Survivors 2-IV

[aurelius]

Survivors2-IV: 16-20

 

 

16

 

It was only while I was walking back from the harbor that I realized my idea of a floating target for Abari was stupid.  If he missed the target, he would lose an arrow—and we didn’t have so many arrows that we could afford to lose one.  But then I thought that Lateef would have figured that out, and I relaxed.

 

By the time I got home and got to our fathers’ house, I discovered that indeed Lateef had figured that out: “Jabar, a floating target would mean Abari loses arrows!”

 

“I know,” I said, “I figured that out on my way back here.  Have you come up with a better plan?”

 

“I have,” Dad said.  “I’ll set up a target on the other side of the bay.  It should be about the same distance as an Egyptian ship in the ocean.  And we’ll have the benefit not losing some of Abari’s arrows.”

 

“That sounds great, Dad!”  I said and I was happy to have an excuse to hug him.  I turned to Abari, hugged him, and said,  “So now you will have a target on the other side of the bay, and one of us will retrieve your arrows from the target—or if you miss.”

 

Abari nearly whispered to me: “I still wish I would be at your side.”  I whispered back:  “Me too, but there are too few of us archers, and we need you to shoot at ships.”  

 

“By the way,” I said to Dad and Amare and Lateef, “Does everybody have mud basins?”

 

Amare said, “We have one at the lookout and one on the beach.”

 

Lateef said, “And we have one at the far lookout.”

 

“I think the mud basins made a difference last time—we have too few men;  we can’t lose anyone.”  

 

“And,” I said, “do your lookouts have fire basins too?”  Lateef’s head and Amare’s head nodded; I could relax a little.

 

“Are we ready to have evening water?” Amare wanted to know.

 

Lateef said, “Can we wait a little longer for Garin?  He said he would try to make it.”

 

“And,” Dad said, “Xander told me he and Zuberi would try to make it too.”

 

“OK,” said Amare, “then we’ll wait.”

 

But it wasn’t long before we heard the thick footsteps of a heavy man—and Lateef’s face brightened.

 

“Thanks for waiting for me,” Garin said as he entered.  “Akhom, Tafari and I loaded the far lookout with boulders today.  I could use some water!”

 

And then we heard more footsteps—of two large men.  “Thanks for waiting for us,“ Zuberi said as he entered.  “And I brought some more arrows and a big quiver for our youngest archer.”

 

Abari smiled: “Thanks, my brother!”  He looked at his new quiver and arrows as if they were presents.

 

And as Xander entered he said, “I think every lookout on the island has a mud basin.  And every lookout has a fire basin too.  Our potters have been working hard, and the black rock has made the kilns extra hot. 

 

Amare said, “I’m so glad our whole family is here.  We don’t know when the Egyptians will invade again, and every time we can all be together is precious to me.”

 

“And to me,” said Dad.

 

I looked around the little house; it was bursting with beautiful male muscle.  And these were my family, my fathers and brothers and my lover.  And I knew damn well that if I cried, Lateef or Garin would notice and say something.  So I looked down for a moment and just silently cherished them all.

 

 

17

 

After evening water, we all went to our separate houses.  When Abari and I got home, we hugged and kissed.  I thought we were going to make love—or at least suck cock.  But Abari wanted to talk.

 

“Do you really think I can set fire to Egyptian ships?”

 

“Yes, I do.  And Baniti thinks so as well—so it’s not just me thinking how wonderful my beautiful, muscular lover is!”  I hugged him around his big chest and kissed him again.  He smiled and kissed me back but then hesitated.

 

“Jabar, you know I’m still a kid—don’t you?”

 

“My love, we are both still kids—I’m just a few years older than you.”

 

‘But now you’re treating me like a man.”

 

“Don’t you want to be a man?”

 

“Well, yes.  But—“

 

And I knew where he was going: “What if you fail?”

 

He smiled.  “Yes, you understand!  I’m so happy you understand!”  And he picked me up and twirled me around like I was a doll.

 

“Hey!  Set me down!”  But I was glad he was smiling and showing how strong he was.  I needed him to feel how strong he was.

 

I took his arms and pulled him—as much as I could ever pull him—down to the floor.  “I know you are still a boy inside, but this”—and here I hit his big chest, shoulders and arms—“this is you as a man.  Your body is a man’s body.  And it’s your body which will pull the bowstring and shoot arrows at the Egyptian ships.”  I looked deep into his eyes.  He was looking at me the same way I had seen him look at his dad.  

“You need to let your man’s body show your power.  You need to trust your body to be the powerful man I know you are!”  And I hit his thick chest again.  

 

“Look,” I said.  “Remember how scared you were watching me kill my snake?”  He nodded like a little boy.  “Well, I was just as scared.”

 

“But you didn’t show it!”

 

“No, I didn’t.  Because I didn’t want you to see me scared, and I didn’t want my dad to see me scared.” I paused and looked into his eyes.  “But I was a scared little boy inside.  I didn’t want to become a man.  I still wanted to be a little boy and feel my dad’s arms around me.”

 

“But you were so brave!  And you killed the snake!”

 

“I only killed the snake because I felt how much my dad and my brothers loved me.  Without Xander and Lateef pulling at the snake coils, without Garin holding the snake’s head—I could never have killed the snake.  And remember what I said after the snake was dead?”

 

“That you loved all of us—but I already knew that.”

 

“But I felt it, inside here”—I hit the center of my chest.—“I felt connected to all of my brothers and our fathers—and I had never felt so connected in my life.  This may sound strange, but I felt one with them.”

 

“I wish I had been able to kill my snake the way you did.”

 

“I know.  I wish you had been able to kill a smaller snake. Instead, your dad had to take over and save your life—and you have no idea how scared I was for you that day!”  Here I couldn’t hold back: I hugged Abari and started to cry a little.  Then I pulled back.  “I knew that day that I couldn’t lose you; that you were my true love.”

 

Abari kissed me—and we kissed for a while.  But I had more to say.

 

“My love, I think when you go to the lookout with our fathers, you will be connected to them—and yes, to Xander—and I hope you can feel the kind of connection I felt that day when I killed my snake.  I hope as you pull the bowstring you will feel your fathers behind you, helping you pull that string and aim that arrow.  I hope that connection fills up your heart and you feel how much love your family has for you.  We all love you; we all want you to be the man this wonderful body says you are!” 

 

“Oh, Jabar, I hope I can be the man you think I am!”  He hugged me; our arms were tight around each other’s bodies.

 

“I know you will be!”

 

We were too tired for fucking, so we sucked cocks, kissed and went to sleep.

 

 

18

 

The next day we didn’t go to archers training.  I asked Lateef to run to the training field and tell Baniti that I would be working with Abari at the bay.  Lateef ran, delivered the message, and was back at the bay while we were still setting things up.

 

Dad swam over to the other side of the bay and set up an old driftwood log—Abari’s target.  Amare and I were in the lookout with Abari.  Dad moved away from the target, into some bushes further from the shore.  

 

“OK,” I said to Abari,  “Aim for the driftwood.  Pretend it’s an Egyptian ship.”  Abari nodded.  I moved back.  He put one of the long arrows in his bow; he drew back the bowstring; I was in awe of his body—the power in those muscles.  He let the arrow fly.

 

The arrow didn’t only hit the target; it destroyed the driftwood.  The log shattered!  I rushed to Abari, “See what you can do?  You have such strength that your arrow shattered the driftwood log.”

 

On the other side of the bay, Dad put his hands around his mouth and yelled, “I guess I have to find another target!”  I laughed; Amare chuckled.  Abari looked around at the two of us and started to laugh.  “My son,” Amare said, putting his huge arm around Abari’s big shoulders, “you destroyed the target!  You are a wonderful archer!”  Abari looked at me sheepishly and said, “I guess I can do this.”  I hugged him and said, “Yes, my love, you can!”

 

Dad found a log which wasn’t as weak as the previous log.  He called to us: “This one is more solid; it shouldn’t shatter.  After you hit it, I’ll have to pull the arrow out.”

 

Just then Xander and Zuberi showed up; I guessed they had slept in and had just finished morning water.  I called for them to come up to the lookout.  I told Abari, “I have an idea.  But first, shoot another arrow and hit the new target.”  Once again, I lusted after my love as he pulled the bowstring back.  He let the arrow fly and once again he hit the log.  This time the log didn’t shatter.

 

I yelled across the bay: “Dad, take the arrow out of the log and get back.”

 

Then I turned to Xander.  “I have an idea: could you pick up one of the smaller boulders—one just a little bigger than your hand—and throw it at the log Abari just hit?”  Xander nodded, looked around at the collection of boulders in the lookout; he found a smaller boulder, hefted it and came over to stand next to Abari.  I was glad that Abari and Zuberi weren’t holding to my promise not to be around Xander.  But I think everyone wanted to see if my idea worked.

 

Beautiful Xander drew his arm back, aimed, and threw the small boulder across the bay.  It hit the log target and it seemed to my eyes that the log gave way a little.

 

“Dad,” I yelled, “could you check the log?”

 

Dad looked and then yelled to us, “It’s falling apart.  Xander’s rock shattered part of it—the part where Abari’s arrow had hit it.”

 

I was all smiles.  I turned to Abari and Xander: “My lover and my brother: I think you two hold the key to sinking some Egyptian ships.  Abari needs to hit the hull of the ship and Xander then needs to hit the hull near where Abari hit the ship—and between the two of you, the ship’s hull will crack and the ship will sink.”

 

Abari and Xander looked astonished.  They looked at each other and then back at me.  Amare came behind the two and put an arm around each of their shoulders; “My sons, Jabar is right.  When I throw boulders at the ships, most times I miss. But with Abari’s aim—“ here he squeezed Abari’s shoulder— “and Xander’s throw, you can do more damage to their ships than I can.  You two need to work together.”  Xander extended his hand: “What do you say, brother, shall we sink some Egyptian ships?”  Abari smiled and took Xander’s hand: “Yes, we will!”  I don’t think I had ever smiled more broadly.

 

Xander said he needed to find more small boulders and left.

 

“But I have another idea,” I said.  I turned to Amare: “Do you have any unused snakeskin left, from Abari’s snake or mine?”  He nodded.  “I think we should put snakeskin around Abari’s arrows and set the snakeskin afire.  It will burn longer than the grass knots.   “And,” I said, “I think if we dip the snakeskin in water and then let it dry, it should retain the fire even longer.”  I paused.  “Now we can’t really practice this, and I’m not sure how many ships there will be, but Abari should shoot flames at Egyptian ships, and then Xander can hit the ship where the arrow burns.”

 

Lateef was standing nearby: “Where do you get all these ideas?”  He came over and put his fingers, spider-like, on the top of my head. “Does your head hurt from all these ideas?”  Everyone—including me—chuckled.

 

Amare said, “I don’t care if the ideas make his head hurt—“  and here he came over and hugged me—“I’m just glad we have his big brain to help us out!”

 

So, the rest of the morning, Abari shot at logs on the other side of the bay and Xander followed up with small boulders thrown at the same target.  Dad had to hunt for more targets—Abari and Xander destroyed four or five.   

 

Zuberi had long since left for the smithy—to make more arrows for Abari.

 

After a while we were all tired.  Dad had over a dozen arrows to carry back from the other side of the bay—and of course he swam with a fistful of arrows.  When he had delivered them back to Abari—and giving him big hug—I asked my love to leave his bow and arrows and come with me down to sit by the shore.

 

“Isn’t this where your dad likes to take you guys for a talk?   Are you turning into your dad?”

 

“Well, you’re nearly as big as your dad, so what if I’m becoming more like my dad?”  I smiled.  “You have to admit, we have great fathers!”

 

“Yes, we do,” and he scooped me up in his arms.  “Can I throw you in the bay?”

 

“Not yet—after you sink a few Egyptian ships with Xander.”  He put me down and we sat down at the water’s edge; the waves hit our feet.

 

“Jabar, did you hatch this plan just so you would get Xander and me together?”

 

“No,” I said, “But I’m glad it’s happened.”

 

“I am too.”

 

We were quiet for a few minutes.  Then my brain interrupted us: I had another idea.  “I have to go to the potters.  Do you want to come with me or stay here in this beautiful sunshine?”

 

“Why do you have to leave?”  He was upset.  “You always have something else to do—why can’t you stay with me?”

 

“Because I just had an idea about using our water on our prisoners.  If you sink some ships, we’re going to have soldiers swimming like crazy to avoid the sharks and when they get here, they’ll be thirsty.  If we give them our water—“

 

“Then they’ll fall asleep!”  Abari was delighted that he had figured out my idea.  “That’s a great idea!  Yes, I’ll come with you to the potters!”

 

We got up and started to walk quickly, then run.  “And,” I said, “when they wake up, they’ll be more like us!”  I smiled and Abari smiled.  We ran.

 

 

19

 

At the potters, I asked Musa, the head potter, if it would be possible for them to create 10-12 more water jugs.  Musa said that they could get six done by tomorrow, and six more the next day.  I said that would be fine.  I told him that the new water jugs would be for prisoners when the Egyptians attacked—and Musa, like Abari, immediately understood: “They’ll fall asleep, and when they wake up they’ll be more like us!”  I smiled and said Lateef would be back with Abari and me to pick up the new water jugs tomorrow afternoon.  We would fill up the new jugs and take them to all the lookouts and to the training field.  Every possible landing place needed to have water for our prisoners.  Musa said that they would make an extra effort to fire as many as they could—they would be basic, but they would hold water.

 

On our way back from the potters, we stopped by the smithy to see if Zuberi had made any more arrows for Abari.  He had; he could give them to us then, or we could wait and he would bring them in a new quiver to our fathers’ house for evening water.  Abari wanted to wait for his new present.  Zuberi smiled, gave Abari a hug and said, “I’ll see you then!”

 

Abari and I went back to the bay and spent the rest of the afternoon letting the little waves hit our feet.  We lay on the sand and closed our eyes.  We didn’t talk much.  He reached for my hand, squeezed it and said, “Thanks for coming back here.  I need more time with you.”

 

“And I need more time with you!  I feel like I’m always running from one place to another on this island.”

 

“That’s because you are!”  He nearly yelled this; he sat up and then lowered his head and put his lips on mine and we kissed.  Then he rolled over on top of me—his whole big body.  It didn’t take long for me to break the kiss and say, “Please, my love, you’re so big; I can’t breathe!”

 

Immediately he rolled off me and became younger: “Oh, Jabar, I’m sorry!  I don’t know how big I am!”

 

“I know, my love!  You don’t remember how big you are, and I have trouble remembering how young you are!  We’re a fine mess!”  And we both chuckled.

 

We went back to lying side by side on the sand, the waves lapping art our feet.  The sun was hot, and we got thirsty.  On our way up the hill we met Zuberi coming from the smithy with the quiver of arrows.  “Here’s your present, Abari!”  We all went into our fathers’ house.  

 

Xander was already there; he had loaded the lookout with about twenty more small boulders.

 

“I wonder,” I said, “if some small boulders at the far lookout would be a good thing.  What if the Egyptian ships come by our place but are on their way to the far lookout.”

 

“Then,” Abari said, “we’d only get to sink a couple of ships before the rest got by us—“ here he looked at Xander—“and we’d have to run to the far lookout.”

 

“You’re learning fast, my love!”  I smiled.  He really was learning fast.

 

“That’s a good idea,” said Xander. “Tomorrow, Abari, could you help me carry a dozen or so small boulders to the far lookout?”  Abari nodded.

 

“I thought we’d find you all here,” Lateef said as he and Garin came in.  

 

“And we’re always happy to see all of our sons stop by!”  Amare and Dad were all smiles.  We sat down for evening water.

 

Dad turned to me and asked, “Why did you and Abari run off in the middle of the afternoon?  Were you going to the smithy?”

 

“They did see me,” Zuberi said, “but I think they only stopped by.”

 

“We went to the potters,” I said. “I asked if they could make another ten water jugs for us.”  My family was curious, I guess they were used to me coming up with new ideas.

 

“My idea is that we have extra water all around the island, for our prisoners.  For example, what if Abari and Xander sink a couple of Egyptian ships.  The men from those ships will swim like crazy to avoid the sharks.  By the time they walk out of the bay, they’ll be thirsty.”

 

“And then they’ll drink the water and fall asleep!”  Abari couldn’t contain his glee at knowing the idea.  “And,” he said, “when they wake up, they’ll be like us!”

 

Our fathers were nodding.  “Well,” Amare turned to Garin and put his hand on his shoulder: “it looks like you and Abari will have more slabs to move!”  Garin smiled.

 

“Of course,” I added, “we’ll offer the prisoners a choice—go back to Egypt or stay here.  My hunch is most of them will want to stay.  But, if only a few want to go back to Egypt, that will send a message to the Egyptians.  And maybe they will want to trade with us rather than attack us.”

 

“Very smart, my son!”  And Dad reached over and kissed my head. “I agree with my love: I’m glad we have your big brain to help us!”

 

“Yes,” said Amare, “If we can get the Egyptians to trade with us instead of attack us, we will be able to live in peace.”

 

“OK,” I said.  “It’s a nice thought.  But we have to defeat them again—and then maybe they will be willing to talk.”

 

“I want you to talk with them,” Lateef said.  “And if you need someone to stand with you, I’ll be there.”

 

“So will I,” said Abari.

 

“And me,” said Garin.

 

“And us,” said Zuberi and Xander, together.

 

I love my family, but I didn’t want us to get distracted. “Thanks, guys, but I mean it—we have to defeat them again.  That’s our first job.”

 

 

20

 

Abari and I took it easy that night: we went back to our normal routine: sucking cocks and cuddling.  I know I was mainly worried about preparations for the invasion, and I think Abari understood.  The most important thing was that we cuddled in bed: I got to feel his big arm on me, and he got to feel like I was only his.

 

The next morning, Abari and I got up, had morning water, and walked to the far lookout to see Garin and Lateef.  They came with us to the potters.  Garin asked, “Won’t the island get crowded if all the prisoners decide to stay here?”

 

“Maybe,” I said, “but I don’t think the new men will drink the pool dry.  We don’t need land for crops.  Maybe you’ll run out of stone slabs in the quarry.  Maybe some guys will have to kill all the snakes and live in the jungle.”  I nearly mentioned Xander’s idea of growing grapes on the side of the volcano, but I thought better of it: I was already acting as if Xander and I could see each other without getting into trouble—I didn’t want to risk getting into trouble with Abari.

 

Xander and Zuberi were only a little ways ahead of us, going to the smithy.  Abari ran ahead and thanked Zuberi again for his new arrows and quiver.  And he invited Xander to come back to the lookout and practice destroying driftwood on the other side of the bay.  But by that time Lateef, Garin and I had caught up to them.

 

“I don’t know if my dad can find more wood for targets,” I said.  “You guys destroyed all the other ones.  Of course, if you wanted to just practice shooting arrows and throwing boulders, you could do that.”

 

Zuberi said, “I’m afraid Xander and I have to spend today in the smithy—he’s got a few more swords to make, and we’re still making arrows—there are a lot more archers on the island, this time!”  And he put his arm around Abari’s big shoulders and squeezed.

 

Zuberi and Xander waved goodbye to us as they went to the smithy.  We walked onto the potters.  Inside, we found that the potters had made 10 new jugs—they had outdone themselves!  I thanked Musa, the head potter, profusely.

 

“I know,” he said, “that more men on the island will mean more work for us, but it also may be a chance for peace, so I hope our water jugs can help.  However, the weavers could only finish six straps; you’ll have to carry some of the jugs.”

 

“That’s OK,” I said. “We’re going to the pool now; we’ll fill the jugs and take them to the various lookouts around the island.  Thanks so much for your help!”

 

Abari, Lateef, Garin and I got a strap with a water jug; then Abari and Lateef got straps for one more jug each.  I was going to the harbor; Garin was going home to the far lookout, so he and Lateef carried one and I carried two.  Lateef was going to the training field, and Abari was going to Amare’s lookout.  With the jugs divided among us, we headed to the pool.

 

We all filled up our water jugs.  Before we split up, I asked anyone had questions.  

 

“No,” said Abari, “but I want to say how proud I am of you—and how much I wish you didn’t have to lead us!”

 

I kissed him and said, “I think we’re ready, but when the Egyptians come, we have to be prepared for anything.  If we win this battle, I promise I will be yours—and only yours—in the future!”  And I kissed him deeply.

 

“OK, lovebirds,” Lateef said, “Let’s get going.”  And we split up.  I smiled that he called us “lovebirds”—I guess he and Garin acknowledged that Abari and I were in love again.

 

I went to the harbor.  When I got there, I saw that the swordsmen were practicing with stabbing swords along the beach.  I signaled to Hamadi that he and the rest of the men should come over.

 

“I’m leaving three water jugs with you.  It’s my hunch that the Egyptians will try and invade the jungle, and when the snakes scare them off, they’ll move their boats over here.  I have two brothers who will work together to sink at least two ships, and they will run to Menes and Shakir’s lookout, and try to sink some ships there.  If the Egyptians converge their ships here, we will get here as soon as we can.”  I paused.  “These water jugs are for your prisoners. You may not have many at first—I hope you kill every man who steps foot on this island.  But it’s also possible that your archers will set fire to one of their ships—and you will have guys swimming to shore.  Those will be your prisoners.  Give them water.  They’ll be thirsty.—“

 

“And once they drink the water, they’ll go to sleep,” Hamadi said with a smile.

 

“And then they’ll wake up like us!” said Hasani.  I smiled—everyone on the island understood my plan!  By this time, Tambal, Oshi and Ketti had come down from the lookout.

 

“Oh!” I remembered. “Do you guys have some large round rocks or small boulders—not much bigger than a man’s hand?  My lover Abari has a big bow and large arrows.  He shoots his arrows at the hull of a ship and my brother Xander throws large stones at it to crack the hull.  We think they can sink a couple of ships—but Xander needs small boulders—about this size.”  I held out my hands a little away from each other to show how big the large stones should be.

 

“I think we can find some.” Hamadi said.  “Do you want them at the lookout or here by our houses?”

 

“Probably both.  We’ll have to run from Menes and Shakir’s lookout, so the ships may be coming into the harbor already.”

 

I looked around at everyone.  “Do you all have mud basins?”  Heads nodded.  I turned to the archers: “Do you guys have a basin for flaming arrows?”  More head nods.

 

“My thinking about water for prisoners is four fold: 1) the water puts the prisoners to sleep; 2) when they wake, they’ll be like us; 3) most of them will want to stay here; and 4) the Egyptians who return to Egypt will be a lot fewer—and they’ll know that we will be a lot stronger.  And maybe—just maybe—they will want to trade with us rather than invade us.  But even if they want to invade us again, we’ll have more men and we’ll be better able to push them back in the ocean.”  I paused again.  “Any questions?”

 

“No,” said Hamadi, “But where do you get all these ideas?”

 

I smiled. “My brothers ask that same question!  I don’t know.  They just pop into my head.”

 

‘Well, we like your brain!” Tambal said.

 

And everyone laughed.