First Snow
Hephaistion woke up with an everyday ritual; a kiss. He did not even bother to open his eyes, since he knew exactly who it was, and what was going to happen next. He smiled, and waited for another kiss, this time a more passionate one. They started every morning with the same ritual. Whoever woke up first, kissed the other. One kiss led to another, each time progressed to deeper and more passionate. The kiss turned into an urge to touch and explore each other's bodies. Soon, the sound of moaning, sucking, and smacking filled the room. They were young. Their bodies demanded it.
When there was neither kiss nor warm body pulling him closer, he slit his eyes open. Alexander was standing by the bed with wide grin on his face. He was already cleaned, and dressed.
Hephaistion rubbed his sleep off his eyes.
"Good morning my love." Alexander said cheerfully. The hint of dawn was just cracking into the prince's room through the light drapes.
"Good morning Alexander, what are you doing so early?" Hephaistion asked still lying in bed, refusing to get out of this warm cozy place.
"We are going hunting. Come get out of the bed Hephaistion." Alexander urged him, and walked to the window.
Hephaistion reluctantly got out of the bed, wrapping himself with a sheet. Cold stone woke his senses when his feet touched the floor. He followed Alexander to the window.
"Look, Hephaistion." Alexander exclaimed as he opened the drape. Soft white snow blanketed the whole world. The scenery had transformed itself to a winter wonderland after just one night.
" It is a good day to hunt. We can easily find tracks of animals on this fresh snow. Come hurry up. I like to leave before lunch." Alexander's eyes were twinkling with mischief. Hephaistion punched Alexander's arm mockingly.
After a quick clean up and a hearty breakfast, they were ready to go. They walked to the stable dressed in chitons and wool cloaks, equipped with spears and bow and arrows. Their breaths turned into white mists, and lingered around them as they walked. The squeaking noise of pressed snow under their steps broke the silence of early morning. The sky was dull with light grey clouds spread out to the entire hemisphere, and the horizon was blending perfectly with the white snow.
When they arrived at the stable, they tossed a sack with lunch and a sheepskin filled with wine along with extra blankets over their horses. They also placed pieces of wolf skin on the backs of their horses to add warmth for the ride. They could tell the animals were also excited with an anticipation of going for a long ride. Alexander set the direction to the west, toward mount Bermion.
They keenly searched for the tracks of animals. There were many tracks of small game, but they did not yet have the luck of finding what they were hunting for. Light snow started to fall over them by lunchtime. They stopped to rest. They brushed the snow off some rocks, and sat on them to eat some lunch.
Alexander was content even with no apparent catch. It was nice to be alone in the wild. Here, Alexander could forget what he was. He was just Alexander who was enjoying every moment with his lover without the worrying eyes of others. Of course nobody criticized the relationship he had with Hephaistion out loud, yet he felt the eyes of others disapprovingly set upon him from time to time. Especially from those who served his father King Philip.
They chewed some dried meat, and passed the wine to wash them down, along with some honey cake Hephaistion managed to sneak out from the kitchen. It was a simple meal, but everything tasted so good out in the countryside. Alexander smiled at Hephaistion warmly. Delicate snowflakes started to settle like a crown on Hephaistion's shiny auburn hair. His pale face from the cold brought the blue of his eyes to shine like the most exquisite jewels. He was unrealistically beautiful; he looked like the unknown prince of the winter world waiting to be discovered.
"What is it?" Hephaistion raised his eyebrow questioningly.
"Nothing. I was just thinking how lucky I am to have such a beautiful lover."
"Alexander…" Hephaistion blushed and tried to protest, but Alexander stopped him.
"Don't ruin it by speaking." Hephaistion laughed, and threw a piece of honey cake at Alexander. Their cheerful laugh travelled through the valley.
After lunch, they mounted the horses again to continue their hunt. The intensity of the snow increased and the wind started to pick up. Although the sudden change of weather was common in this higher altitude, this severe storm was unexpected. The strong wind blew a swarm of snowflakes, it felt like needles hitting against their exposed skins. They pulled the cloaks tight around them, and covered their faces with them to reduce the pain from this attack of nature. The flakes were so big and heavy now that they almost looked like flocks of cliff roses falling from the sky. Both horses were struggling as well. It was getting hard even to breathe. Alexander shouted.
"Let's find a shelter!"
After they seemed to be wandering in the storm forever, Hephaistion finally spotted a cave by now half frozen waterfall.
"There Alexander! By that water fall."
They dismounted, and guided their hoses carefully on the narrow path along the pool of water to slip into the cave. The entrance was just wide enough for their hoses to pass. It was still cold, but was a relief just being out of the wind. They stood still for a moment until their eyes became adjusted in the dark.
As their vision adjusted, they found the cave was pretty spacious despite the narrow entrance. To their luck, there were enough dry logs and branches piled up against the wall of the cave. It must have been used occasionally as a shelter for hunters.
Hephaistion hurried to make a fire as soon as he could see things around. They were completely soaked, and chilled to the bones. With a few attempts, the fire was lit with dried moss, and small branches started to make cracking sounds spraying the dust of fire in the air.
Everything was wet, even the extra blankets they had brought for protection. They silently shed heavy drenched clothes and boots, and then neatly spread them around the fire along with the blankets. It would take a while before they got dry, but this way, at least their body heat was not sucked into the wetness.
Hephaistion stood in front of the fire putting his hands over the open flame to absorb the heat. Something soft brushed against his naked bottom. Hephaistion jumped, and hardly contained the yelp coming out of his mouth. When he turned around to spot the source, he saw Alexander standing with a fur loincloth that he obviously managed to make from the wolf skin they rode on.
Either side was fastened at the hip with the brooches he used to secure his chiton in place. After the initial shock had passed, Hephaistion started to laugh uncontrollably, eventually bending over in half. Alexander spoke in a soft voice.
"You know, Hephaistion. This was the only dry piece of material we had. There was no way I was not going to make the best out of it. As a matter of fact, I am highly satisfied with my invention. I made one for you, too. You would be surprised how surreal the hide feels against your bare skin. "
Alexander rubbed his fur against Hephaistion's bottom. Hephaistion gasped, and straightened up his body. Alexander now wrapped his arm around Hephaistion's waist pulling him closer, yet kept a distance, so his fur just barely caressed Hephaistion's skin. It teased his sensitive entrance. Alexander pushed away Hephaistion's wet hair to expose his neck, and licked his nape after placing a chaste kiss. Hephaistion shuddered feeling a hot tongue against his cold skin.
He turned around to kiss Alexander on the mouth. Now the soft fur was pressed hard against Hephaistion's groin. The sensation was overwhelming. The urgency of becoming one took over their minds. Alexander gently pushed Hephaistion toward the wall until he came to an arm's length from it.
Hephaistion looked at Alexander intensely. His golden mane was spread over his muscular shoulder, it shone in the light of flame like a fire. His eyes were dark filled with lust and passion. The softness of the fur contrasted with the hardness of Alexander. Hephaistion kissed him hard, and received back a kiss as thorough as it could be.
They finally pulled away from each other to replace the air in their lungs. Alexander looked back at Hephaistion with admiration. His delicate pale face was glowing in the reflection of the fire. His blue eyes were simmering with inner heat. His slightly parted lips were moist and shining in ruby red from repeated kisses. Hephaistion slowly ran the tip of his tongue along the inner edge of his lips.
Alexander pushed him to the wall while placing another hungry kiss. He turned Hephaistion around to face him to the wall, and put their hands against the smooth surface as interlacing their fingers. After placing chaste kisses on Hephaistion's shoulders, Alexander slid down to kneel behind him.
His tongue run over Hephaistion's slender body while his strong fingers tugged him inch by inch. The hot tip started from the back of the knee through the tight thigh, passing the perfectly rounded bottom, tracing along the crease of back bones, and finally rested at the base of the exposed nape.
Alexander wrapped his arms tight around Hephaistion, seeking a better contact, by now it was freely spilled out from the tiny coverings, and he pressed it firmly between Hephaistion's thighs. Alexander closed his eyes to savor the warmth and slick feelings around him. Hephaistion put his arms over Alexander's and squeezed them hard. He tilted his head backward until it rested on Alexander's broad shoulder, offering his tender throat to his lover. Alexander sucked the pulsing vein hard leaving an obvious mark engraved on Hephaistion's skin. Nothing mattered. The only thing that existed was the sensation of the touch for each other.
A whimper escaped from Hephaistion's throat, followed by a long shaky drag of air. Their bodies slowly started to wave in harmony. First in a lazy tide, then gradually increasing the intensity to a full storm. The cave was filled with the sound of yearning, and liberal moaning. The heat was rising, and their skins were burning. All their senses were concentrated to where they joined.
When the storm finally reached to the climax, they were in the total stillness of subtle white light. The weight of their bodies became too much as the sensation subsided, and the heat calmed down. Exhausted, they collapsed together on the sandy floor. They lay there motionless until they regained the rhythm of breaths, still holding to each other tight.
As the flame of the passion settled and the moist skin started to dry, the winter chill crept over their naked forms. Alexander pulled away from Hephaistion, and walked to get blankets to spread in front of the fire. He gently squeezed Hephaistion's shoulder.
"Hephaistion. Come, let's get close to the fire under the blanket before you catch a chill."
Hephaistion slowly opened his eyes and smiled at Alexander. Contentment filled his bright wide eyes. Alexander added more branches to the fire before comfortably settling under the warm blanket next to Hephaistion. The flame flared up to the ceiling, and an owl broke the silence of the night. The storm had passed, and the thin crescent moon and stars were now shining in the clear sky. More fresh snow glittered on the ground outside the cave.
"So, how did you like my new invention?" Alexander whispered mischievously as he pulled Hephaistion close by the waist to spoon him. Hephaistion chuckled.
"I think this was the finest of all, even better and more effective than your father's sarissa. "
Merrily laughs echoed in the cave. Alexander knew that he would use this invention more than anything during the cold nights of winters for years to come. He grinned widely to himself with the image of Hephaistion in his invention. Alexander pulled Hephaistion tight against his chest before drifting off to the winter dream.
End