Otter Creek I'll [m]ake your timber shiver

An uneasy feeling had eventually come to settle within his stomach, worsening the twisting feeling and offering to him no signs of relief. In a way, he was worried about what he might do, or what sorts of deals might come to be brokered. Always had he eyes for females, but still did his time spent at the shore have him feeling uncertain. Xan didn't want to risk bringing anymore trouble home to his family, nor did he want to lose any of them over something that he could totally help; he believed himself to be capable of suppressing whatever urges or desires that he might have, or perhaps even forcing them onto the image of another. Someone more acceptable, perhaps, someone that wouldn't put him one step closer to complete abandonment. For Xan had never been told of relations between two males, he'd only ever heard of bonds being formed between a man and a woman. Thus, he'd continued to act as he normally would, ready to lash out at any given moment.

The male had revealed to him that he had nowhere to go. Alexander assumed that he'd also meant that he had no home to call his own, which had prompted an idea to form. Surely his whereabouts and doings would be questioned upon his return, so what better excuse to have than a recruit? "If you don't have anywhere to go, then how about you come home with me?" he'd asked, unaware of what other meanings his words could suggest. For him, the query had been innocent enough, for unaware was he of how quickly conversations could turn.