Raphael rubbed at his wounds. They itched, a lot. Trax said that it was a good sign and meant that he was healing. Raph would often open his shirt and look at the holes in his plastron. There was new growth but there were still cracks branching out from the round scars. It left him to wonder if he would always have them and how prominent they would remain

It had been over month since Raph had started traveling with Trax. In that short time, Raph had grown fond of the large triceratops. Was it wrong to be feeling so strongly for someone so soon after Casey's death? A swell of guilt pained him every time he thought about it.

Glancing up from his seat in the cart, Raph saw the back of Trax. He was strong, kind, and patient, helping others wherever he went, like he had helped Raph through his grief. Though, Raphael did not understand everything that Trax said, his deep voice was soft and soothing. One thing he did understand. Trax believed that they were meant to be together.

Traximus would talk about fate and faith, praying every day to the god he worshiped. He explained that in order to continue to have good fortune, he must show his gratitude for what he had. Raph wasn't so sure about that. He remembered his family paying tributes to their gods but they were all killed and enslaved.

The cart hit a rock, jarring Raph from his thoughts. They were traveling through a desert, guided by fate according to Trax. After their second day, Raph thought that their fate was to die in the vast wasteland but then they happened upon a lost traveler.

The traveler was on the brink of death when they found him. Trax gave the man something to drink and placed him in the cart with Raph where he slept. After another half a day of traveling they came to an oasis. It was a lush patch of heaven in the middle of a harsh environment. It looked out of place, like someone had cut the pond out of the forest and placed it in the desert.

Raph wasn't complaining. The sun was reaching its zenith and it was getting unbearably hot, the oasis helped to alleviate the discomfort. There were several trees surrounding the deep pool of water that had ripe fruit hanging from their branches.

Trax carried the traveler into the oasis and set him down in the shallows of the water, in the shade of a tree. After stripping off his clothes, Raph stepped into the pond and splashed his parched flesh with the cool water before submerging himself. It was bliss. A turtle's place was to live near the water and swim in it often. He's sure there was some old proverb about it among the tribes.

When he emerged from the water, Raph saw Trax collecting some of the ripe fruit. The horse and cart were tied up to a tree and the horse had already eaten all of the grass that was surrounding it. Trax glanced over at Raph. "We will take shelter here for a while and continue on our way when night starts to fall. Try to get some sleep. I will keep watch."

Raph simply nodded his head before diving back under the water. He had no idea where Trax was taking him and to be honest, he didn't really care. If wandering around aimlessly was what Trax wanted to do then Raph wasn't going to stop him. It wasn't like Raph had anywhere to be.

Once Raph had his fill of swimming in the water, he climbed up on to the rocks, dressed, and found an outcropping to curl up under. He must have dozed off because he was awoken by the crack of Trax's whip right over his head.

"What in the name of the gods do you think you are doing you crazy maniac?" Raph yelled in his own language as he stood up. "That's not how you wake someone up." The wind had picked up, blowing sand all around them.

Trax's eyes narrowed, he didn't understand what Raph had said but the tone was unmistakable. He lifted an eye ridge and pointed. Raph turned around and saw the dead snake draped over the rock.
"I didn't mean to startle you," Trax said in all sincerity. When Raph looked back up at Trax, the larger man explained. "You don't want to get bit by one of those."

Raph nodded his head. He felt his face flush, feeling guilt as he looked at the ground. "Thank you," he said in the common language. He watched as Trax coiled the whip back up. "I like," Raph said, pointing to the whip. "Is good... tool."

"I can teach you how to use it," Trax offered. "That way when you sit watch, you can save my life."

Raph nodded, "Is good. Yes."

Trax's opened his arms and unraveled his whip. "We can start now if you like."

Raph shielded his eyes against the wind as it picked up. "Now?"

Trax shrugged, "This isn't bad. I've been in worse." He gestured Raph over to him. "Come here." As Raph walked toward him, Trax turned and led the way out of the oasis. Raph's quizzical look had Trax smiling. "I do not want to endanger our new friend or frighten the horse. Out here it is less likely that you will hit anything important."

Trax stood back and demonstrated how to use the whip. With wide eyes, Raph watched as Trax cracked the whip, hitting the same spot on a nearby rock, over and over again. "You have to get the feel of the whip," Trax explained. "Learn how far it needs to extend before you flick it back to get it to crack. The timing is important if you want it to be effective. You can flay the flesh off a man with the right technique."

Holding the whip out, Trax beckoned Raph over. "Now you try it."

Raph walked up and took the whip from Trax. The handle was still warm from being in Trax's hand and the worn leather was smooth. When Raph moved to emulate Trax's movements from before, the whip came back and snapped him on the thigh. Raph hissed in pain and ran his hand over the spot that was already starting to form a welt.

"You didn't do it right," Trax chuckled and moved over towards Raph.

Raph scowled, "It was plan."

Once again Trax chuckled, "So you meant for it to hit you in the leg. It's not all that effective in a fight if you are whipping yourself. You are doing your enemies' work for them." Trax stepped behind Raph and pressed in close, kneeling down to get on Rap's level. One of his hands came up and clasped around the hand Raph was using to hold the whip and the other moved to adjust Raph's hips. "Adjust your stance and loosen your grip a little."

Raph's heart started to hammer in his chest. Being so close to Trax both excited and frightened Raph. He silently chided himself. It hadn't been that long since Casey's death. What was Raph doing falling for someone else?

"You've stiffened up," Trax said as he pulled on Raph's arm. "You need to loosen up a bit. Are you nervous about hitting yourself again?"

"It's because he's a turtle." Trax and Raph both looked up to see the man they had rescued looking at them from over the rocks. "The males are just as attracted to other males as they are females. But then again, you can't blame them. Their females don't look all that different from males."

"You seem to be doing better," Trax said as he stood, ignoring the man's statement. "I was worried for a while that you weren't going to make it."

"I'm still tired," the man nodded, "but I will survive." He looked up as a gust sent more sand into the air. "As long at this wind doesn't cause the sand to blast the flesh right off of me, that is."

Trax made his way back into the oasis and pointed to a crevice in the rocks. "We should take shelter and wait out the storm there." When he reached the man, Trax extended his hand. "My name is Traximus but you can call me Trax. My friend is named Raphael."

"My name is Ryan," the man said, accepting Trax's hand. "I am in your debt for saving me."

"I hope we are taking you in the right direction," Trax smiled. "There was no way for us to determine which way to take you."

"As long as it is out of this wasteland, I will be grateful," Ryan replied. He looked over and watched Raph make his way into the shelter of the rocks. "Why are you not with your tribe? It is not common to see a lonely turtle wandering."

Raph sat down with his back to the rocks and shrugged. "Tribe… slaves to snappers. I got out."

"That's harsh," Ryan said and moved over closer to Raph. "How long have you been on your own?"

Raph thought for a moment to find the right words before answering. "I got out… year back."

"A year?" Ryan whistled. "You speak the common language well for someone who has only been using it for a year."

Raph scoffed, "Had to know. No one know what I say."

Ryan laughed. "Being able to get your point across is an important part of life. I met a man once who couldn't speak at all. He used his hands to communicate with his brother and his brother spoke for him. I guess people find a way when there is a need."

"So why were you traveling through the desert?" Trax asked as he joined them and offered Ryan one of the fruits from the trees.

"Thank you," Ryan took the fruit. "I'm trying to get to the town where my sister works. She is a whore and I want to get her away from that life. I met and married a woman who is the only child of a land owner. I'm going to inherit the land so I will be able to take care of my sister and find her a good man to marry."

"It is good that we found you then," Trax said before taking a bite. "I hope you are able to find your sister in good health." They sat in silence while they ate and then Trax turned his attention to Raph. "Is it true?"

Raph chewed on the sweet fruit as he thought about Trax's question. Ultimately Raph shrugged, not knowing what Trax was asking.

"Are you attracted to males?" Trax clarified.

Raph knew that there were a lot of settlers who didn't like the fact that male turtles had sex with one another. It was one of the reasons they used to kill his kind. He had assumed that Trax already knew this fact when they met. Fear of Trax's reaction had Raph's throat closing.

"You're not one of those who's going to start preaching that it's against the lord's way. Are you?" Ryan asked around a mouthful of fruit. "The lord wouldn't make an entire race that way if he didn't want them to do it."

Trax shook his head. "I am not. The lord has his plans and I am not one to question his designs. It is mostly the humans whose beliefs are that way. Where I come from, such acts are not as frowned upon, though they are not encouraged. Children are needed to keep an empire going."

Ryan nodded his head for a while then sighed and started to shake it. "It is a sad fact. My kind are the ones who are the worst when it comes to such things."

Raph sat in silence while the other two men debated the issue. Eventually the topic was dropped and Raph felt a little more comfortable around them.

The winds continued to pick up to the point that it was getting hard to see and breathe. Trax untied the horse from the tree and led it to shelter among the rocks. They all tied some extra shirts over their mouths to help filter out the sand. Even with the buffer of the rocks and the filter of the shirts, it was hard to breathe. They all stayed low as they waited out the storm. Fortunately it didn't last long.

When it finally passed, they were relieved to see that everything had made it through. They stayed in the oasis for a few more hours, waiting until the sun started to set and the air to cool. Once the temperature was bearable they headed out with Trax driving the cart and Raph sharing the back with Ryan.

It was well past midnight before they made it out of the desert and dawn before they came to a town where they parted ways with Ryan. "I can get to where my sister is from here." Ryan said with a smile. "Thank you again for saving my life. I am in your debt."

"You owe us nothing," Trax replied. "I was only doing what the lord was directing me to do."

Trax and Raph stayed in town to buy more supplies and to find a place to get a few hours of sleep. With it being morning it meant that most of the rooms in the saloons would be available. They chose the one with the nicest barn and went inside.

As expected the saloon was empting out. Traximus spoke with the owner and got them a room for a few hours of rest at half price.

"I requested that he send someone to wake us up in a few hours so we can make it to the next town before sundown." Trax said as he opened the door. Raph followed him inside, dropping his things on the floor.

It was a nice room with two beds, a table and chairs, and a short dresser with a metal wash basin on top. Trax removed his jacket and draped it over a chair. "Are you really attracted to men?"

The question was unexpected and a lump formed in Raph's throat as he looked up at Trax. "Yeah. Is okay?" He feared that Trax would not want to travel with him anymore.

Looking away, Trax cleared his throat, "Are you attracted to me?"

If Raph said yes, would that be the end of their time together? Trax may not be violently against two men being attracted to each other but that didn't mean that he was willing to associate with one. "Uh," after debating it in his head, Raph shrugged and then nodded. He didn't want to lie. "Yeah."

Trax walked over to Raph and looked him in the eyes, "Good."

"Good?" Raph repeated with a smile. "You want me?"

"Yeah," Trax smiled in return. "I do. I was afraid to tell you how I felt. You were still grieving over your friend and I wasn't sure if you would be open to it."

Raph reached up and started to undo Trax's shirt. "I am open to it."

Trax nuzzled Raph, running his hands along Raph's arms. Their eyes locked for a moment. Raph sighed and said in his native language, "I wish you understood my language so I could truly tell you how I feel about you. I just don't know how to say it in your language. It feels right being with you, almost enough to make me believe that it is fate that has brought us together. Almost enough to make me believe that I love you."

"I wish I knew what you were saying," Trax caressed Raph's cheek. "It sounded so sincere." The desire in Trax's eyes had Raph speed up as he unbuttoned Trax's shirt. In a fury, they pulled off their clothes as they moved to the bed. "It has been a long time for me," Trax husked and kicked off his pants. "Forgive me for being overly excited."

Raph lied back as Trax moved over him. The rush of blood that was causing Trax's penis to harden also darkened the orange flesh to an almost rust color. The tip dripped with pre-cum and his musky scent filled Raph's nose. "Is big," Raph breathed, reaching down to touch the throbbing appendage.

"Too big?" Trax looked down between them.

Raph shook his head, "It fit." Using one hand to pump Trax's cock, Raph's other hand moved down to prep himself. He first worked himself up to an erection and then slipped his finger into his cloaca, past his penis, to stretch the muscles.

Trax's large orange hand came down to run a finger along Raph's shaft. "Not what I expected," Trax said. "Considering your size, you are very well endowed. You should be able to please me with it, whenever we decide to switch places." He pressed his thumb into the flowering tip. Raph churred in response, causing Raph to blush and a smile spread across Trax's lips. "I'm guessing that is a sign that you are enjoying yourself."

Raph nodded.

Trax's smile widened. "I hope that I cause you to make that sound often."

"Ready," Raph rasped out, removing is fingers from his tail. He was unable to wait any longer.

With a soft rumble, deep in his chest, Trax moved on top of Raph. It burned a little as Trax pushed inside but not enough for Raph to want him to stop. Not wanting to hurt Raph, Trax moved slow, grunting with the effort to control himself.

Raph's fingers dug into Trax's arms, the tight muscles barely yielding to the pressure. He was an impressive man. Being that close to him, Raph could see the scars that riddled his body from the years of war. Some were faded and barely visible while others were newer and still prominent.

For someone who hadn't had sex in a long time, Trax had a lot of stamina and his hand still worked Raph's penis, doubling the stimulation. The stinging eventually faded and Raph was able to enjoy himself, churring softly to let Trax know.

Taking the churr as a cue, Trax increased his pacing. Raph kissed along Trax's collarbone and then up to the pulse point. Pleasure fogged his mind and any guilt Raph had felt for moving on so quickly, faded.

Trax did his best to keep the noise to a minimum and Raph tried to suppress his churrs. The last thing they needed was for someone to know what they were doing. The saloon owner was human after all.

Raph climaxed first, causing every muscle in his body to tighten and his wounds started to burn from the strain. Trax pushed through the tightness, outlasting Raph for a few minutes before achieving his own orgasm. After a few more long strokes, Trax pulled out and fell to the bed.

"Now for some needed sleep."

Raph nodded his head in agreement.