Page 32 of Sass in the Grass

Looking around every tree and rock within twenty feet of their camp, Jovian was exhausted, but he was also starving. The old him, which clung like a frightened child, would just go back tothe camp and take half the cookie, being done with the entire ordeal.

The new him. Well, he was more stubborn. He wanted to shove it in all their faces, how he could do what they do, and do it just fine.

On a trail, he started going uphill, farther from the camp, but on a trail, so he felt safe enough. His eyes were tired from both not sleeping and from them roaming over the landscape. All that dark green and dark brown, with the occasional gray of the stones or whatever color of brown or rust they were. It was straining his already tired eyes to the point they blurred.

Still, he continued hunting for food for him and…his friend? Was Alan a friend? Stopping in the center of the trail, he thought that over and concluded he had no real clue what a friend was supposed to be. Ciana wasn’t really a friend. When he thought about it, he’d needed her several times and she’d had better things to do.

“Hmm. I guess I have no idea.”

After getting to the end of the trail, he turned back around and headed downhill. Discouraged, he thought he could have been a hero, but instead, he’d get back to the camp and Alan with nothing. More hungry and much thirstier.

He walked on and a spot of white caught his eye in that sea of brown and green. He thought it was a light-colored stone, but as he stepped off the trail, he saw it was actually white.

Finding two, not one but two bags, he picked them up and saw four bottles of water in one and an entire box of donuts in the other, along with three strips of beef jerky. “The mother load! Holy crap!”

He was so happy that he ran all the way back to camp, dropping the two bags in front of Alan near the fire. “Look at that.”

“You’re kidding! You found two? I looked everywhere!”

Proud, maybe for the first time ever, Jovian said, “Yeah. I almost gave up.”

“But you didn’t. Wow, Jovian, that’s amazing. Want a donut?”

Jovian would have turned that down a few days ago, but he was starving. “What’s a few carbs between…between friends? Right?”

“Right.”

Chapter Ten

Dixwatchedthelaughterbetween the two young men while he smiled from behind a tree. The way Jovian had turned things around, well, he knew it wouldn’t last long, but it was a start.

Dix had followed Jovian from a distance, assuring he didn’t get himself lost. The tenacity surprised him, as Dix had made a bet with himself that the guy would give up before he’d gotten a half mile from his camp.

And he’d been wrong.

So, a reward was in order. And, well, he was pulling for Jovian, anyway. Of all the guys that had come to the camp in recent years, Jovian Masseretti had caught his attention and held it. The beauty of the man was riveting, and since he’d been a twink himself in his teens and early twenties, he’d had a thing forthem, even after he’d hulked out, as his brother had said, and turned into the otter/almost bear he was.

Yeah, that little man had something that drew Dix, except for his attitude. Oh, Dix would like to beat that out of the young man, but the beating would only turn them both on.

Finding Bernie once he walked back to their little camp, he told him what had happened, and Bernie looked like he was ready to faint with shock. “Jovian? That little…”

“Yeah, that little fucker.”

“Wow. We’d hoped the camp would help him, but wait until I tell True, and more, wait until he tells his brother. Gary will call us liars and not believe it a bit.”

“I wouldn’t throw a parade for him yet, but if he’s turned a corner, I’ll be the grand marshal.”

“Dix, it was your dick. He wants it so badly, he’s giving up being a little prick.”

“I know. It’s a magical dick. He’s never even seen it, and it’s changed his life.”

They had a good laugh, and then one camper found them and told them her buddy had twisted an ankle. “Shit, Dix, get the first aid. We might be carrying a camper down the mountain.”

“Right. Got it, you see how bad it is.”

The ankle wasn’t bad, but bad enough that they wanted to wait another day before they walked down the hill. They passed out the rest of the white bags for the other campers and gave them a choice. Stay and head down the following day, possibly helping with the litter that would carry their fellow camper or go with Bernie that afternoon.

Almost all chose to stay. Everyone except Alan, who was expecting a call from his partner that evening.

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