A/N: This is a very rough draft, I'm working the story before I do editing. There are likely spelling errors, and things will change as the story develops. Sexytimes ensue in this chapter between our two boys.

Chapter Two

Not So Secret Secrets

Everyone in the Moonglade quickly became accustomed to the eventual questions they would hear.

"Is Zanekes Skyfire in the glade?" or "Is Abauan Brownhoof in the glade?"

There was always a covered smile or hidden snicker when one would come after the other. It was inevitable, they all knew. The days when one could not find the other would see a very despondent seeker sitting by the lake for at least an hour before he left. Then there were the days that they would find each other.

The sight of the two chasing each other around the lake became so normal, it seemed to be part of the Moonglade's very structure anymore. Sometimes, new druids would come across the unlikely pair, and find themselves stopping and watching in avid curiosity as the Abauan would take off lumbering after the quick Night elf before growling and trying to catch him in his cat form. Of course, Zanekes, not to be out done would shift as well and make a purring growl in his throat at his companion. Then he'd take off, teasing the Tauren. It took a long time before they finally realized that their relationship was well beyond the confines of simple friendship.

Zanekes was lying on his back and tossing flowers in the air while Abauan was sitting beside him. Zanekes rolled over on his stomach and stared at the Tauren.

"Um, do you think it's weird, the way we are?" he asked, looking up at Abauan thoughtfully.

Abauan looked at him, snorting. "I don't know what you mean, silly elf."

"I mean, the way we only see each other, you know. See, I was talking to this gnome the other day…" he said, picking a flower and tossing it at Abauan.

"A gnome?" Abauan asked, his brow wrinkling.

"Yeah, and they told me that it sounds like we're awful close, and that, you know, they thought we might…you know…be more than friends," he said, staring at the ground thoughtfully, digging a small hole with his finger as he spoke.

Abauan looked at him. "What? What's that mean?"

"Oh, forget it," Zanekes muttered, turning and sitting up with his back to Abauan and staring across the waters of the lake.

Abauan was confused. Where had this come from? He moved closer to the night elf and put a hand on his back. "What is it, Zanekes?" he asked quietly.

Zanekes turned, grabbing Abauan's hand and putting it against his face for a second and then letting go, looking away. "Just…nothing," he said, and this time he stood and shifted into his cat form and dashed away.

Abauan was having none of it, following him in his own cat form. He growled at him, but Zanekes jumped through the trees and seemed to actually to be trying to lose him. Abauan thought this was incredibly strange. They chased each other for hours out here, and he never tried to lose him, always ducking back and making sure he was following him. He wasn't going to be outdone, of course, so he managed to find his trail because he was leaving one, another oddity. He found his way down an incline where Zanekes had crouched under a tree's roots where it made a little canopy beside the lake. The dirt around the roots had at one time been washed away by the rising lake waters. He'd returned to his elf form, but he was just staring at the ground between his knees. Abauan came down and returned to his own form, sliding under the root canopy beside him.

"Zan, what is it?" he asked, reaching up and turning the elf's face toward him.

Zanekes tried to turn away, but Abauan, in this form, was the stronger of the two of them, and he just glared at him instead. He frowned and sighed. "I think…I think…I feel something for you," he muttered and Abauan let go and he turned away now.

"Feel something?" he asked, realization dawning on him about what Zanekes was saying. "Wait, you mean like that?"

"It's stupid, I mean, we're not even the same race, and there's so many things wrong with this feeling, but I can't make it go away. Every time I see you I'm happier than I ever have been, and then when I can't find you, I ache all over, and I hate it so much that…" he said, again descending through a litany of word salad, as Abauan called it when he rambled like this.

Abauan put a stop to his words by putting his finger against the elf's lips. He looked at him curiously. "Hush," he said, smiling. "It doesn't matter if we're different, if we feel the same things, that is all that matters, right?" he asked.

Zanekes nodded slowly. "Then that's all that matters. I feel the same way; I just did not think that you would ever feel that way in return."

Zanekes stared at him for a long time, and he leaned forward and kissed the tip of Abauan's nose gently before he put his hands against his face, running fingers down the lines of his cheeks, nose, and around his eyes curiously. Abauan didn't know what to think as he moved, throwing his leg over and sitting on Abauan's lap, facing him and staring at his face while he stroked the tip of his nose. Abauan just stared mostly, wondering exactly what Zanekes was up to. Then he just leaned forward, putting his head against Abauan's chest and wrapping both arms around him. Abauan returned the gesture, and for the rest of that day, they simply sat there, under the tree roots and listened to each other's breath and hearts as the splashing waves of the lake filtered into their ears.

The next time they were in the glade was slightly awkward, but not for very long as Zanekes pulled Abauan by the hand out of the inn toward their spot by the lakeside under the tree roots. One of the druids that they'd run into not long before, the Worgan, Juliana, smiled as she watched them. Their hands had been intertwined, so apparently, the pair had figured it out after all. Juliana sighed, wishing that she had realized the same thing before it was too late. Eliana was gone now, having died on Mount Hyjal, and she'd never get to tell her everything that resided in her heart…

After several small, somewhat confusing meetings, Zanekes had figured out, with some effort, how to deal with the physical differences between them. They'd spend their time still chasing each other, but then, they'd disappear to their spot by the lake, sitting for long periods simply sitting together. Neither of them were really used to the idea of intimacy, but Abauan was worried about it from the time things began. Zanekes wasn't another Tauren, so he honestly had no one to ask about this situation. He ached to be close to him, but fear kept him from doing more than sitting with the long limbed elf wrapped around him under the roots.

Of course, Zanekes, being who he was, was not afraid of much, and he drug him down to their secluded spot and shoved Abauan to sit down. Abauan was immediately worried because the elf had that look, the one that meant trouble of some sort.

"So…" Zanekes began, smiling, his pointed canines showing more than usual. "I talked to that gnome again."

Abauan arched a brow. "The gnome. Who is this gnome and where did you find them?"

Zanekes waked his hands. "Not important, but anyway, they told me that since you aren't going to do anything, I have to do something."

"Do something?" Abauan asked, really becoming annoyed at this gnome that Zanekes was talking to.

"Yeah," Zanekes said, dropping down to his knees and smiling that wicked looking smile at him. "So the gnome told me what I could try out if I wanted to, well they told me a couple things, but first thing's first," he muttered, and before Abauan knew it, Zanekes had crawled up between his legs and had started to press against him in a way he hadn't before.

Abauan's eyes went wide and he swallowed had. "What…what are you…"

"Can I see?" Zanekes said, cutting his glowing gold eyes up at Abauan.

"S-see? See what?" the Tauren asked, knowing what he meant but not wanting to assume such a thing.

"You, dumb bull," Zanekes muttered, sliding his hand down Abauan's front slowly, pulling at the front of his pants.

"Ah, I don't…why?" he asked, still staring at him.

"Because I want to!" he said, looking up at him with those eyes and that wicked looking smile.

Abauan nodded slowly, and before he knew it, the elf had untied the front of his pants and had one hand down inside gripping him. Abauan nearly choked and put both hands hard into the dirt one either side of him.

"Oh, it is big," Zanekes muttered, pushing and pulling until he had Abuaun free of the now much tighter confines of his pants. "So, what they say about bulls is true," he muttered, fingers dancing over him, tracing every contour and vein on Abuaun's very engorged arousal.

Before Abuaun had time to say anything, Zanekes drove forward and sucked gently on the tip of him. To say the Tauren was shocked was an understatement. He'd never even heard of someone doing this before. That damn gnome, he thought to himself. If he ever got his hands on that gnome… His thought was cut short as Zanekes forced himself further down on him, and Abuaun could feel the elf's throat constricting against him.

"Oh, sweet Earth Mother help me," he muttered as he felt himself crash down, making Zanekes come up, sputtering and spitting. He looked at Abuaun and stuck his tongue out at him.

"Okay, that's weird, but you liked it!" he said, wiping his mouth and making a strange face for a second.

"That gnome told you to…" Abuaun said still panting. "Who…why…why are you talking to a gnome about doing these things?"

Zanekes tipped his head to the side. "Well, who else is going to tell me what to do with this! It's not like I know much about it, and besides, I can't talk to any of the elves at home, they would flip out if I told them I wanted to be with a Tauren, you know," he said, turning away, his cheeks darkening about.

"Wait, what do you mean?" Abuaun said, frowning at him.

Zakekes smirked again, standing up and sitting across Abuaun's lap again, sliding his hand down over his own crotch. "Well, you know, I want to do the other thing, like other people," he said, reaching his other hand down and starting to stroke Abuaun again, and to his surprise, he started to harden again in his hand.

"I excite you," Zanekes said proudly, reaching down and undoing his own pants, pulling himself free.

Abuaun glanced down at Zanekes who was now holding himself and Abuaun in his hand, stroking both of them together. There honestly wasn't too much difference in their sizes to Abuaun's surprise. Zanekes was panting audibly now as he looked up and locked eyes on Abuaun. He smiled at his look of surprise.

"What, you think Tauren are the only males well equipped," he muttered. "I'm not a little delicate human," he grumbled.

Abuaun smiled, reaching his hand between them and pushing the elf's hand away. Zanekes reached up and put his hands on Abuaun's shoulders as he watched as Abuaun's larger hands encircled both of them easily. He felt like he was on fire from his toes to his head and he was sure that he wasn't going to last much longer at the rate he was going. Abuaun watched Zanekes's face carefully as he felt him get closer and closer to cresting. He was fascinated because he didn't think the elf could look like that. His face was deeper in color than he'd ever seen, and the coloring of his eyes seemed even darker than before. His body was in constant motion, and Abuaun felt his fingers digging into the thick muscles around his shoulders and neck. His mouth hung somewhat slack as he moved, and then he threw his head backward with a look somewhere between pain and pleasure as he fell over the edge. The sight alone brought Abuaun over the edge as well.

Zanekes fell forward into him, and Abuaun clutched him to his chest, feeling his heart beating hard against him. They sat there for a long time, coming down together, and Abuaun wondered what else this blasted elf had in his head that that gnome told him. Zanekes sat back, glancing down between them and smirked.

"Well, now you can't refuse to go naked into the lake with me, we're messy," he muttered, wiggling on Abuaun's lap a bit.

He hated to admit it, but that was certain, so he nodded at the elf. "Fine," he said with a sigh.

Zanekes was up and stripping his clothes before Abuaun could even stand up. He smiled, completely naked now and gestured for him to come with him. Abuaun shook his head, and looked to see the splash and Zanekes poke his seal form head out of the water at him before diving down. Abuaun grinned. So it was that game, was it, he thought, discarding his own clothes and morphing into his own swimming form and ducking under the water.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

A few more intimate interludes occurred before the next time that Zanekes had a new idea from his gnomish friend. And this time, Abuaun was sure he was going to throttle this gnome, whoever they were. Abuaun was just getting used to their exploration of each other, both fascinated by the reactions of the other. He wasn't sure what else Zanekes had in mind when he practically drug Abuaun to their secret spot, and before he could say anything, Zanekes had pushed him down to sit in the covered spot. He was already blushing hard, his cheeks deeply colored. Abuaun knew he was in for trouble.

"So, the gnome gave me something," he said, looking at Abuaun with that wicked grin splitting his face.

"Ah, what this time?" Abuaun asked, watching as Zanekes stripped every stitch of clothing off himself and then proceeded to undo Abuaun's pants again.

Abuaun was sure that this elf was insatiable, because every single time, he acted like they'd never touch each other again. Before he knew it, he was kneeling between his legs and working on awaking Abuaun's arousal and going at a feverish pace. Abuaun wasn't sure what was going on today but he buried both hands in Zanekes's green hair and pushed him down further, feeling Zanekes grip his thighs hard as Abuaun crested with a grunt, thrusting hard up into his throat. Abuaun had found that his elf hated to be treated like he was going to break, and the rougher he got with him, the more excited he got. He'd been so scared of hurting him at first, but he found that the elf was definitely not delicate in the least.

When Abuaun let go of his head he came up, panting to catch his breath with a grin. "Almost passed out that time," he panted. "Wish I didn't have to breathe," he muttered then immediately started stroking at Abuaun again.

"What are you doing?" Abuaun asked, shocked at how urgent Zanekes was going. "I just…what…oh, goddess…" he moaned as his arousal returned full force again.

"I needed you to go off once, before this, so you don't go off too soon," he muttered, standing up, his own arousal leaking and he grinning at him. "I want to take my time."

Abuaun frowned and looked at the elf wondering just what he was talking about. He watched as Zanekes reached down into his clothes and fished something out of a pocket, a jar of some sort, and reached inside it, scooping what looked like some sort of oil or something. He then moved over and began stroking whatever it was on Abuaun's hardness.

"What is that?" he asked, surprised, but noticing that it felt kind of nice where he was stroking him with that stuff.

"Well, the gnome said it would help things go better," he said, stepping back and nodding at Abuaun. He looked nervous and Abuaun had no idea what he was going to do. "So, I'm going do this," he said, almost to himself, and then he moved to sit over Abuaun's lap like he often did.

This time, though, instead of stroking them together, Zanekes reached down and shifted his hips forward, moving over Abuaun just slightly. Too late, Abuaun realized what he was doing because every bit of blood he had left in his face rushed south, and he felt Zanekes guide him inside his body. Abuaun's shock didn't last long because he had never felt anything so amazing in his life. Zanekes slid down slowly, his arms wrapped around Abuaun's neck and fingers digging into his shoulders harder than ever before. He felt him rest on his legs again, fully seated now. He felt him squeezing him hard and panting in his ear.

"Oh, that…that's a lot more painful than I expected…" he said leaning back a bit and Abuaun saw his pained expression.

"Zan, if it hurts, stop," Abuaun said, reaching up and putting both hands on his face.

Zanekes shook his head. "No, no, just…wait a minute," he said, swallowing hard and rolling his hips a bit. "The…the gnome said…it hurts at first…but the stuff should help…but goddess you're big…"

Abuaun groaned as he felt Zanekes's body shudder and felt the fluttering sensation as he moved upward a little and then all the way down to his root. It seemed like a long time, but then Zanekess began to move on him, sliding back and forth on him. Abuaun felt his eyes cross and he realized how glad he was that Zan had gotten him to crest earlier. Abuaun reached down and grabbed him, stroking him as he moved on him. It was slow at first, but then, like anything the elf did, his body began to react and he started moving faster. Then, he moved at a different angle and he let a strangled cry out suddenly.

"Zan, what happened?" he asked, worried that he'd hurt him no matter how much the elf claimed he wasn't a "damn delicate flower".

"Oh that felt amazing…" he panted, angling to make whatever that was again. He whimpered and shook his head. "Oh, can't last, can't…wait…" he muttered and he threw his head back like he always did when he crested, and Abuaun nearly yelped as he felt Zanekes's body clamp down on him and the muscles fluttered and constricted as he did. Abuaun followed him, clutching him to his chest and cresting harder and longer than he'd ever before even with Zanekes's oral stimulation.

A minute passed as they remained there for, panting breaths on each other. Zanekes leaned back and nuzzled into Abuaun's neck, gently biting and sucking at him. He moved off of Abuaun and the Tauren pulled him into him as tightly as he could, stroking his back and nuzzling in return. Unlike most, druids seemed to have a very animalistic way of loving another. It was no surprise that their time together would reflect that in many ways.

"Are you okay?" Abuaun asked quietly, pushing him back and looking into his face.

"Hmm, yes, wonderful, hurts a bit, but oh goddess that felt so good," he muttered, licking at Abuaun's ear mischievously. "You think you want to try that in cat form?" he muttered against his neck.

"You realize that cats…um…" Abuaun said, remembering specifically why that would be a completely different experience.

Zanekes leaned back, that wicked grin on his face again. "Yeah, I know, barbs, but I bet it hurts wonderfully," he muttered, leaning in and nuzzling him again and nearly purring in his throat.

"What is wrong with you?" Abuaun said, smirking as he ran his hands over his back. "You like pain or something?"

"Hmm, I just want you to love me in every way there is, Abu," he muttered, kissing his neck lightly. "I like the feelings, the mix of pain with the pleasure, a lot, and I want it more," he muttered and yawned suddenly. "But I'm tired, let's go back to the inn," he said, leaning back and smiling at him.

Despite what the two young lovers thought, there weren't many people in the Moonglade that didn't know about the two of them. Those that didn't would be given a muttered explanation from someone that did, assuming they were another druid. Non druids wouldn't understand, for one, but also it wasn't the first time something of the like had happened in the Moonglade. So they gave the two their space, and no one ever seemed to go looking for them when they'd snuck away to the lake. It was with some amusement that the older druids would shake their heads when the pair would zip through, chasing one another through the buildings and out into the woods again. No one seemed to think anything much about it. It wasn't like the two of them could ever be together outside the Moonglade, so what was the harm?

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

Ashara was fascinating to Zanekes, and he'd heard that there were lost artifacts, tomes, and all sorts of elven history there. Abuaun told him to stay away from it because it was so close to Durotar. Abuaun worried incessantly that the elf was going to get himself in trouble. When he found out he was going to Ashara despite Abuaun's misgivings, he had gone with him. They had to be careful, of course. They couldn't be seen together by Horde or Alliance, else one or the other of them, or both, would be in great danger. So, as Zanekes zipped through the trees ahead, Abuaun ambled along the path in his bear form, watching for trouble.

They made it to the area without incident and Abuaun was relieved. They hadn't even seen one orc patrol. He was worried, though. They'd been too lucky so far. He tried to convince Zanekes after their second day there that they should leave and go back to the Moonglade. Zanekes, though, wanted to learn more, convinced that he could find something incredibly if he just stuck with it. They, of course, spent their nights entertaining each other, which Abuaun and Zanekes both enjoyed, but the Tauren was worried.

A week had passed and Abuaun left to find some berries for their meal that morning. After he had gathered several bunches of some of the sweet ones that Zanekes favored, he heard something that froze his heart. He dropped the berries and took off in his cheetah form, zipping through the trees in time to skid to a stop just outside the clearing they were staying in.

It was an orc patrol. If they found Zanekes… He looked around for the elf but didn't see him. He either had run or he was hiding in the forest. He hid himself among the trees as well and watched. One of the orcs kicked at the bedding they had piled together, mostly leaves and moss to lay on. Another leaned down and checked to see how long the fire had been out. Abuaun's heart was beating in his ears so loud he was sure that the orcs would hear it. He heard one yell at another in Orcish, then there was an answering call from beyond the camp they'd been using.

Then, his heart sank, because the other orc that hadn't been seen was coming back and dragging Zanekes by the arm, stumbling into the camp. He shoved him down to his knees and pressed his sword into his back.

"Little lost elf, huh?" the first orc said. "Why are you here?"

Zanekes didn't say anything at first, but the one behind him slammed the hilt of his sword into the back of his head, knocking him prone. He reached down and yanked him back up. "Answer him," the one behind his growled.

"Research," Zanekes said, eyes scanning the area around him. Abuaun knew he was looking for him. "Looking for artifacts, elven tomes," he said, looking up at the patrol leader.

The orc pulled his dagger and put it under Zanekes's chin, and Abuaun saw blood dripping down from where he pierced his skin. "I don't believe you, I think you are a worthless Alliance spy," he said.

"I'm not, I'm a member of the Cenarion…" he started then the orc pulled his fist back and punched the elf across the face hard, and if the other orc hadn't been holding him up, he would have fallen over.

"No, you are a spy, and we will get the truth out of you, and when we do, you'll be executed like the filthy Alliance scum you are," the orc growled at him.

Abuaun wanted to go to him, he wanted to fight, but there were three…four…he saw another one coming into the area. And if they realized that Abuaun and Zanekes had been here together…they were both dead. The orcs wouldn't care if they were supposed to be allies with the Tauren. They would kill them both, or worse. And if they found out that Abuaun and Zanekes were lovers… His heart was beating out of his chest because he knew they could break him. They would break him, and he would tell them, and then they would torture and kill him for being with a Tauren. No one could withstand what they would put him through to get the "truth" they wanted out of him.

Abuaun watched in horror as they drug him toward their mounts, stumbling and bleeding already. Zanekes glanced back and locked eyes on the barely visible cat's eyes that flickered in the brush. He smiled at him, touching his lips for a second with two of his fingers before he was jerked forward toward the riding wolf. Abuaun watched them disappear out of the woods, and he dashed after them, trying to keep with them, hoping that they'd stop, and somehow, he could snatch Zanekes away from them. The didn't stop, they just rode on into Durotar, and the Tauren stopped, staring into the distance, his heart breaking into a million pieces.