Nature's Gift

The snow began to fall softly as they returned home from dinner. They had discussed Shamanism the entire evening, and Kevin was more eager than ever to begin his walk down the Shamanic path. They would meet early the next morning, and his studies with Nightwing would officially begin. After he dropped Nightwing off at his cabin, Kevin hurried to his own cabin to get some sleep. He had to be awake by 4 AM, and the two would meet at Nightwing's cabin shortly before sunrise. Sleep, however, was slow to come for Kevin. He was simply too excited, his mind racing in a million different directions, anticipating what this new journey would bring.

He found Nightwing outside near the river the next morning, sitting in the snow wearing only his loincloth. Without a word, he sat down next to him and the two waited for the Sun to rise. As it rose over the horizon several minutes later, Nightwing began chanting a prayer to the Sun God, and Kevin did his best to join in. At the end of the chant, he looked at Kevin with a sly grin, speaking to him for the first time that day.

"You pick up on the chants quickly..."

"Its music... I'm very musical." Kevin smiled, realizing that Nightwing had no idea who he was or how he earned his living.

"That will serve you well in your journey. Are you ready to begin?"

"Ready? I can't wait to get started!" He enthused as Nightwing stood.

"Good. Stand."

Kevin complied.

"We will begin with your introduction to the spirit of water. You might want to get rid of the clothes for this..." Nightwing said as he removed his loincloth again. After a second of hesitation, Kevin began to undress, removing his coat, shirt, shoes and socks, and finally his pants.

"You'll want to loose those, too..."

"You're serious, aren't you? You're not freezing?" Kevin's teeth chattered as he removed his boxers.

"No... I'm not cold. After this, you won't be either. Follow me..." Nightwing smiled, briefly taking in the sight of Kevin's naked beauty. He then turned and took a running leap off the bank, into the river. Kevin's eyes grew huge in a moment of disbelief, then he took a deep breath and followed suit.

The shock of the icy water surrounding his body only lasted a few seconds. He noticed quickly that he felt oddly warm as he swam along the bottom of the river next to Nightwing. It seemed as if they had been swimming forever when Nightwing finally headed for the surface, followed closely by Kevin. Breaking the surface, they both shook the water from their long hair. Kevin, who was behind Nightwing, put his hand on his friend's shoulder to get his attention, and was surprised to feel how soft his skin was. He had expected otherwise, especially with all those muscles that lay beneath, and the deep brown tan. Nightwing turned to face him with a huge smile on his face.

"Night... I have to know... why are we doing this?"

"Good... you listened when I told you to always question! We are doing this for three reasons. First, to acclimate your body to the cold, so that you will be warm. Second, to ritually cleanse you and introduce you to the spirit of water. Water is the great cleanser... it is the essence of life, and it has the power to take life as well. And third... you do want breakfast this morning, do you not?"

"Breakfast? Well... yeah! Sure I want breakfast! But what..."

"We are going to catch our breakfast, my friend! See those Salmon? That's breakfast." Nightwing smiled.

"And just how are we supposed to catch them? With our hands?"

"You do learn fast! Take only what you will eat... nothing more... nothing less. And you must ask the Salmon's spirit to sacrifice itself for your nourishment before you take it. If you fail to get a fish, you don't eat." He said as he dove under the water once more.

Kevin looked across the river, realizing that they were now on the other side. Shaking his head in disbelief, his eyes located Nightwing's form a few feet away, just in time to see him grab a fish. Deciding that he really was hungry, he dove under and followed suit. At first, he simply tried to catch one of the Salmon, but with no success. Then, seeing one that was only inches away and staring at him, Kevin mentally asked the fish to sacrifice itself. To his amazement, it swam toward him and allowed him to catch it. Thrilled at this, he headed quickly for the shore. Breaking the surface once again, he saw Nightwing waiting for him by the river's edge, reaching out his hand to take the fish. After Kevin handed him his catch, he began walking out of the water, but stopped suddenly when he realized that he was sporting an erection. Nightwing, seeing the look on Kevin's face, began to laugh heartily.

"What's so damned funny?" Kevin asked, somewhat annoyed, but mostly embarrassed.

"Your face... that's what!!" Nightwing continued to roll naked in the snow, laughing.

"And I suppose you don't have this problem?" Kevin said indignantly.

"Sure I do... every time I come out of the water. But the look of surprise on your face is priceless!" Nightwing continued to laugh.

"Aww... fuck it!" Kevin said as he walked up onto the river bank, his throbbing erection leading the way. Nightwing's laughter began to subside when he looked up to see Kevin standing over him.

"You have nothing to be embarrassed about, my friend. Very impressive!" Nightwing smiled.

"Thanks... where are my clothes?"

"I put them inside. Here... you can wear this." He said as he handed Kevin a black loincloth and a pair of black moccasin boots. Kevin put them on, noticing that he really didn't feel cold at all, and relieved that his erection was beginning to deflate. He gave a start when he felt Nightwing's hands on his leg. Looking down at him, he saw that his friend was strapping a knife to his leg, just below the right knee. The touch of his hands caused that familiar stirring in his groin again, and he found himself willing his cock to remain soft. These feelings were confusing to him, and he did his best to push them out of his mind.

"You'll need that to clean your fish, and for other things." Nightwing told him as he slipped into his own loincloth and boots, which were identical to those he had given Kevin.

"Thanks..."

Each of them cleaned his own catch, and Kevin built a fire as Nightwing foraged in the snow for some wild herbs. After they had roasted their fish and eaten, Kevin doused the fire while Nightwing retrieved a few items from the cabin. He returned with a black leather pouch across his shoulders, and a smaller one in his hand. Walking up to Kevin, he tied the small one around his neck, their faces only inches apart. Kevin fought the urge to kiss him, pushing those thoughts from his mind. There was no way he could be feeling this way for a man, but still, these urges were beginning to get stronger.

"What's this?" Kevin said, breaking the awkward silence.

"This is a medicine bag. Inside are herbs and other items to protect you from illness and injury. You will learn more about it later, when you add your own items to it."

"So... what's next?"

"A journey, my friend. A journey to the beginning of your journey. If we move with speed, we should get there just before dark."

"Let's go then..."

"I like your spirit... let's go..." Nightwing smiled at him, and Kevin's heart fluttered in his chest.

They journeyed upriver to a small footbridge. As they crossed, Kevin noticed the rapids below him and felt a deep respect for the water's power. Several hours later, Kevin was beginning to get a bit uneasy. Nightwing had been teaching him about trees, plants, animals, and spirit totems as they walked, but now the conversation had ended. Both of them had become deeply focused on making progress toward their destination, and there was a sense of urgency in the air. They were deep in the woods, following no apparent path, and the Sun was no longer lighting their way. A heavy bank of clouds had blocked its rays and the snow was now beginning to fall once more. They kept walking at a brisk pace as the snowfall grew heavier. It was now becoming hard to see because of the late hour.

"Night... are we close?"

"Very close, Kevin. Only one more hill to climb..."

"Great! Its getting hard to see."

"Just keep me in your sight... I know the way."

Half an hour later, as they descended the other side of the last hill, Kevin could make out the vague, gray shape of a dome a few feet ahead. They were now walking through whiteout conditions, and there was no sign of the snow letting up any time soon. Even Nightwing was difficult to find in these conditions, as his shiny black hair was now white with snow. Kevin stepped up the pace a bit, drawing himself up next to Nightwing. Ten minutes later, they stepped inside the dome. Shaking the snow from their hair, Nightwing lit a torch on the wall, and then lit several other torches from that one. Kevin's eyes grew wide as he gazed in awe at his surroundings.

"Wow! What is this place?"

"An ancient sweat lodge, Kevin. It will be our home for the next several days."

"This is incredible, Night! I've never seen anything like this!"

"You will have time to grow familiar with this place, Kevin. Now, we must build a fire in the pit. I need you to fill this with snow." He said as he retrieved a large bucket carved of stone and handed it to Kevin.

After he had returned with the bucket of snow, he watched intently as Nightwing melted the snow with a torch. Placing the bucket beside the fire pit, which was now filled with wood and stones, he reached into his pouch and withdrew a piece of white, powdery stone. Chanting, he soon threw the stone into the melted snow. Kevin was amazed to see flames suddenly erupt from the water. He watched as Nightwing poured the liquid fire into the pit, setting the wood ablaze.

"How..."

"This is called fire stone... you know it as phosphorous. Certain types of this stone combust when they meet with the water spirit." He explained as he held a piece of the stone for Kevin to examine.

"Incredible! Its almost like chalk."

"The texture is similar. Come... sit with me by the fire. We will eat and talk for a while before we sleep. Tomorrow begins the most difficult part of your path, and both of us will need our strength."

They talked for several hours as they feasted on apples and pears, which Nightwing had packed in his pouch. He explained to Kevin that tomorrow would take him on a vision quest, which could last several days. During that time, he would not be able to eat or drink, until the quest was over. He also cautioned Kevin that he would be confronted by his fears, his weaknesses, and his personal demons. He would have to face each of these and conquer them, in order to reveal the truth about himself. A truth which Kevin may or may not be ready to see. Kevin assured him that he was not only up to the task, but eager for it to begin.

All too soon for Kevin, Nightwing stood and walked to the other side of the room. He removed two huge fur pelts from the wall, placing one of them on the floor behind Kevin.

"Its time to sleep, my friend. We must build our strength for what is to come." He said as he removed his boots and loincloth, and slid between the two fur pelts. Kevin followed suit, leaving his loincloth and boots close enough to the fire for them to finish drying.

Kevin lay next to Nightwing on the fur pelt, both of them covered by the other pelt. Nightwing's rhythmic breathing relaxed Kevin quickly into a peaceful sleep, despite the fact that it was a bit chilly this far from the fire. Drifting deeper into sleep, Kevin's dreams replayed the day's events and seemed to go back to the water. The sight of Nightwing's naked form as he dove into the water, the feel of his silky skin as Kevin touched his shoulder, Nightwing's obvious approval at the sight of Kevin's arousal. These events played over and over in his dreams, like a never ending video loop, punctuated by visions of what had not yet happened. In his dreams, he didn't resist his urges toward his friend. In his dreams, he drew him close as their lips met in a passionate kiss. In his dreams, he made love to this beautiful man as they lay naked in the snow. Somewhere in the murky depths of sleep, his mind registered a desire for more warmth. Still lost in those dreams of Nightwing, Kevin turned onto his side.

Nightwing awoke as Kevin's arm encircled him, drawing their two naked bodies tightly together. He could feel Kevin's erect manhood as it pressed hotly against his ass. Kevin whispered Nightwing's name in his sleep, as he drew him even closer, entwining his legs with those of his friend. It had been an eternity since Nightwing had slept in the arms of another, and it felt good to feel Kevin's soft skin pressed against his own. Nightwing moaned softly when Kevin's hand slipped between his legs, finding his growing erection. As a smile played softly across his face, he drifted back into a peaceful sleep, held tightly in Kevin's muscular arms.

next chapter