dangle slightly below the base of his shaft and between his thighs. Just then Carter shifted slightly and I saw his bag jiggling about before sticking tackily to his left thigh, the membrane of his purse tugging outwards slightly where it clung to his leg as it stopped jiggling around. His scrotum was still silky smooth for the most part, the couple of thin light colored filaments barely noticeable. I was so captivated at the moment I didn't even bother to look and see if he had stirred awake; instead, focusing now on the nice scrub of pubes with thick soft curly acorn brown colored strands encircling the base of his shaft before thinning out quickly over the rest of the slight rise along his pale pubic mound.
The sensation of Carter's right hand shifting slightly on top of mine as he reached around and curled his fingers into mine finally brought me back to the moment. I shifted my gaze over to my arm noticing how we were innocently holding hands now. It was kind of sweet and it felt really nice with our fingers slightly curling into one another. This was a special moment for me as I realized I was actually lying naked alongside another boy who I really liked as more than just a friend and we were holding hands to boot. It sent a tingling sensation all up and down inside of me, and I savored the moment committing it to memory forever more.
Authors deserve your feedback. It's the only payment they get. If you go to the top of the page you will find the author's name. Click that and you can email the author easily.* Please take a few moments, if you liked the story, to say so.
[For those who use webmail, or whose regular email client opens when they want to use webmail instead: Please right click the author's name. A menu will open in which you can copy the email address (it goes directly to your clipboard without having the courtesy of mentioning that to you) to paste into your webmail system (Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo etc). Each browser is subtly different, each Webmail system is different, or we'd give fuller instructions here. We trust you to know how to use your own system. Note: If the email address pastes or arrives with %40 in the middle, replace that weird set of characters with an @ sign.]
* Some browsers may require a right click instead
