Page 1 of Axel

Chapter 1

Arlo

Arlo took a moment to appreciate the sights and sounds around him. To say that it was impressive would be an understatement, that was for sure.

Deep in the Sunset Forest undergrowth, Arlo was surrounded by tall, ancient trees that had been around for far longer than most towns and cities across the country. The multitude of green shades on the tree leaves made a wonderful collage of color that was only enhanced by the shafts of sunlight that burst through them at every opportunity.

The grass underfoot was healthy and green, and there was even an old tree trunk nearby that would make the perfect spot for Arlo to sit on and gather his thoughts as he spent his evening and night in front of the fire he was planning on making for himself.

Arlo was twenty-five years old and had loved the great outdoors ever since he was a young boy. There was somethingso freeing and natural about living without all the distractions and diversions of modern life.

But more than that, Arlo loved the adventure and fun that came with the wilder side of nature. Whether it was camping, rock climbing, or even skinny dipping in a mountain lake, Arlo loved nothing more than letting his wild side out.

With his choppy blonde hair and sparkling green eyes, Arlo had always stood out from other boys. Some might have called him a feminine boy, but Arlo was more than his delicate appearance – he simply loved to be as active as possible and never took a backward step when it came to physical activity or going up against the boys.

In fact, Arlo had taken his competitive streak all the way through high school and into his adult life too. Arlo’s grandfather had given the majority of his life in service to the military, and Arlo’s dream ever since he was in elementary school had been to join the armed forces and serve his country just like his grandfather had.

There had been setbacks along the way, and plenty of doubters too, but Arlo succeeded in joining the military and even passed the grueling tests required to join one of the elite companies. Arlo knew that he would be one of very, very few men but he didn’t let this put him off. But despite fighting his way onto the company, Arlo hadn’t realized that his toughest battles were yet to be fought…

‘Okay, so… let’s get the tent set up,’ Arlo said, carefully taking his stuffie Sass out of his backpack and placing him on the tree trunk.

Arlo might have been ex-military and super into any kind of physical challenge, but that didn’t mean that he loved and needed his most cherished strawberry stuffie any less. With his cute little eyes and big smile, Sass was the most huggable strawberry in the world – well, certainly the most huggable strawberry that Arlo had ever come across.

Being a Little was a big part of Arlo’s identity.

Sure, he had broken down barriers in his military days, and he was always looking for a new challenge to take on, but Arlo still loved all the things that Littles loved. Whether it was coloring with an array of pens and pencils, playing in a pillow fort, or simply lying down in his favorite romper and listening to nursery rhymes, Arlo was a true Little at heart.

Unfortunately, not everyone had been willing to let Arlo express his Little side, or even allow him to have that side of his life acknowledged. But that was in the past. Arlo had left the military and was determined to find a new adventure.

‘I’m thinking there’s plenty of time before sunset,’ Arlo mused, looking up at the sky and judging the position of the sun before checking his watch too. ‘We should totally go for a walk and explore. What do you say, Sass?’

Sass simply looked back at Arlo with his customary wholesome smile and Arlo giggled to himself. Putting it mildly, Arlo could be strong willed, so it made perfect sense that his BFF was a stuffie who couldn’t actually answer back and disagree with him!

‘Okay, I’ll take that as a yes,’ Arlo chuckled. ‘But first let me get this tent up. And I might even try to beat my six minute record too.’

With that, Arlo set about getting his tent up as quickly as he possibly could. It didn’t matter that he had plenty of time on his hands, nor that there was no one else to compete with, Arlo simply wanted to beat his own personal best time.

‘Yay! Five minutes and… forty-three seconds,’ Arlo exclaimed, proudly taking a step back and admiring his perfectly assembled tent.

Arlo picked Sass up and put him in his backpack and the pair of them left camp and began to walk deeper into the woods.

Merrily humming as he walked, Arlo soon heard the distinctive sound of water trickling. And sure enough, a quick diversion eastward and Arlo found himself near a truly picturesque river.

‘Wow, this is nice,’ Arlo uttered, keeping his voice low as he watched a pair of birds swoop down and take a quick drink on the opposite side of the riverbank. ‘So cool. Way better than taking all those dumb orders from that butthole of a sergeant…’

Arlo might not have had a good relationship with his old sergeant, but he wasn’t about to let that get in the way of enjoying the sights and sounds around him.

As he stayed in a deep crouch position and watched the birds casually go about their business, Arlo suddenly became alerted to the sound of rustling in the bushes over on the other side of the river.

But this wasn’t the light touch of a bird or even a rabbit.

It could be a bear.

Stay low, stay calm.

I really don’t need to get eaten today!

However Arlo’s fears that he was about to get mauled by a wandering bear were soon put to rest. Out from the bushes emerged a proud, elegant deer. It was a male deer too, his antlers looking majestic as the sunlight hit them.

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