Tao crouched beneath the jungle canopy, his brow sweating with concentration.

"We're going to have a garden here, no matter how often I have to redo it! Someday, Dar will see the benefit of these plants - for him, for us," thought Tao, pushing a seedling into the soil, determination driving it down slightly too far. Deftly, Tao caught his mistake, gently pushing the little herb back up a bit. Nimbly, he worked, a relaxing meditation for him, after returning from the Island, Beastmaster Dar safe and sound, right along with him.

A spreading warmth, and a feeling of firmness, suddenly covered Tao's entire backside, from shoulders down to buttocks and thighs. He felt no fear, just ... something, a stirring. He froze. Then from above, an arm descended, and, with it, a large, supple hand, enveloping Tao's left one. The green-eyed, slack-jawed scholar and man of herbal lore and medicine just stared down, down where Dar held Tao's hand against the thick, black, pungent dirt. Some hair brushed against Tao's left ear and neck area, sending pleasant little chills down his back and groin. Before Tao could finally move, after realizing just what was happening, he felt another arm encircle his waist; its hold strong, yet gentle, every movement quick, graceful, assured.

Then those familiar, half-lidded eyes of hazel suddenly stared into Tao's.

"I, uhhh ..." Tao stammered. Dar's wide grin now hovered a hair's breadth from Tao's own open and - for once - speechless mouth. He could do nothing now, he felt, but let Dar's gentle breath caress his lips and the tip of his nose.

Then Tao moved, lifting his free right hand up to touch one high cheekbone of this man so close against him. Tao fell onto his back, the soil giving way slightly beneath him. He closed his eyes as the pressure of the entire Beastmaster bore down carefully against his chest, stomach, legs, his entire body. Then, completion: Tao's lips- - soft and parted - met their pursuer's. Dar lovingly flicked the tip of his tongue along the rim of Tao's upper and lower lip before plunging the questing tongue into his mouth, uniting the two men along one tender bridge of flesh.

Tao now returned Dar's tight embrace. Tao's arms arms and legs wrapped around the Beastmaster's wide chest and torso. Dar slid his left hand beneath Tao's head, then moved his right one down to Tao's right ass cheek, to linger there and grasp, before moving on to fondle Tao's crotch, pulling at his pants. Tao felt nothing now but a pervasive pressure of Dar's flesh and, inside himself, electric shots of pleasure from tongue through head, traveling down him like lightning bolts through his nipples, cock, toes. Tao was charged now with pleasure and hungrily drank of it from Dar.

Tao slid his hands down Dar's smooth, long back, stopping at his leather loin cloth, and then quickly ripping it off. Now Dar's huge, throbbing member warmed Tao's stomach, filling his navel with a drop of sticky moisture. Tao's shirt was hiked up to his chest, just chafing his brown, hard nipples.

Dar sat up, his thighs gripping Tao's hips, and pulled off Tao's crude cloth shirt. Then, their faces touched again, tilted just so, to allow lips to join, tongues to overlap and dart about. Dar's large, perpetually erect nipples grazed Tao's chest as Dar began to move up and down. Neither could stay silent any longer. Tao let out a long sigh which eased into a soft moan. He gently grasped Dar's cock, so firm and hot, eliciting a deep, long moan from Dar.

Then Dar pulled Tao up into a standing position, Tao's pants falling to his feet. Their mouths stayed in a tight, deep kiss. Tao's hard cock, a light coffee-brown in color at the head, rubbed against Dar's now, a match in size, firmness, and heat.

Hands traveled rapidly over flesh, the two men caressing and groping each other everywhere: back, buttocks, each other's hair, chest, nipples. Tao then pulled away from Dar, and moved his head down Dar's chest where his mouth encircled Dar's left nipple. Tao ran his tongue around the Beastmaster's aureola, then darted it back and forth, up and down, against his friend's firm, succulent tit. Dar let out quick gasps and moans, smiled and closed his eyes.

From several paces away, Ruh and a companion tiger pricked up their ears, and stood up from their resting places. Ruh walked slowly over to the source of such curious sounds. The tiger had never heard his special human friend Dar sound so ... different and ... happy.

The Beastmaster's ferrets, Kodo and Podo, stopped their foraging behind a large tree and scurried forth to investigate the commotion. They knew something was up.

From high above, Sharak, the immortal eagle, caught sight of his human companion, Dar. There below stood the Beastmaster in the throes of lovemaking with his very own beloved. Sharak screeched with wonder before descending down to perch just above the two lovers on a nearby tree branch. Then he fell silent and watched, transfixed. Indeed, a thick silence fell over the whole Sanctuary. Ruh gently padded over to Dar and Tao. He began to purr, his eyes becoming large slits as he witnessed, and felt, such contentment. For this felt like such a natural giving and taking between his two human friends.

Even the trees and plants grew still, only to quiver, quietly and gently, inside themselves, as waves of pleasure radiated forth from Tao and Dar, waves through the air from the two men's sighs and moans, waves of pulsation along the ground as Dar and Tao bumped and writhed in spontaneous, harmonious rhythms.

Now Dar grabbed hold of Tao's sides. Dar's lithe, long arms lifted the raven-haired Eiron scholar with ease. Tao's mind was clear of all thought now, like a still dark pool. Then, like the full moon casting its image over a pond at night after clouds have parted, a picture floated slowly into sight. Tao saw in his mind's eye a purple and white lily, first a bud, but soon quickly opening forth, its four petals stretching and curling back. The petals began to part, and fall away. And so, his own anus opened like a flower, wider and wider, as he felt the touch of Dar's cockhead. With ease, Tao slid down onto Dar, who with one long moan drew his lover close against himself. Tao moaned simultaneously with the Beastmaster, grabbing him around the neck while clasping his legs around Dar's firm waist. Up and down Tao rode, his cock rubbing in rhythm against Dar's flat muscular stomach. Up and down, Dar thrust, each stroke sending froth-tipped waves of bliss shuddering through both their bodies.

Their heaving and thrusting went on and on, on into dusk, when each man's inner joltings of pleasure reached a new intensity and focus. Dar and Tao still kissed deeply, indeed had hardly stopped, but they did so now as each man, dripping with sweat, eyes closed, felt a tightness form in his buttocks, his stomach, his cock. Then, finally, came an ultimate release, a pouring forth of his thick white man juice. Together Tao and Dar opened their mouths wide to let forth a deep, moaning yell:

"Aaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!"

The first delirious wave of orgasm was immediately followed by wave upon wave of further pent-up explosive, volcanic eruptions, as the men rocked and bellowed together in a seemingly endless moment of unstoppable union, until at last they fell to the ground, shaking, smiling, and laughing.

Tao's hands grabbed Dar's hair close to the scalp. Dar held firmly onto Tao's butt cheeks, squeezing, releasing, squeezing releasing. They lay side by side, rolled around, holding fast their tight embrace. But, inevitably, slowly a stillness crept over the lovers. Then they rose from their sides, mouth to mouth, chest to chest, legs entwined, eyes closed. Each man's breath was heavy and uneven, as an occasional orgasmic wave jolted forth from his loins. Both their bellies glistened with a sticky wetness.

Sharak remained rapt on his perch, a sentinel in blissful, yet alert meditation. Ruh was not even sure which man's eyes opened first. Dar and Tao looked deeply into one another's eyes. Softly, gently, Dar caressed Tao's cheek with the back of his left hand. Tao caught Dar's hand and pulled it to his mouth, kissing the lower part of Dar's palm. They smiled.

It was then that Ruh moved closer, encircling himself around Dar and Tao at their feet. Kodo and Podo crept over, wriggling in between Ruh's belly and the two men's feet and legs.

"Oh, my, Dar," said Tao, breaking the silence. "My poor garden- - ours, I'll have you know - you've gone and done it again. I'll have to--"

Dar stopped him short by kissing him on the lips, then drew away, looking him in the eyes, and over his whole face.

"Tao, you talk too much. And," he paused, "I love you."

Tao was speechless, taking in deeply what he'd just heard. "Oh, Dar, I love you!"

Ruh batted his tail gently against Tao and Dar, to and fro. A gentle silence reigned throughout the jungle.

 FIN(END)