Chapter 3: Building
The next day Jatha awoke slowly, drifting into a conscious state as he snuggled deeper into the furs and the arms of Vintwa. Eventually, he realized he wasn’t dreaming and slowly pried himself from his lover’s arms and got up. He stretched and yawned before looking about for his clothes until he remembered that Vintwa had thrown them into the fire the night before. No matter, he thought, who needs clothes when you have fur.
Rubbing the sand from his eyes, he strolled outside. The breeze flowed over his body making his fur move. For the first time he wondered why the wind wasn’t stronger. For as high up as they were the wind should have been strong enough to knock him back a few steps. Instead it was just a cool breeze. Looking about he marveled yet again at how beautiful the island was. The jungle far below was already awake and teaming with sounds of plants and animals beginning their day.
Not for the first time he began to wonder what was in store. The day before he had spotted a cove on the west side of the island that might be a good place to build a house. But what then? Just spend the rest of his days relaxing and making love to Vinny? He shook his head. As nice as that sounded, it somehow didn’t seem quite what he would want for the rest of his life. Yet, what choice did he have?
He stood on the very rim of the ledge looking down. Heights had never bothered him before, even less so now. Still, he jumped a little when he felt Vintwa snaked his arms around him in an embrace.
“Morning.” The god of Vii cooed in his ear.
“Gaah! Woah! Watch it Vinny! That’s a long way down!”
Vintwa chuckled, “As if I’d let anything happen to you.” He rest his chin on Jatha’s shoulder, their bodies flush as the god held the bear.
Jatha laughed back and turned his head to kiss his lover on the cheek. “Good morning.”
Vintwa shifted his hips just enough to bring his penis into a good position to enter his friend. Jatha cried out in surprise as the red haired boy slid inside him. He blushed deeply under his cerulean fur and lift a paw to the back of Vintwa’s neck as his friend rode him. Their hips gyrated together as they made love on the edge of the world. Jatha gave a growling roar as he felt Vintwa empty himself into him and he shot his own release out into the open air, over the ledge.
Pulling back from the edge they separated only to find themselves in each other’s arms. Jatha giggled after they finished kissing, “I like the way you say ‘good morning’.”
Vintwa grinned back, “Well when an opportunity presents itself…”
Jatha’s stomach growled. The boys looked down at it and then back up at each other and laughed.
Jatha placed a hand over his stomach, “Yeah, it’s been awhile since I ate last. Any rules against hunting or plant eating on Vii?”
Vintwa shook his head, “Nope. In fact I occasionally enjoy a nice steak myself. When I’m bored and want to taste something that is. One of the benefits of being a deity is that you don’t get hungry.
Jatha’s stomach growled again, “Yeah, unfortunately not a luxury that we bears enjoy.”
Vintwa laughed, “Ok, ok, I’ll get you down to the ground and we can find you something to eat.”
Jatha looked over the rock ledge, “It’ll take a while. Took us half the day to get up here.”
Vintwa smirked, “Took you half the day. I’ll have us down in less than a minute. Any idea where, on the island, you want to go?”
Jatha raised an eyebrow, nervously wondering what Vintwa’s method of descent was going to be, “Well I did have my eye on the small cove over there.“ He raised his paw, pointing in a westerly direction.
Vintwa looked where he was pointing, “Good choice. Now get ready.”
Jatha gasped as the god gathered him in his arms, cradling him like an oversized cub. Jatha’s worried look turned to pure panic when he looked into Vintwa’s face and saw the look of devious mischief there. His scream echoed across the island as Vintwa leapt from the mountain and began to fall to the jungle below.
Vintwa set Jatha gently onto the sandy beach of the small cove. Jatha looked up at the zenith of the massive mountain from which they had just descended. His scream had faded away as he realized they were falling at a great enough speed to kill them but he still trembled slightly from the experience. Looking about him, Jatha scanned the cove, looking for a good place to build a shelter. The small beach that circled the cove ended in an overhang of tall cliffs. The base of the cliffs looked promising, but first he had other more pressing matters to attend to.
“Well, I’m gonna go see if there’s anything good to eat on this island,” Jatha said as he started towards the surrounding jungle.
Vintwa called to him, “Hey wait! Why don’t I just conjure something? It’s much easier, believe me.”
Jatha came back to Vintwa and took him in his arms, “Nah. If I don’t keep myself active then I’ll get all chubby and out of shape. Besides I can’t have you fixing everything. I gotta do some things for myself.”
Vintwa grinned, “Chubby Jatha, huh? Doesn’t sound horrible. You’d be even more squeezable.”
Jatha giggled as his friend gave his rump a squeeze, and planted a kiss on his lips.
After a bit Vintwa harrumphed and let his friend go, “Fine! Go and get something tasty. I’ll at least get a fire ready for when you get back.”
Jatha smiled at his friend and waved as he hurried to the tree line, “Ok! I’ll see you in a while, Vinny!”
Vintwa grumbled and started to conjure dry wood for a fire, “I hate that nickname.”
Jatha leaped into the foliage. Scaling up a tree he leapt to another one, trying to stay quiet as he did so. After a few minutes of practice he figured out how to leap from tree to tree silently. Moving through the jungle amongst the treetops, the bear scanned the ground below looking for a creature that looked tasty. He found snakes, brightly colored birds, and several varieties of small rodent like creatures, but he passed them over looking for something with a bit more meat. Finally, as he hung from a large palm tree, he spied a boar like creature snuffling about at the edge of a creek. Gulping nervously, he braced himself against the tree and leapt down to the jungle floor, next to the boar. His claws flashed and it died with a squeal.
Clicking his claws together Jatha wondered if they would be sharp enough to skin the beast. He ran the tip of his index claw down the boar’s belly and was pleased when the hide sliced easily and the guts spilled out. Using his claw, Jatha cut the skin away and pulled the guts out. He cut the hooves of with difficulty. His claws were sharp but lacked the serrated edge to make cutting through bone easy. Once he was done he dug a quick hole and buried the hide, guts and hooves. Then, slinging the carcass across his back, he headed back towards the beach.
As he made his way through the jungle, Jatha gazed at the lush foliage that surrounded him. Plants of every description spawned from all directions. It was very beautifully but compared to sailing through the tree tops it was slow going. He’d made it most of the way back to the beach when he stopped. A sound had caught his attention and he looked about trying to locate its source. His pupils dilated when they landed on a mud ball hanging from a nearby tree. The ball had opening from which bees swarmed in and out.
“Honey!” he breathed as he dropped the pig and climbed up to where the hive hung. Using a sharp claw to release it from the tree he caught it in his paw, angering the occupants as he slid back to the ground. The bees swarmed around him, covering the arm that held the hive. He couldn’t tell if it was because of his thick hair or maybe his thick hide, but if they stung him he didn’t feel it. Grinning like a junkie he punched a hole in the top of the hive and dug out a piece of the comb. His eyes rolled to the back of his head as he slurped down the delicious nectar. He could have stood there all day but he didn’t want to let the meat spoil so he hoisted the pig onto his back again and set out for the cove.
Vintwa had a steady fire going in a pit surrounded by stones as Jatha broke out of the jungle. As the god looked up he rolled his eyes, “I see you found your Substance.”
Jatha dropped the pig next to the fire and licking his claws after dipping them into the hive, “Substance?” The bees swarmed all over him.
Vintwa shook his head, “Leave!” he intoned in a voice that filled the air, sand and waters. The bees all took off for the jungle. Presumably to build another hive.
“Every Fendie race has one,” said the god in a more normal voice. “A Substance is something that a Fendie cannot resist. It’s like an addiction. For monkey Fendie it’s bananas, for killer whales it’s fish, and for you it’s honey.
“Some Substance addictions are harmless, like monkeys and bananas. Others, not so much. Take sharks for instance. Blood drives them crazy. You don’t want to be near a shark Fendie that goes into a blood craze.
“Others make relations between some Fendie races…difficult. A house cat Fendie for instance loves mice. Even though they can restrain themselves, this can make things a tad uncomfortable for the mice Fendie.”
Jatha nodded as he munched happily away at the comb, “So it’s not all sunshine and rainbows for the Fendie.”
Vintwa shook his head as he gripped the boar and spit it through with a sharp stick he had waiting. Setting the beast onto the spit forks he had placed at each end of the fire he began to roast it.
“How did you skin and clean it by the way?” Vintwa asked as he looked curiously at the dark flesh of the pig.
“You mean you don’t know?” Jatha returned with mild surprise, “I thought gods were omniscient?”
Vintwa looked thoughtful for a second, “Ah, I see, you used your claws. I hadn’t realized they were that sharp. I am omniscient as far as anything on this island goes, but I choose not to be aware of all my knowledge at once. It’s boring, knowing everything at all times. Instead I use a system kind of like your own memory. My conscious mind deals with everything in front of me. If I want some other piece of information I just have to pull it out of my subconscious.”
“Then why did you have to ask me?”
Vintwa smiled as he turned the spit, “I didn’t have to. Conversation, I haven’t had anyone to talk to in centuries remember?”
Jatha nodded musing, “So, even though, on this island you are omniscient and omnipotent, you put rules and limitations on yourself.”
Vintwa nodded, “That’s right.”
“Why?”
Vintwa shrugged, “Boredom. It’s like when you mortals play games. You place rules on yourself in order to have fun. If you broke a rule in a ballgame then you might be able to defeat your opponent but it would make victory less satisfying and therefore less fun.”
Jatha nodded as he licked his fingers, “So who is the opponent in your game, Vinny?”
The old god sighed, “Monotony. That is my enemy. I’ve been able to handle everything that the outside world has thrown at my Vii, but the years get to be so boring it sometimes brings me to tears.”
Jatha looked at his lonely friend and his heart ached a little. Setting the comb down for a second he walked up behind Vintwa and wrapped him in a big, hairy and somewhat sticky hug, “You don’t have to be lonely anymore. At least not for a while. I’m here for you to play with.”
Vintwa shuddered as he felt the bear’s cock resting against his ass, “We’re going to have to get you some clothes. It’s too bad you buried the boar’s hide. We could have used it to make you some.”
Jatha rubbed his member against the boy’s rump, “Why do I need clothes? Bears don’t wear clothes. Hear have some honey.”
Vintwa smiled and licked some nectar from the offered claw, “Bears don’t wear clothes but Fendie do. And besides you’re way too distracting without clothes. I’m trying not to burn the boar here, ya know.”
Jatha laughed and let his friend go, “That sounded like some dirty metaphor.”
Vintwa stuck his tongue out, “Maybe it was.”
Jatha chuckled as he returned to his honey comb, “So if you want me to wear clothes, then why did you burn my others?”
“They were human made. Vii would have eventually shredded them to bits anyway.”
“Ah. Why does she hate humans anyway?”
Vintwa shrugged, “It’s a mystery even to me. It’s just always been that way since Vii was formed and I was conceived. No human who has stayed here for more than a day has survived. Though, given the usual types that land here I can’t say I blame her.”
Jatha cocked his head curiously, “What kind of humans have tried to land here?”
“You’re an exception,” said Vintwa, “Usually it’s pirates or a fleet of ships bearing an invading army bent on taming the Ros sea. That never succeeds. The islands are too independent, wild, and unpredictable for that. Here let me have some of that honey to use as a glaze for the meat.”
As he handed over a piece of comb Jatha felt something close to jealousy. As weird as that seemed he couldn’t help feeling a little resentful at having to give up some of his precious nectar. He was going to have to work on controlling his Substance addiction he realized.
To take his mind off of it he asked, “So do all gods put themselves under rules?”
Vintwa shook his head as he basted the boar with the honey, “Many do, but not all. Some rule their territories with an iron will. That can be a problem, especially when more than one god occupies the same territory. That’s what ‘Holy Wars’ are made of.”
Jatha nodded. The pig was soon done cooking and they took turns ripping hot strips meat from it’s carcass. It was delicious with the honey flavoring gazed over the crispy outside.
As they sat in the sand and ate Vintwa produced two knives encased in leather sheathes, “Here, I don’t know how much use they’ll be now, but you’re welcome to them.”
Jatha’s eyes widened as he took the blades and unsheathed them. They were a set. Both had white whalebone handles wrapped in fine leather with designs embossed around them. The blades were of Ros steel, hard and strong. They were both about seven inches in blade length. That’s where their similarities ended, though. One had a straight edge blade the curved drastically upwards at the tip. The other had a wicked looking serrated edge that ran evenly till the back curved down to meet it at the tip, making it look more like a small saw.
Jatha looked to Vintwa, “What are they for?”
Vintwa shrugged, “When you said you wanted to do your own hunting, I thought you might like a skinning blade and a blade to saw through cartilage and bone. But you don’t have to take them now that your claws seem perfectly capable of doing the work…”
Jatha grinned and set the blades down so he could reach over and give Vintwa a quick hug, “They’re perfect! Thank you. I actually had a little trouble getting through the leg bones of the pig so the serrated blade will help a lot. And the straight edge will come in handy at times I’m sure.”
Vintwa grinned and returned the hug, “I’m pleased you like them.”
After they broke the hug Jatha picked up the blades again, “Did you make them?”
Vintwa shook his head, “No. Things wash ashore here or get left occasionally. I keep them in a secret stash.”
Jatha nodded, “I’m guessing they’re not human made then since Vii hates all things human.”
Vintwa chuckled, “Good guess. No, they are of a Fendie make. I’m not sure which individual made them but they are of exceptionally fine make.”
Jatha nodded. They continued eating until, both the pig and the honey were gone. Jatha looked about thinking of what to do next.
Gesturing to the cliff base he had noted earlier, he asked Vintwa, ”What do you think? Think that’ll make a good place to build a house?”
Vintwa nodded, “As good a place as any, I suppose. You have any idea how you’re going to build it?”
Jatha frowned, “I’ve got a couple ideas, but it won’t be anything fancy. I’m not much of a carpenter and besides I have no tools.”
Vintwa grinned and started to rush off into the jungle, “Wait here! I’ll be right back!”
While Vintwa was gone, Jatha examined the base of the cliffs. The rock face overhung the sandy floor by at least thirty feet. The ground was nice and level and the sand was only a thin layer over equally flat stone. He would be able to build a sturdy structure here.
Soon, Vintwa returned, carrying a bone handled axe and a chest of carpenters tools. Tossing them onto the sandy beach he called out, “Here ya go, Jatha! These should make things a bit easier.”
Jatha looked over the tools. There wasn’t much there, but Vintwa was right, they would make building a shelter much easier. He grinned at his friend, “More Fendie relics?”
The island god grinned back, “What can I say? They’re of a pretty sturdy make. Certain clans of the Fendie tend to make things to last.”
Jatha picked up the axe, “Well, I guess first things first. We need some trees to make building materials.”
Vintwa nodded, “I’ll stay here and set up a station to work the materials over when you haul them in.”
Jatha bounded back to the jungle edge and chose a straight and likely looking tree and began hacking away at its base. Once it was down he hauled it back to Vintwa and then rushed back to find another tree. The god busied himself stripping bark and branches and then split the trunk down to create boards, using the Fendie carpenter tools and a bit of his godly powers.
The two work at it the rest of the day, gathering raw materials and refining them to make good building materials. Once night fell and they decided to take a break until the next day, the boys lay together next to the warm fire, under the cool night sky. They made love, the island god mounting the blue bear as they both sent cries of passion over the flowing tide waters. After they were done, they rested in each others arms until they drifted off into a blissful sleep.
Over the next few months, the two boys worked, establishing a routine as the beach hut slowly took shape. First a platform anchored to the solid rock beneath the sand was built. Then a frame and walls rose up. After three months the shelter was complete. It had three rooms and a porch. The roof wasn’t much but the over hanging cliff above them would keep most of the weather away.
As they built the shelter, Jatha often went exploring. He covered a lot of Vii. Trekking and climbing over the terrain, he found many wonders. When he would return to the camp site Vintwa would tell him the names of the places he had been. Places like Delwin Lake, which was surrounded by Delwin Marsh. He could always find his way by finding the Trell River that ran the length of Vii. He learned that the mountain they had stayed on was called Trell Mountain and that the lake at it’s base was called Trell Lake. Trell Lake was the source of Trell River and if he traveled down it he would encounter several smaller lakes by the names of Tre Lake, Trip Lake, and Troc Lake. These and more, the boy explored as he and Vintwa busied themselves building a home in what was now being called Jatha Cove.
Every night they made love, the young bear submissive and eager to learn from the old god. They loved each other, but as friends rather than mates. Jatha thrilled in each new experience and had an undeniable affection for the affable island god but he knew deep down that there was something more for him. He tried to tell himself he was in love with his friend, but something inside always told him otherwise.
The months passed. Winter was only a slightly cooler and much wetter tropic that came and went. The shelter became a home and filled with whatever comforts the boys could fill it with, a bed, chairs, a table, tools for cooking and other things. A fire pit was built in one of the rooms so that it soon became known as the kitchen. The boys settled into a fairly easy and comfortable existence, happy in each others company.
But Jatha always had a feeling that he was in the wrong place. Like there was something else for him out there.
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