Page 6 of Axel

Just as Arlo was about to cross the street and make his way inside the candy-bookstore, his eyes were drawn to two people walking ahead of him. The two young guys looked like they were in their early twenties, and while Arlo couldn’t be sure, they both very much had Little vibes.

Cute backpacks. Check.

Denim dungarees. Check.

And… stuffies!

Arlo felt a desire to call out for the two possible Littles right there and then. The very thought of stumbling upon fellow Littles filled Arlo with glee.

‘I could go and say hi,’ Arlo muttered. ‘But what if…’

Maybe it was his military training, or the fact that he sometimes felt a bit shy introducing himself to new people, but Arlo decided that instead of making himself known to the two possible Littles, he would instead follow them for a minute and keep his distance.

They might not even actually be Littles.

They could think I was weird. Or crazy.

I’ll just see where they’re headed first…

As Arlo followed the two boys from a safe distance, he couldn’t help but wonder whether part of his shyness came down to the treatment he received in the military when his fellow soldiers discovered his Little side. In one particularly upsetting moment, a couple of bullies stole Arlo’s diary and Sass too and proceeded to very loudly mock Arlo in front ofeveryone. Arlo was physically tough, and mentally too. But after braving the bullies’ taunts, Arlo took himself away and silently cried in the bathroom for what felt like an eternity.

It was experiences like this that contributed to Arlo’s reticence around new people. And even though Arlo knew this was the reason, he struggled to do anything to change it.

As far as Arlo was concerned, he was always going to be wary around strangers and new people from here on out. The one good thing to come out of Arlo’s run ins with the bullies was that it was going to help with his ongoing unfair dismissal and bullying case – and Arlo knew that if he could win the case, then at least it might prevent something similar happening to another recruit in the future.

Well, that was Arlo’s dream at least. The reality of the situation was very different. Arlo knew that the odds were stacked against him, especially seeing as senior members of the forces would often side with current soldiers.

Still, Arlo wasn’t going to let any of this get in the way of his cheery morning in Eagle Ridge…

‘Wait, they’re headed for the diner,’ Arlo said, following the boys across the street and taking a moment to appreciate the polished, colorful signage. ‘The Hot Plate. Cool. And I’m guessing they do great milkshakes too!’

The Hot Plate was every bit as awesome as Arlo thought it would be. The very fact that he was able to grab a triple-packof chunky cookies to go with his strawberry milkshake was the icing on the cake.

Everything from the décor to the general friendly vibe in the diner was exactly what Arlo loved and he couldn’t have been in a cooler diner if he had designed it himself.

However what Arlo loved more than anything was being outdoors.

And with that in mind, Arlo didn’t spent too long in the diner and was now back in nature. Having set up his tent once more, Arlo had decided to take a hike to what promised to be something a little bit special.

‘So… Eagle Falls,’ Arlo said, taking his backpack off and placing it on the soft ground underfoot. ‘I have to admit, you’re even better looking in real life!’

Arlo had picked up a free local attractions pamphlet in the diner and immediately had been drawn to the prospect of Eagle Falls’ crystal clear natural pool and plush, colorful surroundings.

‘These flowers are beautiful,’ Arlo said, his voice full of awe as he squatted down and leant in to smell the assorted flowers in all their multi-colored glory. ‘But that water is calling me too.’

Arlo didn’t waste a single second as he stripped out of his shorts and t-shirt and changed into his very skimpy swimming trunks. Cut high on his thighs and with a thong back, the trunks had a cute citrus fruit print that was as colorful and vibrant as the real life fruits it depicted.

‘Let’s gooooo!’ Arlo giggled as he took a run up to the pool at the foot of the waterfall and jumped right in.

As soon as he hit the water, Arlo felt an immediate rush of adrenalin. The water was cold, but refreshingly so. And rather than allow his body temperature to drop too quickly, Arlo immediately dived underneath the surface once more and swam from one side of the pool to the other.

‘Wowzers!’ Arlo laughed, coming up for air on the other side and feeling the full benefit of outdoor swimming reach each and every corner of his body. ‘And back again!’

Arlo dived under water once more and propelled himself through the crystal clear water until he nudged up against the bank of firm ground on the other side.

There wasn’t much that Arlo enjoyed more than wild swimming, and he waved enthusiastically at Sass as his stuffie watched patiently from the side.

‘I wish you could come in!’ Arlo giggled, bobbing up and down in the water and plotting his next move. ‘I guess I could always send you to stuffie swimming class?’

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