Creeper - 6. Chapter 6: Land and Sea

CREEPER

Chapter Six: Land and Sea

Stealing moments. Time in hand. Gone from care. One for another.

Given and taken and pressed dear.

~*~

“I need to see to Charger’s needs first, but yes you should know how to swim.” Landry wanted his own needs met. What? He had never thought about Isaac this way before. He only felt sadness for the lad. Now, he felt like a cat watching a bird he couldn’t reach but wanted bad. How else was he suppose to feel when desire parades naked. Why had he never noticed before?

“Follow our path back to the cliffs. There is a trickle spring there with a small basin. Daisy found it. It’s why we stopped here. Daisy wanted to play here.” Isaac pointed and smiled. “Does it take many lessons to learn?”

“Nope. One lesson will do unless you want to excel at it.” Landry had dismounted and was leading Charger off for a drink.

Isaac stood at the edge of land and open sea. His feet sinking into the sand with the absent lapping of waves against his legs. He was looking, no staring at something and at nothing. Empty and full. He wanted something and yet he was willing to give it all away. What was his penchant for this moment? When all was within reach and nothing was wanted. Isaac waited. For what? For Landry? For Landry and more? For the land and the sea to finish their never ending mating? Isaac smiled. He loved that old song. Terra and Sea caught and locked in love forever making.

~*~

Creeper felt the world beneath his feet and the heavens above his head and the comfort of having everything surrounding him, especially his Iggy. That old riddle. I am the center of the everything, who am I? No one important, the answer. At least at this moment Creeper thought. He was aware of Landry leading Charger away.

~*~

Wandering thoughts. ‘Why am I so pensive? Why this reserve? This was just a merry chase again right. The Prince was fine and Daisy was fine. So why not enjoy the day and the swim and why not enjoy what Isaac had to offer?’ Landry was the cock of the walk. Not that he was bragging. Only well… was he worried Isaac would say no? Could say no? Had he met his match? Someone who could say no? Someone… better than he?

~*~

Existence just is. A lonely planet spinning round and round a solitary sun, forlorn and lost in multitudes of galaxies, all swallowed by the endless hugeness of forever. A boy on a beach with his mare, and the potential and possibility of two boys on a beach. A boy who felt that if he just stretched out his arms and showed his open heart… what… that his willingness to give, to love, to do, to die, to scream his passions would be enough to give it all meaning. And maybe to listen and hear not an echo, but to hear a returning song. A broken boy, now whole and transformed, was now finding a new ache within his view of things.

~*~

Landry unsaddled Charger and decided not to hobble him, he was unlikely to wander far. He saw Isaac’s clothes spread out on the rocks and followed his example as he removed his own gear. ‘Well, why am I standing here when what I want is way over there?’ Landry moved, walking down the beach, keeping his eye on Isaac’s back. With the breeze came the sound of song and he stopped to listen. Isaac was singing an old song about endless love.

The land and sea are lovers, one endlessly riding the other, one endlessly cradling his brother. Mixing seafoam forever. Pouring together forever. Endlessly lovers forever…

Here was that feeling again. Hesitation. And wonder, this time for what he was hearing… it was very fair. Isaac was simply singing to himself, but Landry was struck over and over with an assault of sensuous lashes. He gasped, he couldn’t help it. He watched as Isaac stopped his song and turned around. Yes, very fair.

~*~

Something wild and big comes this way. And not for the first time had Isaac thought this about Lannie, only this time he was naked. A warrior. A warrior out of place. There was no need, peace had reined for hundreds of years. That didn’t mean everything was peaceful. It was all a matter of balance. If the situation got out of hand, steps were taken. They were just not military steps. Thus the perfect warrior knight who was more decoration and entertainer than berserker. But Isaac could easily imagine Lannie as a man lost to the cry of battle. Lannie was a towering mass of artful stone. His jaw promontory. His gaze piercing, hawkeyed. A perfectly proportioned profile. A guardian sentinel to trust. A sigh, a whisper, a murmur. A moan. A cry of delight.

Isaac watched a determined stride. Closer and closer Lannie came. Then the last thing Isaac expected happened. Lannie just reached out and tossed Isaac upon his shoulder, giving Isaac’s rump a good swat. A few wild struggling moments later and Lannie tossed Isaac into the incoming wave. Isaac sank like a rock and Lannie roared with laughter. Except. Isaac didn’t come back up. Lannie began searching. Diving below the surf. Swimming until his lungs were going to burst, then breaking the surface to gasp and only dive again.

~*~

Creeper just took over. It wasn’t a decision he made, it was instinct. He was under attack. No, Iggy was under attack. Because Iggy was yelling and screaming and struggling. Creeper was just suddenly on the surface. In that moment of surprise, Creeper found himself tossed into the air. Then he hit the water. He let himself sink into the wave and then instinct drove him to kick himself away as fast as he could. He swam and swam, finally finding himself in shallow water. He stood and walked up the beach and looked around. He was at least a hundred and fifty yards from where he began. He could see Landry out in the surf diving. Creeper sat down on the beach and watched. Landry dived over and over and over and over.