4. Axel

Chapter 4

Axel

As an eagle seemed to momentarily hover in the sky before diving at breakneck speed, Axel watched with a look of wonder on his face. He felt privileged to live in the kind of place where the nature was so spectacular and abundant.

Despite Jackson's no-show, Axel was still happy to be out walking amongst the wildlife and taking in the breathtaking views. And it wasn't as if he was totally alone either. With Laser tearing around the terrain like a dog on a mission, Axel still had enough company to keep him going.

The eastern ridge of Eagle Range was a fairly tricky climb in parts, and Axel would never recommend anyone but the most confident climber take it on alone. But between him and Laser, there would be no problems.

And despite his calves feeling the steep inclines, Axel knew that it would all be worth it once they hit the peak and then made the descent down toward Eagle Falls .

‘Laser, we're two lucky sonsofbitches,' Axel declared, taking a moment to drink in the view.

But as much as Axel appreciated that cinematic panorama in front of him, Laser seemed far more concerned about discovering whether there were any rabbits this far up the mountain.

‘ Hmmm . You've never been one for taking it slowly,' Axel laughed. ‘I guess that's why I named you Laser.'

It was at moments like this that Axel could see the benefit of having a Little in his life. His former boy was never especially interested in hiking though, and it was only through shared hikes with friends that Axel had got to experience moments like this.

Just me, a boy, and Laser.

Up on a mountain peak.

Damn. I can't deny how good that would feel…

Briefly, Axel felt a pang of regret at how his previous relationship ended. Of course, it was his ex who had cheated on him, but Axel also could see with hindsight that perhaps they were never meant to go the distance together. Too many differences. Not enough common ground. It was a tale as old as time. Although he couldn't accept that his ex had been unfaithful, Axel was beginning to wonder whether that was simply his former boy's way of sabotaging a relationship that was always likely to end in a parting of the ways.

Axel was a stubborn and determined man. He didn't like to give up or lose. And it was maybe this side of his personality that had kept his former relationship going for as long as it had – even when the most obvious cracks had started to show.

‘Fuck. Not me getting all philosophical on top of a mountain,' Axel chuckled wryly. ‘I think it's time I got my ass in some cold water. Nothing beats an icy dip to clear the mind. Laser! Let's move!'

With that, Axel took one more look at the vista and began his descent.

It was time to immerse himself in nature in a whole other way – and reset and refresh his optimism at the same time!

The paths and trails down to the waterfall were easy to navigate and before long, Axel and Laser were down by the water's edge. With the waterfall looking as spectacular as ever and its water crystal clear as expected, Axel was very much looking forward to getting his somewhat weary body nice and wet.

‘Don't stray too far,' Axel said, shooting a look toward Laser as the dog shot away into the undergrowth. ‘Who am I kidding…'

Axel rolled his eyes and swiftly stripped down to his trunks.

Part of Axel was tempted to go the whole way and indulge in some skinny dipping, but the thought of exposing his manhood to the icy chill of the water was just about enough to put him off. In the height of summer, perhaps it might have been an option, but not today .

‘Okay. Three… two… one,' Axel said, psyching himself up to take the plunge.

However just before he was able to get into the water, Axel saw a head pop up above the water over on the other side of pool.

It was a boy.

And he was cute too.

Suddenly, Axel realized that this wasn't just any boy. He couldn't say for absolutely certain, but Axel was convinced that it was the very same young man he spotted in The Hot Plate.

Jesus. Quit staring and say something.

‘Hey,' Axel said, his gaze meeting with the boy's as he swam.

‘Hey,' the boy replied, seemingly not exactly overjoyed with Axel's arrival.

Axel knew that this might be a potentially awkward situation for the boy. After all, he had appeared out of nowhere and was wearing nothing but a pair of revealing trunks. Eagle Falls was very much a public space, but the last thing that Axel wanted was to make the mysterious young man feel uncomfortable.

But Axel knew that having already changed into his swimming trunks, it would look weird to not actually get into the water at this point.

Axel duly eased into the water and began to swim. He figured that if he kept his distance from the boy, there shouldn't be a problem. The space might not have exactly been an Olympic standard pool size, but it was certainly big enough for two people to comfortably keep their distance as they went about their business.

Quick swim.

Get out, get changed.

Head back.

As Axel swam, he tried his best not to look over toward his fellow swimmer. But just as he thought he was managing this task, Axel happened to glance over toward the embankment on the opposite side from him and saw the boy standing there in a pair of trunks that would best be described as skimpy.

It might only have been a brief moment before Axel turned away, but it was an image that was instantly seared into his mind forever. The boy's slender yet curvy body was fully on display as the wet trunks clung to him for dear life.

And as if that wasn't enough, the thong at the back of the swimming trunks showed off a pair of dripping wet, milky white, and perfectly round butt cheeks that not even the most sophisticated A.I. could have conjured.

The water might have been cold, but Axel immediately felt his cock react and begin to swell. Fortunately Axel's lower half was safely hidden under water, but there was no escaping the fact that his Speedos were being pushed to their natural limits as his cock went from soft to rock-hard in a matter of seconds.

Mercifully, the boy quickly grabbed his towel and covered up. Axel looked away equally as quickly, but the damage was done. Axel's mind was racing with thoughts, images, and ideas for what he'd like to do to those peachy cheeks .

A spanking.

An ass-eating.

Wild horses couldn't pull me away from that butt…

Axel dived fully underneath the water to try and rid his mind of all the horny thoughts that were coursing through it at lightning speed. And when Axel popped back up, mercifully the boy was fully dressed and putting his backpack on his shoulders.

‘A stuffie…' Axel muttered, noting the squishy red object in the backpack's side compartment.

As if his sexy face and delectable butt weren't enough, it was looking like the boy might well be a Little. This was almost too much for Axel to bear. Fortunately, Axel's torture was put to an end as the boy finished gathering his things and stomped his way out of sight and into the forest's lush greenery.

Yet again, this mysterious boy had given Axel a tantalizing and fleeting window into his life. But just like the sighting at The Hot Plate, this was another all too brief look.

Axel decided that with the boy gone, it was safe to come out of the water. And the pool's chilly temperature had clearly done its work as his erection was now well and truly gone again.

Drying his body with his thick magenta colored towel, Axel smiled as he saw Laser casually trotting over toward him, his bushy tail wagging from side to side.

But before the two best friends could greet one another properly, the pair of them heard an ear-splitting scream .

‘What the hell?' Axel roared, immediately throwing his shorts on and running in the direction of the noise.

Axel wasn't a betting man. But if he was, he would have put all his money on the scream coming from the boy. And if there was even the smallest chance that the young man was in danger, then Axel was going to go all out to help him.

Axel ran barefoot around toward the opposite side of the pool and charged into the undergrowth with no thought for his own personal safety.

For all Axel knew, he could be running into a deathtrap.

It might have been his Daddy side coming to the fore, but Axel was going to get to the bottom of this situation no matter what…

‘Hey, what's going on?' Axel asked as he ran into a small clearing and saw the mystery boy standing with his hands on his head and a look of shock and distress on his sweet face. ‘Are you okay?'

‘It's… I… it's my stuff,' the boy sobbed. ‘It's ruined.'

Instinctively, Axel stepped forward and took the boy into his arms. He might have been bare chested, but that wasn't going to stop Axel comforting the stranger in his hour of need.

‘It's okay, it's going to be okay,' Axel said, feeling the boy's heavy breathing up against his chest. ‘The scream had me worried. I thought something might have happened to you. '

‘Someone did this to me,' the boy said, his voice suddenly turning angry. ‘It's so freakin' unfair.'

A little to Axel's surprise, the boy pulled away from his embrace and stomped his foot on the ground as he surveyed the mess around him. Axel could see that the boy's tent had been torn to shreds and by the looks of things his other supplies and camping equipment had been damaged too.

‘Don't worry, I can help,' Axel said, attempting to calm the increasingly irate boy down.

‘I don't need help!' he said, stomping his foot once more. ‘I need my tent back how it was.'

Axel could see that the boy was full of pride, and plenty sassy too.

On the one hand, this filled Axel with dread. If he was going to provide a helping hand, then a little cooperation wouldn't go amiss. But on the other hand, Axel loved the fact that his sassy and sexy damsel in distress was full of character. Sure, it was a little irritating to have his offer of help dismissed, but it was cute too – and it certainly gave Axel some seriously stingy thoughts about how he could get his butt into line.

Axel knew that he needed to put his foot down and take control.

‘The name's Axel,' he said, offering his hand for the boy to shake. ‘And I'll help you. No strings attached. I'll drive you to town, and we'll see about getting this tent repaired. I know a place that can't be beat when it comes to this kind of thing. I'll even drive you back up here once it's done. But I'm going to need for you to get down off your high horse for just a moment and accept my help. Oh, and you could tell me your name too.'

Axel stopped talking and allowed the silence to hang in the air for a moment.

Axel had spoken his mind and made a more than generous offer to help the boy, now it was up to him how the next chapter played out between them.

Up close and personal, the boy was even more attractive than Axel had imagined. He had delicate features, and he was slender too – but there was a strength to his body that took Axel by surprise. There was something about the way that the boy stood and held himself that impressed Axel. He might have been a Little, but there was a toughness to him too.

Still, all of this would matter for little if he didn't accept Axel's offer.

Axel wasn't bluffing either. He would walk away and leave the boy if he didn't want his help – or at least that's what Axel was telling himself.

‘I…um… well… sure, I'll let you help me. And the name's Arlo,' the boy replied, kicking his foot out and folding his arms. ‘But they'd better fix my tent right. I don't want to wake up and be covered in water if they miss a spot.'

Axel rolled his eyes.

This was going to be hard work – but something told him that it might just be worth the effort…