The Wilderness Canoe Guide

Jon crawled out his sleeping bag and stood while stretching. Obviously he had a morning hard-on as his shorts where tented straight out. The problem was emphasized when he stretched backwards.

"Careful Jon, you may poke someone's eye out with that thing" Zac commented.

Jon ignored him as he stretched. "It needs stretch first thing in the morning too." He returned to a normal standing position and asked "Anyone want to help it stretch?"

"Subtle as usual" was heard as a mumble from one of the sleeping bags.

"Coffee is almost ready guys" said Zac.

"That's next on my morning list after a piss" Jon said.

When Jon came back from his trip to the bushes, he helped himself to a cup of coffee and sat on the bench. He was using two hands to hold the cup as he sipped from it. "Good stuff Zac" he commented.

Aiden and Nick were both up and stretching by now. They had the same problem in their shorts Jon had earlier. They wandered off to the bushes to deal with their morning needs.

After each had drunk their morning coffee, Zac got breakfast started. The bacon, eggs and oatmeal disappeared quickly. After rinsing the dishes, they packed and loaded the canoes.

Jon was paddling in silence. He may be quiet but his mind was working and in deep thought. "Am I falling for Zac?" he kept thinking. He began to realize his masturbation session was pure lust, but was now acknowledging something deep inside of him. Jon realized he had been lusting after Jon from the moment he had met him, but now he was beginning to feel something different as he got to know him. He had felt comfortable being spooned by Zac last night, and even better when Zac had responded by wrapping his arm over him and pulling him closer. It had been a long time since he felt something like this about someone else. He thought some more and realized "I have fallen for Zac. But would he ever be interested in me?"

Nick was thinking about Jon and Zac as well. He liked Zac, and was beginning to think of him as a friend who he would like to continue associating with after the trip. He had seen how his brother and Zac had seemed to be connecting and hoped it would work out. Nick also thought about Aiden and how it nice it was for them to be doing something like this canoe trip together. It was something the two of them would remember for the rest of their lives. Maybe it should become an annual event for the four of them.

Aiden was sitting in the canoe with a hard-on and wanted to masturbate or have Nick's lips wrapped around him. "Dam it! The fresh air is making me hornier than even Nick" he thought. He tried to concentrate on his surroundings so his dick would settle down.

Zac was looking around at the river and shoreline, comparing the landmarks with those imbedded in his memory. They were slightly ahead of schedule for the current leg of the trip but that could change real quick if they got side tracked or something unexpected occurred. Jon didn't know Zac was thinking the same things he had been. Zac's mind wandered to thinking about Jon, and how he was feeling something deep inside for him. It was an awaking he hadn't felt for a long time, something which had disappeared the day his boyfriend had been in the accident, closing himself off and diving into his studies. He enjoyed Jon's sense of humor, his personality and his happy go lucky disposition. Jon seemed to be a sensitive person too with a touch of shyness at times, which he over compensated for by being the class clown so to speak. Zac began to feel warmth growing in his heart. It was a feeling he thought he had been incapable of anymore, but now realized he had been wrong. He was falling for Jon, in a big way.

Soon they spotted a big black bear and three cubs foraging for food by flipping and tearing apart rotten logs with their claws. A couple of times, they seemed to find something as cubs were chasing and eating something. When they weren't eating, the cubs would be playing with each other similar to kittens at home in the city. They would pounce on each other, wrestle around and then chase each other before starting it over again. A sound similar to a "bawl" would be heard every once in a while when one was bit a little too hard by its sibling. They took pictures of the animals as they played.

Continuing down river, there were a few of the locals who Zak knew went by in their boats. The boats were either filled to the gunnels with family members or it was a lone male; there was nothing between those two extremes. They all waved at Zac as they passed by.

They took a short break, getting out and stretching their legs. Aiden decided to lead them in a set of stretches and on completion, they did feel better.

"I may have to make that part of my trip procedures Aiden. It was a good idea and I do feel better after doing it. How are you fat old city guys doing?" asked Zac. They guys looked at each other, at Zac, and then each other again. It was as if they had sent a message telepathically when they all started towards Zac at the same time. The overpowered him, and threw him into the river.

Zac swam around a bit in the river before getting out.

"You're an old fart compared to us" said Aiden.

"Payback is a bitch Aiden" Zac said with a twinkle in his eye. "Just remember that." They got back into their canoes and started paddling down the river further. A short time later, they passed a First Nations settlement on the south shore.

"There are about 1,000 people in the settlement year round" Zac explained. "There are another 250 or so who live in the area at various cabins and seasonal camps. Those structures along the shore which look like the frame of a teepee are drying racks for the fish and game they catch. It is traditional to do it that way. They can wrap a covering around the structure and smoke hides or meat too."

They looked at the structures and could see what appeared to be a couple of elders teaching a group of young people how to prepare the fish for drying. The kids had seen Zac, and were waving at him while yelling his name. Zac returned the waves.

"My fan club" explained Zac with a smile. He became serious when he continued "I've spent a lot of time with the people there and really enjoyed it. They are very welcoming and hospitable when I drop in on them, even now. I did my Masters on their traditional ways and the way it retained the environmental balance. The elders were more than happy to sit and drink tea while explaining the history of the tribe and their traditions to me. We became good friends. I had to visit with them many times for more research, and get more sun dried moose jerky of course."

Jon had been listening attentively. "That sounds like a great topic for a paper. How did it go?"

"I did very well and impressed my faculty adviser with the depth, and the content" replied Zac. "When I defended the paper in front of the Board, we took twice as long as normal because they were truly interested by the information. They were both shocked and impressed that I had been accepted by the tribal elders."

"Can I read your paper sometime?" asked Jon.

"If you would like to read it, I will print a copy off for you."

"How far to the next campsite" asked Nick.

"Getting tired already older brother" asked Jon with a smile.

"I am going to smack the back of your head so bad when we get to land you little bastard" he said with brotherly love. "You are only nine months younger than Aiden and me at 23, not to mention you were an accident."

Jon retorted quickly with "Perfection is never an accident Nick. The first one is a trial run and with the second, the mistakes get corrected."

"Jon, the best part of you ran out of momma and into the mattress" Nick shot back.

Not to be outdone, Jon replied "you're lucky the night of your conception it wasn't a blow job instead of sex."

Zac was laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes. Nick and Jon were sticking their tongues out at each other and Aiden was rolling his eyes as he said "they do this all the time Zac. You get used to it."

"The next campsite is about 2 hours after we have lunch. We're going to have lunch above the rapids we're thinking about traveling through. Actually, I really want to check them out and decide if we portage or go through them" explained Zac.

"Wow! Are they big rapids" asked Aiden.

"Not usually. They can be a bit of challenge for the inexperienced but I will walk them through with you guys and decide if we can chance it."

"I'm not scared" chirped Jonas he puffed his chest out.

Zac thought for a moment and said "I am scared Jon. You guys are new to this and even though they are not big, you can still flip a canoe and get caught in the hydraulic. That's where the water pushes down deep after coming off a rock. It pulls the river water down and straight to the bottom, almost creating a hole in the water which can suck in a person if it is big enough."

"Maybe we better portage" suggested Nick.

"I'll check it out guys so no worries" replied Zac.

They heard the rapids before they saw them. The roaring of the water being funneled through a chute and dropping in elevation fairly rapidly was pretty loud. Zac didn't think it was too bad when he looked at it, but he had to consider them from the level of his clients, not his. He took the guys down along the banks and pointed out the areas which could cause a problem, as well as the routes to take their canoes through. After, the guys all stood on a rock outcropping, looking down over the river. It was quite a sight for the three city guys. They were hypnotized by the water flow and surges, over and around the rocks, almost seeming to dance as it journeyed down the river.

As they ate lunch, they discussed as a group if they would shoot the rapids or portage. They decided to canoe through the area. Zac hoped by going along with their decision, he was doing the right thing.

Zac had everyone put their life preservers on; making sure they had snugged them tight. He also showed them how to secure the loads into the canoes so they wouldn't shift, then he double checked them after the guys had finished. They got into their canoes and headed out. Nick and Aiden would go through first, following the route Zac had showed them from above. Zac reminded them to trail the rope from the stern through the rapids as a safety precaution.

The water near the top of the rapids picked up in speed as it narrowed and shot down the chute. The guys did well managing to stay away from the big rocks and cross currents. It only took a few minutes and they were through, gliding slowly near the bottom in calm water. They took up a position to wait for Jon and Zac. The two of them were waving at Jon, giving him thumbs up at their accomplishment.

"Let's do it" said Zac from the stern of the canoe. They entered the chute and started down, picking up speed while the canoe rocked side to side from the competing currents they encountered. The two of them were about half way through when a cross current caught the canoe, jarring it suddenly to the right. It wasn't much, but it was enough to catch Jon off balance as he tried to complete his stroke, throwing him out of the canoe over the left side. He landed head first in the water, but surfaced quickly.

Zac steered the canoe towards Jon to give him the chance to grasp the gunnel or grab one of the trailing ropes to hang onto. Jon was struggling, but managing to keep his head up and above the water. The current was moving Jon downstream quickly and Zac couldn't get close enough to him as he headed towards a series of boulders. If he had still been in the canoe, they could have gone up the right side into the calmer water. But, Jon had landed in the current which headed directly towards the big rocks. Zac followed him in the canoe, knowing the dangers of him being in the stern and the canoe not being very well balanced with Jon not in the bow. He followed Jon around the first rock and towards the second. Zac was steering and paddling like a madman to keep up with him. Jon bounced off the second rock and was pulled around towards the third rock. If he could get by this one, he could float his way down to the calm water Zac thought.

Jon made it to the third rock and tried to grasp it, but he couldn't keep a grip. He was pulled around the rock, keeping tight to it. This was the worst position to be in as Jon could not avoid the hydraulic on the other side.

Zac thought quickly and steered his canoe to the left of the third rock, jumping out of it and into the water. He swam across the currents and got in behind the rock with Jon. Jon looked tired or dazed when Zac got to him. He grabbed Jon by the life preserver collar and started to swim backwards, away from the rock at an angle. He was fighting the back current, especially hard while pulling what seemed to be dead weight and not helping at all. He reached the current which went down stream and it started to pull at him. This was what Zac was hoping for as he struggled to hold onto the collar of Jon's preserver. Holding onto Jon had been like trying to pull an anchor out of the water from a moving boat. Zac had finally pulled Jon over enough, and he was caught by the current as well. Then it got easier. Zac had no clue how Jon was doing and he wouldn't know until they got to the shore where he could look at him. Zac started swimming across the river at an angle, heading for riverbank. Between the current pushing them and Zac swimming, they made to shore eventually.

He got out of the water and pulled Jon onto the beach, laying him flat. Zac moved quickly and keeled next to Jon to look him over. Jon's eyes were wide open and staring at him.

"Are you OK Jon" asked Zac with concern.

"I think so Zac. My head hurts a bit" he replied. Zac pulled him up and in close for a tight hug.

Zac had tears in his eyes as he held Jon tight. "I thought I had lost you Jon. I really thought I had lost you."

Jon had started to hug him back. "Thanks Zac. I don't even know what happened, I just remember flying out of the canoe and into the water. Sometime after that I felt a bang to my head knocking me senseless."

Zac released Jon, and leaned back to look at him. Jon had tears in his eyes as well. Zac leaned into Jon and kissed him, which Jon returned his enthusiasm. They were still kissing when Aiden and Nick arrived at the beach after beaching their canoe nearby.

"Are you ok Jon?" asked Nick as he kneelled next to him. Aiden got on his knees close by as well so he could look at Jon as well.

"I think so. I wouldn't be if Zac hadn't saved me" he said.

"I saw that Jon" Nick replied. He leaned over and hugged both Jon and Zac. "Thank you Zac."

Zac replied "It was nothing, it's what guides do."

Jon was still looking into Zac's eyes while his brother had been talking, and he smiled. "I think I need more mouth to mouth Zac."

Zac returned his smile and leaned in to kiss him again.

"I think he is doing ok" Aiden joked. "Jon, there had to be an easier way to get Zac to kiss you."

"Ignore him Zac and keep kissing me" said Jon. Zac gave him another long, sensual kiss.

"Jon must be doing ok. He is a little cold, he's bumped his head and he still gets a big hard on" Nick said as he pointed at Jon's shorts.

Jon moved his hands to cover himself while getting up. "Asshole" Jon said.

"Can you guys fetch the canoe and bring it back to shore?" asked Zac. Aiden and Nick were just about to get into their canoe when they saw a motor boat heading towards the canoe. The boat operator grabbed the trailing rope, and started to drag it towards them. Soon he had pulled up to the beach and jumped out.

"You guys ok?" the young guy asked.

"Yes Jimmy, we are fine. Thanks for doing that" said Zac as he walked forward. Jimmy reached out his hand and Zac grasped it. They shook by grasping each other's wrist, locking their hands tightly, and then embracing each other with their free arm. It was a greeting which demonstrated not only warmth, but a strong connection.

"Zac, it's good to see you brother" exclaimed Jimmy.

"It has been too long my brother" answered Zac.

"You swam through the rapids without me?" Jimmy asked.

"You swim through the rapids? Like in body surfing?" asked Aiden with disbelief on his face.

"Yup. Jimmy and I do it with a few others a couple of times a summer. This guy fell out of the canoe and I went in after him Jimmy" Zac explained as he gestured to Jon.

"Let me take a look at him for you Zac" replied Jimmy.

"Guys, this is Jimmy or Nurse Jimmy Nahtooney if you prefer. He works at the medical clinic in the settlement we passed" said Zac. The guys introduced themselves to Jimmy. He checked Jon over and declared him fine for a skinny little city guy. They all were happy at Jimmy's announcement, except Jon who stated very clearly he wasn't little.

Zac and Jimmy spoke for a few minutes about various members of the community and how they were doing. Jimmy ended the conversation by telling Zac he had to get going to help his grandfather pull the fishing nets they had placed early in the morning. They hugged again before he headed off in his boat.

"You kiss me and a minute later you hug him" said Jon.

"You heard him call me brother didn't you? I was adopted by his family when I was doing my Masters, a great honour for me. We really are brothers in the eyes of the tribe" explained Zac. "You should see him naked; he has such a great ass......."

Jon's eyes snapped open like someone had let a blind loose at a window.

"But not as good as yours Jon" continued Zac with a big smile. He stepped towards Jon who was smiling as well. He leaned in and kissed him.

"I like those kisses Zac" Jon said.

"Does this mean the ugly duckling little brother is interested in the big hunky canoe guide?" asked Nick.

"Asshole" said Jon in reply. "Yes, the cute little brother is interested in the hot canoe guide."

"I want to get to know you too Jon" said Zac. "I was afraid I had lost you in the water before I even got a chance to start."

"I appreciate that Zac, but you saved me. Something I will never forget or be able to repay." Jon reached out and hugged Zac as he started to sob.

"This is good. It's the emotional release after a major event" Zac said to Nick. Nick and Aiden wrapped their arms around the two making it a group hug.

The hugged for a few moments until Jon had settled down. While they hugged, Zac quietly asked Jon "How are you feeling?"

"Better Zac, I'm feeling better now" replied Jon.

When the hug broke, Zac suggested if Jon was up to it, they should head down river to the next campsite where they were going to stay for the night. Jon said he was ready and wanted to get back onto the proverbial horse which had thrown him off so hard. Jon and Zac launched first, knowing the campsite was about two hours away.

Just before they launched, Aiden spoke quietly. "Well, it looks like everything is going to be fine Nick. Those two appear to be on their way to something."

"We'll see" Nick whispered back. "I agree with you and we can hope Aiden. Jon really needs someone and Zac really seems like a good guy. He risked his life to save him, and then downplayed it. That says something about him."

The trip to the campground was fairly quiet. Jon and Zac did chat now and then, but they were both deep in thought about the episode at the rapids.

They beached the canoes along the shore at the campsite. When they had stepped out of the canoe, Jon and Zac grasped each other into a hug, content being in each other's strong arms. They leaned their heads onto each other's shoulder and stood there for a moment, enjoying the feelings. Zac moved his head and kissed Jon's neck, and then his lips. Jon returned the kiss. They looked at each deeply, the growing flames of love seen by both in the other's eyes.