Civilization was overrated. Nothing proved this as thoroughly as public transportation, Kyle thought as the subway rounded a corner, sending those on their feet nearly toppling into their neighbors. An elderly man on his right mumbled an apology as he used Kyle to regain his balance, and to his left, a young mother tried her best not to stumble into him while she squeezed the hands of her two young boys.
Obviously, getting on the train at rush hour had been a bad idea. It felt like the entire population of London was crammed into a single subway car. To most of the people around him, this was an annoying part of their daily lives. A claustrophobic frustration they had to endure twice a day, almost every day. For Kyle, it was something he tried desperately to avoid. But he had lost track of time, and now here he was – stuck in a train with far too many people.
It wouldn’t have been so bad if he didn’t have a higher than average chance of encountering a pickpocket, a pervert, or worse. But sinners always found him, and all he could was hope there were none in this particular car. Otherwise, this commute really would be Hell.
It’s really hard to take a decent nap with this many pissed off people around, Ryka mused.
Kyle supposed it was hard to do much besides hope it would be over quickly. It was the height of summer, and although the heat didn’t bother him, the air in the car was sticky. He may not have been perspiring, but everyone else was, and each shift or jostle on the tracks meant bumping into a sweaty stranger.
“We need to get out of here,” he mumbled. No one noticed or heard, except Ryka.
I could do with roughing it for a bit. What do you think?
“That sounds amazing.”
***
With potentially unlimited funds at his disposal, it was easy enough to get out of the city and into what remained of the wilderness. He generally traveled light, buying what he needed when he arrived at their destination, so had no qualms about abandoning most of his meager wardrobe in their most recent hotel.
And camping was still a popular excursion, especially as cities got bigger and more crowded. So, after a productive night at the poker table, he headed to the store. Thanks to Ryka, he didn’t need to worry about many of the things other mortals did when they anticipated being stranded in the wilderness for weeks on end. He couldn’t die of exposure – there was no possibility of heat stroke or hypothermia for him. With Ryka’s incredible immune system, he didn’t need to worry about unclean drinking water. As long as he could choke it down, Kyle could drink from anywhere. And of course, he never had to worry about being able to start a cooking fire.
Really, he just needed clothes and bedding that would dry quickly when he got rained on. He picked out a few outfits, a small pop-up tent, a covered hammock and a cozy-looking sleeping bag. Because even though temperature changes didn’t bother him, sleeping on the hard ground was still unpleasant.
Although there weren’t too many human workers left in retail, there were still enough that many attempts were made to sell him more than what he knew he needed.
“Bear repellant?” one worker had offered. Kyle had just walked away. Ryka would love the challenge. Besides, for the most part, animals stayed as far away from them as possible. He didn’t even need bug spray. Mosquitos and other insects didn’t dare hover within two feet of him. No spray was as effective as an aura of evil.
The only creatures brave enough to get close were those hoping to scavenge whatever Ryka might leave behind – the usual cadre of crows, ravens, vultures and occasionally foxes or coyotes – and even they all kept a safe distance. They could sense how dangerous Kyle’s unseen passenger was, and tried to avoid attracting the attention of the ultimate apex predator.
The only reason he packed granola bars and dried fruit was to add some diversity to his diet. He really didn’t need it. Ryka’s body made sure they could survive on anything – calories were calories, and it was mostly just Kyle that needed them. But Ryka was a good hunter, and it would eventually get to the point where Kyle got tired of meat. So having something else to snack on helped stave off that moment and ensure they could stay in the wilderness a little longer.
With his supplies in order, it was just a matter of finding some wilderness to get lost in. This time, they decided to head back to the States. Montana, to be precise. He had been to Yellowstone a few times – Ryka enjoyed seeing the boiling hot, sulfurous geysers. A taste of home, as it were. There was still plenty of undeveloped space, too.
And no one ever seemed to notice him quietly wandering off from the random campground he’d chosen. If you looked confident enough, everyone assumed you were just going for a hike. And if you didn’t leave too much of an impression, no one worried when you never returned.
After the hustle and bustle of London, it was pure joy to hear humanity fading into the distance behind him as he walked into the woods north of camp. It was a perfect summer day – blue skies, birds and bugs calling from the trees, and the smell of greenery all around him. He’d been following a trail, but left that behind after a few miles. There was no getting lost – Ryka could very easily sniff out civilization when they got tired of their solitude. But that was in the future. For now, Kyle was enjoying the scenery while keeping an eye out for a spot to camp for the night.
Another hour of walking brought them to a fairly shallow, slow moving river. One thing that certainly hadn’t changed in their years together was Ryka’s love for water. It never failed to be new and fun for the demon. So without having to be asked, Kyle dropped his gear on the bank and stripped down to nothing. The transformation was instantaneous.
Kyle could feel Ryka’s smile as he waded out to the middle of the river. The water came just to his waist, but he dunked under the surface, pulling his wings down with him. He pumped them against the river’s slow current, creating swirling eddies in his wake and enjoying exercising muscles he rarely got to use.
Only when his lungs started to burn did he finally resurface, standing quickly and fanning his wings open, sending water spraying in all directions. For that, his devastatingly handsome deity bathing in the wild, Kyle wished he’d had a bird’s eye view.
“Pervert,” Ryka teased.
Oh, please. There was a saying about those without sin and stones, but Kyle knew better than to try to utter those words.
“Well, what were your sleeping plans tonight?” Ryka sank back under the water, this time letting the river’s flow drag his wings straight out behind him.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Probably best to use the hammock since we’re still fairly close to the camp. If they were within a day’s easy walk of any kind of civilization, Kyle preferred sleeping in the trees, just in case anyone stumbled upon their camp site. The entire point of these trips was to avoid other people, and even if someone somehow wandered in their direction, he wanted to make it as difficult as possible for he and Ryka to be found.
Popping back up again, Ryka shook his head and wings free of excess water. “Then I suppose we should have our fun now.”
I suppose so.
Sleeping suspended in a tree was the only time Kyle got a full night’s restful sleep anymore. Ryka was now more than strong enough to allow them to be together in dreams every night. But aside from being loud, Kyle also discovered he sometimes moved around. Rolling out of a hotel bed was one thing. Falling out of a tree and hitting every branch on the way down was another. And just because he could survive it didn’t mean he wanted to experience it. So unless they were safely on the ground, they had to use other methods.
And he could already feel Ryka giving up control, inviting Kyle to do as he pleased. An offer Kyle was more than happy to accept.
***
Sated for the time being after their fun in the river, Kyle had dressed, shouldered his bag and resumed getting lost in the woods. He thought he’d done a fair job of it, too, eventually stumbling across a small clearing surrounded on all sides by tall, sturdy trees.
But apparently he wasn’t as good as disappearing as he thought. I hear people.
“What? I didn’t go in a circle, I know it.” Maybe he wasn’t a Boy Scout, but he still knew he’d kept the sun ahead of him the whole time.
No, but you went far enough to find another camp.
“This isn’t just my fault. What the hell have you been doing all afternoon?”
Sleeping.
Kyle sighed. He almost wished Ryka could lie. “Well, I’m tired of walking, so this will have to do.” He dropped his bag at the base of one of the trees, plopping himself down next to it.
Fine. Do what you need to do, and I’ll handle the rest.
It was already getting dark, so Kyle hurriedly inhaled a granola bar, relieved himself, and stripped. There was something freeing about sleeping naked in the woods. As soon as Kyle had re-packed his bag, Ryka came forward.
Kyle wasn’t afraid of heights, but he wasn’t as confident as Ryka when it came to setting up a suspended hammock. He also lacked the claws that made scaling a tree so easy for the demon. So this task was left for him, and he did it without complaint. The only tricky part was reversing the transformation twenty feet off the ground, perched on a tree branch.
Because Ryka could set up the hammock, but climbing into it was no easy thing, not with his wings in the way. He’d only had to get tangled once, resulting in a pissed off demon and a shredded hammock, for them to realize Kyle needed to be the one to settle himself in for the night.
This had gotten easier over time. Reversing the transformation didn’t drain Kyle as much as it once had. Still, it usually made him a bit light-headed, which was an improvement over passing out, but still less than ideal when the ground was thirty feet below.
Ready?
“If you are, stud.” Ryka hung Kyle’s bag on the nearest branch before settling himself against the tree’s trunk, back pressed against the rough bark. He draped an arm over another branch, wedging himself in as best he could. “Shit, I almost forgot.”
Kyle couldn’t be sure whose grin it was Ryka wore as he turned himself enough to carve their initials into the tree, encircling them in a crude heart. It had become a tradition, and silly as it was, it still made Kyle melt. Not that Kyle ever wanted to see it cut down - his species had felled enough forests - but if that was this tree’s fate, whoever inspected it afterward would be in for a surprise. Perfect, Kyle remarked, as Ryka studied his handiwork.
“All good now?”
Mm hmm. Do it.
Even though he maintained consciousness, it was still an uncomfortable feeling when Ryka retreated. Kyle shuddered, but kept his balance. Sure he wasn’t going to take an inadvertent shortcut back to the forest floor, he crept the short span along the branch to his hammock.
Practice had improved his performance at this task, too, and it was only another minute before he was cocooned in his sleeping bag. “Sweet dreams, dear.”
Night, stud.
***
It was still dark when the sound of approaching voices woke him. He started enough to set the hammock swinging, and stared wide-eyed into the tree’s canopy, watching branches slow their swaying as his bed came to a gradual stop.
Careful.
But Kyle wouldn’t answer, not out loud. Instead, he waited. The voices got louder. Two people, and young by the sound of it. Teenagers, he guessed. He could hear their hushed laughter. He really had ended up too close to a camp if kids were wandering to this spot in the middle of the night.
“Think we were followed?” one of the voices asked. A girl, Kyle guessed, by all the high-pitched giggling that followed.
The second voice, deeper, though not by much, replied, “Doubt it. So, now that we’re alone ….”
More giggling. And then the sounds of sloppy, inexperienced kissing. Kyle grimaced. They must be right at the base of the tree he was in. Just his luck, to have picked the local make-out spot for his camp.
Great. So much for a good night’s sleep. At that, Kyle almost laughed, but caught himself.
Chase them off, he thought instead. Sure, summoning Ryka completely was out of the question. But that didn’t mean there weren’t options.
Yes, Master.
It started quietly, the growling. Inaudible over the crickets, though they began to cease their chirping as it grew louder. It still wasn’t enough to drown out the heavy breathing and rustling of clothes. But it was the sound of a zipper that prompted Kyle to mutter “Louder, please.”
Ryka complied, and now the night insects went silent. “What’s that?” came the anxious query from below.
“Nothing, don’t worry about it.” The second voice, now sounding deeper as its owner feigned confidence.
‘Nothing,’ huh? We’ll see about that.
Kyle’s whole body trembled as Ryka growled louder still. The birds that had been roosting around him took off in a panic, and over the flapping of wings, he heard the bravado disappear from the second voice. “Hello? Who’s there?” came the cracked, wavering query.
“I don’t think it’s a who.” A pause, and Kyle found himself inhaling deeply - Ryka savoring their fear. “Come on, let’s go back. What if it’s a bear or something?”
That thought seemed to be enough to quash the young man’s libido. “Yeah, okay.”
But Ryka was having fun. Into the deafening silence, he rumbled, “Better run fast - I’m hungry.”
The screams that followed were likely heard back at whatever campground was nearby, but Kyle wasn’t particularly worried about anyone seeking them out. The lovebirds were scampering off, and probably wouldn’t even be able to explain what had happened out in the woods. And it was very likely they’d spend more time being interrogated about what they were doing away from camp in the first place, and not what they thought they’d heard.
“Thank you, dear,” Kyle said, once the crickets had resumed their chorus.
Anytime. But now that we’re up, want me give you a shitty handjob, too?
“How are you physically even able to say that? You’re incapable of doing such a thing.”
You sure know how to flatter. Want me to play with your ass, too?
“As tempting as that sounds, I’d really like to sleep. So can I have a hand with that instead?”
Ugh, fine.
In the blink of an eye, the sounds of the forest were fading into the background, and the moonlit leaves overhead disappeared behind heavy eyelids. Just as quickly as he had woken, Kyle was asleep, moments away from meeting an anxious-looking imp.