Lyer & Aluraios | Swimming
The rushing sound of water intruded on the peace that surrounded Lyer as he and Aluraios glided over the valley's darkling forest below. The sun was slowly descending, leaving a bronzing of light over the treetops, and glistening on the source of the sound. A tumbling flow of water that cascaded like Aluraios's hair over the jagged rocks that jutted from the valley side. The lacy water threw up cool air, causing the two hawks to flap for a second before regaining an updraft.
:Nice fall.: Lyer commented, casting an artistic eye over the scene, enjoying the details sharpened and defined by his hawk eyes. :We don't get them like this further south. Makes me want to swim.:
:Swim?: His partner let out an audible sound of dismay with the telepathic words, :Lyer, it'll be bloody freezing in that water. Plus the plain fact it is water!:
The darker hawk just banked sharply, :However, it's not rain.: he sent with a mental grin, :And you're an energy mage, aren't you?:
He folded his wings, suddenly dropping into a dive, leaving Aluraios slightly puzzled above him. Pulling up at the surface, he skimmed the water, spraying up droplets in his wake. Letting out a battle cry of enjoyment he soared upwards, the effect only marginally ruined by the necessary flapping, and landed on a craggy outcropping at the edge of the waterfall. Then he glanced upwards to pinpoint his white patterned lover.
Lyer frowned as he scanned the sky, :'Rios?: he asked after a few seconds without any sign of the fireborn. Suddenly a white arrow shot past him, wings unfurling as it reached the foaming base.
Aluraios glided to the bank, a hint of annoyance reaching Lyer as he shook off water droplets from his feathers, but then Lyer's telepathy faded abruptly as he started his change, the scene blurring in front of him. He'd heard his transformation described, by Aluraios, as 'distorting', and 'I can't focus on you.' but for himself it took an unfelt split second to change to his natural vampiric form.
He clapped slowly in mock appreciation as the fireborn came to rest, turning towards him, and the dying sun, to spread his wings wide. The rippling air, similar to hot air being distorted in the deserts, hid Aluraios's own change, for him, also only a split second.
Lyer turned his attention to unbinding his long black hair, before tying it into a much more suitable knot for swimming than the intricate display it had been in all day.
"Lyer, I'd not dive," came a call from below the precipice that the vampire was perched on, anticipating his idea. "There's sharp rocks under the surface."
"How far down?" Lyer replied, tying the hair off with a single black leather thong.
"Too near to risk it, don't try it."
"Alright." Lyer grinned down in answer, giving in gracefully. Especially after looking down for himself to see their placement. But, he'd have given in anyway, the vampire couldn't refuse the slim mage anything. Dressed in a loose black open-fronted tunic, tied with a silver cord, over matching black trousers, with his silver hair streaming in freefall down his back, Aluraios was perfect to him.
"But how am I meant to get down then? There's no updraft." Lyer called, raising his voice further against the roar of the fall in his sensitive ears.
Aluraios chuckled, loosing the cord to pull of the tunic and reveal his smooth pale chest, lifting his hair over his shoulder to finger comb it. "No idea, you got yourself up there." He plucked at his trousers teasingly. With a sly glance upwards he moved gingerly barefoot over the stony grass to a large flat rock reaching over the pool into which the fall emptied. Climbing up, he lay down on the sun-kissed rock and lowered his toes into the water, shivering for a moment, before settling and closing his eyes. "Mmmmm, nice." he murmured.
"Well then, I'll just have to get myself down, won't I?" Lyer muttered, glancing around for handholds in the rock face. Slowly he reached out to grasp them, letting his vampire strength and grace take over as he moved off the protrusion he was sat on.
He hardly winced as the rocks dug into his bare soles, gradually descending the spray-covered rocks. Suddenly, one of the rocks gave way, sending a small stream of pebbles downwards, and he half-slipped. Cursing softly, he recovered as he grabbed onto a hand hold, and regained his balance swiftly.
For a second he rested, and caught a glimpse of Aluraios half-sitting up, his eyes wide in fear. Then the fear gave way to relief when he saw Lyer was back on stable ground.
"Sorry!" Lyer mouthed as he continued downwards, testing each stone more carefully this time. As he reached the larger rocks near the base he let out a soft breath of relief. Rock climbing was definitely not his preferred form of exercise.
Running swiftly through the undergrowth around the pool, he quickly reached the other side of the pool. His predatorial lope ate up the rocks and grass, and once again his tough skin ignored the debris underfoot. He smiled, seeing his lover stretched on the rock, once again with closed eyes, almost like a virgin sacrifice, which Lyer knew, intimately, Aluraios definitely was not.
Silently he walked over to plant a firm kiss on the other man's gently curving lips. "Sorry for having kept you waiting," he whispered chastistedly into Aluraios's ear, before licking it playfully.
"Hmmmm, I don't mind." Hawken-gold eyes opened slowly, and the fireborn smiled, stretching luxuriously. "As long as you'll forgo the swimming idea."
"Uh huh." Lyer shook a finger at him, perching on the edge of the rock. "You haven't been swimming in at least a year." He pulled his own white tunic off over his head, shaking his head as it came off.
"For good reason!"
The vampire just smiled at the weak protest. "Just because you don't like rain doesn't mean you can't swim." he answered firmly, 'helping' Aluraios off with the lounging trousers and half lifting, half sliding the fireborn into the water. Aluraios turned even as he fell, and grabbed Lyer's arm, pulling him, trousers and all, after him.
"'Rios!" Lyer yelped, surfacing even as the water subtly warmed around him. Kicking off the trousers, and sighing at the thought of the washing needed to get them back to normal, he turned to watch as the fireborn concentrated. He could sense the magic emanating from him, warming the pool enough to be comfortable in, without damaging the ecology of the area.
When he recognised the end of the spell he dove under the water before Aluraios turned to him, relying on his preternatural endurance against the cold. Coming up behind Aluraios he took the slight body in his arms, nuzzling against his neck.
The cool touch centred the fireborn back to earth, and he stretched lazily in the ring of Lyer's arms, the sun setting fire to the droplets on his arms. "You were going to help me with me swimming?" he reminded Lyer, leaning backwards to rest his head on the vampire's shoulder.
Aluraios had learnt to stay afloat at Lyer's insistence that worrying about him at the river crossings that occurred on horseback or in the rain, was not helping his own balance. After 8 weeks the fire mage had learnt enough to reassure Lyer, but even Aluraios had to admit that after a year he was in sore need of practise. On the other hand, Lyer had, as a human, enjoyed the bi-weekly swimming lessons, and finding he could 'shift to a hawk hadn't diminished that pleasure.
Lyer released his partner and lazily moved backwards, luxuriating in the play of the pressure of water on his skin. "Of course. But first let's see what you remember." As he finished he dived again, holding the little breath he required, coming up where the fall dappled the surface with craters and rings.
The ageless young face surfaced after a minute, and was tipped up to the roaring pressure of water spilling over the slim body as Aluraios grimaced. The vampire let the water crash over his features for a few seconds before his dark eyes met Aluraios's own, and settled back challengingly against the sparkling rocks.
Aluraios raised a hand in recognisance of the silent challenge and nervously lifted his feet clear of the lake's floor. His arm flailed, and water flew everywhere until the drills of the past lessons reasserted themselves. Then he moved reluctantly forward slowly but smoothly through the water, much like a horse or pony, his own mane flowing behind him, already a little tangled from the sudden entrance. He raised his head to meet Lyer's encouraging smile as he pushed harder against the force of the falls that was threatening his progress.
Suddenly Lyer's hand was there as the vampire reached forward, and he clasped it gratefully, letting himself be pulled in. He closed his eyes for a few second, breathing heavily as he found his feet again.
"Not bad." Lyer allowed, brushing wet hair from both of their faces. "Better than I expected."
"Huh. One never forgets a good teacher." Aluraios retorted, quoting the saying with a grin as he twisted so Lyer was directly under the powerful waterfall.
Lyer chuckled, pulling Aluraios towards him so they both were dowsed and pummelled by water and sound. "Or a good lesson." he said, close to the fireborn's ear so it could be heard above the roar. He slipped his lips over his partner's before he could reply.
"Hmmmmm, who's feisty today?" Aluraios asked languidly as they broke for air. "Pity the water's the equivalent of a cold shower."
"It is?"
Aluraios just smiled and recaptured the vampire's mouth, wrapping his arms around Lyer and pulling their bodies closer together.
After a timeless moment lost in each other the pounding droplets made Aluraios reluctantly move backwards. "The water's too strong." he said at Lyer's look, "I don't have a thick skull like you."
Lyer mock-glared at his lover and pushed off from the rocks that littered the pool's floor, easily gliding through the water to the centre. "Uh huh," he grinned, treading water and raising his arms sensually above his head, water dripping off them, "I'm just thick in certain places."
The fireborn laughed, paddling out as far as he could and still stand up. "Lyer! The water is cold!"
"And I'm a vampire, your point is?"
Aluraios just shook his head, a small smile lingering on his lips. He gazed around him in the sunset as he changed the subject, "It's beautiful here, with beautiful company." The golden eyes skimmed over Lyer as the smile turned appreciative and loving.
"Thanks, love." Lyer said softly, holding those eyes for a long moment, which was broken abruptly by a spray of water that the eye's owner sent in his direction. "Hey! What was that for?"
"If we're going to swim, let's swim." Aluraios replied unabashed, ducking as Lyer sent a return volley in his direction. Cupping his hands he showered the vampire repeatedly, laughing as his partner pulled his hair from his eyes as he surfaced to tread water where he'd avoided the bombardment.
The black head disappeared and before Aluraios could wonder where Lyer'd disappeared to, he felt the familiar mouth and hands moving up his body. Aluraios continued laughing as Lyer sprung up from the bottom, water spraying in all direction as he half lifted the other male out with his arms on the thin waist wrapped in wet silver, only to drop him with a teasing smile at the apex of the leap.
Aluraios flounded for a second as he surfaced and Lyer took advantage of his lover's disorientation to swim out to the center, away from retribution. "Are you alright?" he called, watching Aluraios catch his balance and a slightly wicked look appear in his already predatorial eyes.
The yelp echoed off the trees and rocks as the fireborn leant back in amusment as he quickly manipulated the engery in the water. "I'm fine, are you?" he laughed as Lyer swam away from the patch of suddenly freezing water towards him. A splash of the icy liquid ran over his his head and back as it was ceremoniously tipped from cold hands that then proceeded to run sensously down over his back, causing him to shiver. The vampire's supernatural speed functioning perfectly well in the water while his partner's eyes were closed, thinking he'd won the unspoken challenge.
"Cruel, 'Rios, cruel." the soft voice whispered in his ear, the fingers lightly pinching the skin. "But clever." The mouth gently took in the top of the ear, nipping softly before continuing to suck on it.
Aluraios debated opening his eyes. Then decided against it. "Thank you." he purred, arching his back in a distinctly un-hawklike manner against Lyer's body before kissing the cheek that was positioned so close to his mouth he could sense it. The mouth on his ear relaxed, abeit reluctantly, and both sets of lips searched from memory until they met in a deep kiss. Aluraios's hair tumbled across the rocks, mimicking the waterfall as Lyer leant foward to deepen the contact, brushing soft curves over the well-known slightly engorged mouth, his eyes closing as their bodies slipped against each other, groins rubbing together in familiar welcome.
It was, however, Aluraios's tongue that invaded Lyer's mouth, the vampire submitting willingly to the familiar probing at his lips, opening to invite the intruder in while he started his own teasing caresses where his hands still rested, a single finger slipping up and down the tight crack. The mutual explorations were causing other flesh to awaken to fullness as Aluraios reached up to loose the leather thong holding back his lover's own midnight fall and let the black hair sweep the water as he wove his fingers in it.
"It'll be a mess when we get home." Lyer murmured, making a half-hearted attempt to retrieve the black strip as he broke the kiss.
"I can brush it out then."
Lyer chuckled as the fireborn, opening his darkened eyes to catch and hold Lyer's own, growled and grasped his still searching wrists and brought the fingers to his mouth, and began flicking his tongue over the tips, the sensitive skin tickling unbearably as the vampire tried not to wrench away from the teasing touch in play. His strength was quite enough to break Aluraios's arm by pure accident. He could tell by the teasing glint in the fire mage's eyes that he knew full well the situation and was enjoying watching Lyer's reaction. Someone talking much with Ferel. Lyer thought, almost cohesively, Aluraios's own dominating reaction bringing out the vampire nature within, also brought out by the strong emotions in the atmosphere, one of which was the return of that love which prevented that broken arm.
"Tease." he whispered, running a finger along the gently curving lips that lifted momentarily from his hand.
The vampire's night-eyes caught on the now cooling but still sun-warmed rock that his lover had lain on earlier during this trip, and smiled slowly, showing half extended fangs. This time it was his turn to enjoy Aluraios's reaction of slow blinking his eyes, which ended up half-closed with desire as he followed his grasp on Lyer's wrist out of the pool.
The water suddenly became chilled on Aluraios's body, and caused him to shiver as the arousal abruptly faded in the night air.
"What's wrong, 'Rios?" Lyer half-turned at the suddenly reluctance to move, and belatedly remembered the fireborn didn't have the natural immunity to the cold he did, in fact hated it, and gently pulled his wrist to him. Wrapping Aluraios in his embrace, he kissed him softly, tracing pattens on the wet back as he drew him to the rock, all idea of love-making fleeing as concern took over from predatorial lust and need. He half wrapped the black tunic over his shivering and passive lover, then rubbed him vigerously through the material to warm him.
The night air breezed across the now undisturbed pool, adding to the ripples the fall caused as Lyer held Aluraios until the true warmness of the night permentated his skin. "That better?" he breathed, loath to disturb the peace that had wrapped around them.
"Apart from the missed love-making session?" Aluraios kissed the nose above him from his curled position in Lyer's arms. "I'm fine now, though getting home is going to involve me getting up and I'm comfortable here."
What he didn't say, though his eyes did with a gentle glow that lit the golden eyes like the sun, was how much he loved his partner's gentle understanding. And just plain loved the vampire. Most of Lyer's kind would have insisted on finishing that 'session' and taking him regardless, he'd seen enough in Ghovan to know that.
He levered himself up, stretching, the unusually unkempt hair tangled down his back like seafoam, and sighed, gazing up at the stars which winked innocently down on him. "Goddess," he swore softly, "No sun whatsoever." Only now did he notice the rising moon dancing its own patterns on the lapping pool, and as the sunfolk's transformations were powered by the sun Goddess, it meant that either they camped out all night, or...
"I'll go find some wood, love." Lyer murmured, uncurling from under Aluraios, tugging the loose silver hair lightly as he moved away and recovered a hair clip from his clothes, pulling his own length into some semblence of order before donning his thigh length tunic under Aluraios's admiring gaze, the trousers still dripping wet, and disappearing swiftly into the trees with a glance and smile.
Aluraios settled back, drawing his own tunic and trousers fully on as he reinforced his personal shields around himself. He knew from experience that the vampire was better equipped for a forest at night, hell anything at night. Or in the rain. Or on horseback. He smiled in memories, letting them block out the half-instinctive fear of night-weavers. But then vampires were, in some Cliffs, thought to be a humanoid form of the darkling creatures, and even Lyer would have some of the more traditional and rigid sunfolk running from him screaming in terror.
His eyes searched the darkness where said vampire had vanished, his human eyes were powerful in daylight, and an easy match for Lyer's, which were hampered slightly by the bright light, but in the darkness his eyes were practically useless. However, his hearing wasn't light dependant, and even without his hawken features it was strong enough that noone could approach him with him knowing. He did want Lyer to return soon though, as he knew full well that white hair stood out in Court, let alone the contrasting blackness of night, and even with his magic he didn't really want a confrontation this time of night. Luckily that magic enabled him to set alight practically anything, even as a Minor, or a weak Major, so it was a matter of his partner finding something that the pair of them could keep alight long enough for him to transform, instead of the rather more difficult task of finding dry wood and fire-stone.
The fireborn leant back, counting the stars that filled the sky. At the moment they were living near Ioru, at an inn further south than the hot and humid climate of his own people where millions of stars jewelled the night unlike the paltry few in these cooler regions. The moon god of his lover's type and the humans drifted across the sky, glinting off his hair as he brought it round over his shoulder and started to finger comb it into some form of neatness.
A soft chuckle caused him to whip his head over to where a shadow was coalesing into Lyer. "Miss me?"
Aluraios grinned, propping himself on one hand, his ears were good, but Lyer's supernatural movements were quieter. "I wouldn't have if you'd made some damn noise!" he exclaimed, watching lazily as Lyer deposited the bundle of damp wood on the ground, remembering how fatal wood was to his partner only after the last piece had been dropped, and ran a frantic mental scan over him to reassure himself that Lyer's shields that protected him were still fully in place.
"Well it's your turn now." Lyer dusted his hands off, washing them in the cool water, looking regretfully at the soaking trousers before he crossed his arms. Leaning back on his heels he raised a hinting eyebrow at the fireborn until he rolled his eyes wearily and levered himself off the rock, dropping lightly to the ground.
After kneeling to touch the wood slightly to test just how much power he'd need, he didn't want to combust the entire area, Aluraios moved to wrap his arms around his partner from behind, leaning his chin on the vampire's shoulder, reassuring himself that Lyer was alright. The vampire wouldn't have gone otherwise he reminded himself sternly as he spoke, "Perfect."
"Sorry it's not dry." Lyer apologised, rubbing his cheek against Aluraios's. "But, it rained last night, and damp tends not to splinter as easily anyway."
"I know, it's fine, love, stop apologising."
Lyer grinned at the exasperated tone, clasping his own hands over the ones on his stomach as the fiireborn fixed his eyes on the wood and a rush of power ementated from him as he worked the magic which gave him the title 'fireborn'. Lyer watched with inner eyes as the energy wrapped itself around the wood until it combusted into smoke and flames. As soon as it lit Lyer added some of his own human magic - vampire magic would be warped by the presence of wood - and while human magic was a lot less specific that fireborn, the energy doing the necessary task of fueling the flames.
The firelight lit Aluraios's eyes as the smoke faded into a thin stream as the water was burnt off, and he smiled, feeling much more comfortable as he turned to nuzzle Lyer's neck. "We'd better get home then." he murmured as Lyer dipped to capture his mouth.
"And then I'll remind you who the vampire is here." Lyer muttered as Aluraios ducked to nip at his throat.
"I'll look forward to it." Aluraios grinned, letting his lover's mouth find his own before loosening his hold reluctantly as the heat seeped through his clothes, the black clothes becoming rapidly warm. "But first let's get home."
Lyer nodded, stepping back as Aluraios opened his arms wide to embrace the fire in an overly dramatic and totally unnecessery gesture. The vampire smiled as the familiar heat-haze took over his lover, waiting until his white hawk form arched upwards before moving in to extinguish the fire. Withdrawing his energy he stamped it out, pilling dirt on it under the watchful hawken-eyes from the tree above. "That alright for you m'lord?" he asked, a note of teasing mockery in his voice as Aluraios flapped down to test it with a clawed foot.
:Yes," Aluraios pronouced impaitently, :Now change so we can get home, I'd rather be doing excersises other than swimming.:
Lyer laughed softly, leaning down to carress the soft white feathers before twisting the vampire magic that all his species shared into the mindset that triggered his transformation. A few moments and the world blurred into clearness again as he viewed the world with his falcon sight. As he spread his black wings to the sky he thought back, :Well, you got to excersise a few unused muscles.:
:I have unused muscles after the paces you put me through every night?: Aluraios said increduosly, taking to the air and feeling his partner leap up after him, then become a black shadow at his side as they banked as one to the inn and rest. At some point.
© Clare Selley 2009
Return to Lyer and Aluraios