When Justin came out of his morning shower he made a large pot of coffee and another smaller batch of soup filled their thermos flasks so that they would not have to spend fuel right at arrival.

Despite a little hangover, with Valur and Björn’s help both travelers found the boat in good time before departure. Justin had eaten some fruit and bread for breakfast but Brian’s comment on how he would get breakfast on the ferry however was doomed for naught when they saw the size of the boat.

It was a small speedboat with seats for no more than 16 passengers inside the cabin which also doubled as a bridge, and hence hosted passengers and captain alike. A tiny somewhat smelly lavatory was hiding in a little closet to the side of the door from the back deck. Inside the bow was a small room with two bunk beds if someone needed to lay down. This room also doubled as a storage space for some of the luggage and safety gear such as a life vests.

The 3-4 hour trip, the speed would ultimately be decided on the way, the crew explained, depending on the sea conditions, started out nicely enough. The ocean was still and the reflection of the mountains in the ocean was so great, Justin took more than a hundred pictures. Both men stayed on the back deck without life vests; the crew said those were not needed.

An hour into the trip though, things started to change. As the boat made it around the northernmost peninsula ‘Straumsnes’, the ocean started to behave badly. The captain explained Straumsnes translated to Current peninsula, and here the fierce Gulf Stream collided with the currents from the Arctic Ocean. This clash of currents always caused heavy waves even in good weather conditions.

Both men started to feel seasick and after having vomited Justin felt better. Brian however, having not eating breakfast he had nothing to throw up and his condition just became worse. A crewmember advised them to stay out on the deck if they were feeling sick, the fresh air would make it more bearable.  Justin tried holding Brian’s forehead helping him throw up but all he managed was dry heaves and he seemed in considerable pain. It reminded Justin on the time Brian was having his cancer treatment and that was not a good memory to relive.  Brian was leaning over the rail on the gunwale. The spray from the waves made him feel better.  After some time Brian asked him to leave him and Justin could not deal with it and went get assistance. As he came into the main room he met one of the crewmembers.

“Are you sure he’s gonna be al right out there with no live vest, he s very sick, I worry for him” he asked.

“He’ll be fine, it’s almost over” the seasoned seaman assured him.

Shortly after Justin looked through the front window of the boat and saw the biggest wave approaching. He acted on pure instinct and pretty much flew out on the deck and demanded that Brian came inside right away.  The hysterical sound of his voice reached through Brian’s seasick mind and he immediately obeyed. Seconds later the wave hit and the crewmember just managed to close the door. The little vessel almost toppled over and some of the passengers fell off their seats.  There was no question what would have happened to Brian if he had been outside when the wave hit.

As Justin sat on the floor holding Brian protectively in his arms he sent the crewmember an ice cold stare,  “Get us a life vest NOW or I will make it my life’s mission that none of you ever have a job at sea again” he demanded in a low voice that gave no discount.  

- - -

The last hour of the trip was not as bad. Brian had passed out in the corner by the lavatory and Justin sat down having found someone’s back pack to sit on so that the jumping of the boat wouldn’t bruise his tailbone.

As the boat approached Hornvik, the sea started to calm down.  Justin got out on the deck again and watched the magnificent bird rocks with millions of birds attending to their young. The fog lay low on the cliffs and the refreshing moist wind made him feel much better.

In Hornvik there is no pier so all passengers were transported ashore on a small zodiac.  Both men got out of the zodiac and carried all their belongings up to the dry land. Justin was so happy to have land under their feet that he instantly forgot how angry he was at the crewmembers.

Brian however lay down on the sand and held on tight.  “Horses” he whispered low when Justin went to feel his forehead.

“What?” Justin asked not understanding what he meant.

“We need horses to get back from that other place. I’m NOT going on a boat again.”  Brian explained.

“That would take days” Justin said and smiled “Don’t worry about that now, we’ll get a chopper.”  He stroked his lover’s back for a while. “Can you move? There is a nicer place to rest right over on the other side of the dune.

“Mmmm… can’t I just sleep here?” Brian murmured.

“No, you can not. Now get up my hawk” Justin’s voice was soft but insistent.

“Hawk?”  Brian gave his lover a questioning look.

“Yeah… I came to realize a few days ago that I never had a pet name for you and I can’t keep on calling you Rage. And you actually do look like a hawk, Your hair color, how you soar over your territory in that sexy way and notice small details no one else does… the way your eyes zoom in on me just before you grab me…”

“Hmmp… I don’t feel like a souring predator right now” Brian complained.

“No, your wings are broken right now… but you are going to be fine.  Come on! I know I don’t have to carry you” Justin cheered him on.

Brian got up, unstable on his feet, and let Justin help him a bit further up on the shore.  The vertigo was so bad it was as if he was drunk.  After walking through the coarse shoreline vegetation the found a grassy south facing shelter from the breeze in between two large tussocks.

“I need to lay down” Brian complained.  “Fuck this, I’m still nauseous as hell”

Justin opened up his backpack and grabbed a blanket and covered Brian with it. He then got hold of a travel pillow that he quickly inflated and placed under his patient head. Then he got out the soup he was glad to have made prior to their departure, and poured a small amount of it into the cup size cap of the thermos flask and told Brian to take a sip.

“You’ve got to be kidding” Brian moaned. He was reliving one of the worst times in his life and felt rather sorry for himself.

“No, I’m not kidding. Now drink, just one sip, it will make you feel better, you are probably dehydrated” Justin insisted. Thankfully the patient did as he was told, better yet he finished the cup.

“Now, will you let the poor raptor sleep, Sunshine…he’s a bit defensive right now and his claws are sharp… someone might get hurt…” Brian wrapped himself tighter into the blanket.

Knowing Brian was not in any immediate danger Justin stroked his hair gently and left him, grabbed Brian’s backpack, the one carrying the tent and made his way to the ranger’s cabin get directions to the camping place.

The ranger, a hippie looking young woman with dreadlocks and a small tattoo of Iceland on the side of her neck, was talking to some of the other passengers.  They all agreed it had been a tough ride.  She welcomed Justin to the camp.

A lady from the boat offered Justin a couple of tablets “I have a problem with motion sickness” she told him “ These are prescription, they work well, although it’s certainly better to take them before sailing but they also help afterwards.

“Do you guys need help? I’ve been told your friend was sick on the way.” The ranger offered.

Justin could already feel how everybody in this small community of hikers would support and help each other if something were to go wrong.  “No, he’s gonna be ok, he just needs to rest a bit. I thought I might set up our tent, where do you suggest that we camp.

“Let’s see… most of the good spots on the camping place are already taken, but there is a pretty decent flat area a couple of hundred meters…  feet…“  she tripped a bit over her words, “over there on the other side of those small angelica covered mounds. There is a pole with a red pennon on it where you get off the path. It’s a bit far from the toilets but it nice and quiet.” she instructed and then asked him to come get her if he needed any help.  It did not take Justin long to put up the tent. It was a tiny one meant for hiking so it was easy for one person to camp it.  He then walked back to Brian.  He was not asleep but just lay where Justin had left him resting.

“Are you feeling better?” Justin kneeled down beside him.

“Hmmm… “ Brian murmured still feeling weak.

“I got some motion sickness pills for you,” Justin took out the foil strip with the medication “did the soup stay down?”

“Yummy!! pills” Brian said jokingly “give them to me!”

“You can only have one now and if you’re a good boy and drink some more soup and come with me to the tent I’ll give you another.” Justin told him. Brian was undeniably looking a bit better, the grayish color of his skin had changed to a little paler version of his normal tanned skin color.”

“If you are trying to seduce me Sunshine I promise you that I’m not an interesting catch right now.” Brian said but accepted the pill.

“I’ll drink the soup, it’s very good, is there enough for both of us, you must be hungry too” The men quietly shared the rest of the soup and slowly started to take in their surroundings.  Justin realized he had been so shaken by the trip that he had not paid attention to his surroundings.  The fog had lifted and the mountain tops were showing themselves.  The little bay of Hornvik opened into a wide valley surrounded by steep mountains and cliffs on three sides.  There was still a considerable amount of snow on the mountaintops.  A lone yellow house stood further in the valley and small waterfalls bounced of the mountain sides. The vegetation was wild; nothing had been done to the rolling hills in terms of agriculture and the only sounds heard were the splashing of the ocean and the birds calling.

Even though the tent was small, it did have a tiny front area, about three by four feet that was closed off from the outside. They could store their backpacks and eventually smelly shoes out there not having to worry that anything might get wet in case of rain.

Brian lay out in the sun until evening sleeping on and off for the remainder of the day and was sluggish and not so hungry that evening. They pills were helping with his nausea though. Justin made him drink yet another cup of soup and then encouraged him to go back into the tent and sleep it off so that he’d be ready for some hiking the next day.

In the morning he was feeling much better and after a hearty breakfast consisting of reheated scrambled eggs and sweetened skyr with extra bananas, nuts and full cream they went to see the ranger. They wanted to talk to her about the area and were best to cross the river and other practical things, since they were interested in hiking to the top of the magnificent Mt. Hornbjarg which stood proud on the other side of the creek and pointed its horn directly to north as if to tell the Artic: "Don't mess with me."

They found the ranger knitting outside of her cabin, which was attached to the toilets. She was still wearing her bright orange sweater, but was knitting one in more traditional colors.  She introduced herself as Nina. “It's Þórný but no one here can say that and I prefer not to spell it out to everyone. Are you feeling better?” she asked Brian and he was glad to be able to tell her that he was.

“The view from your office is pretty impressing” Brian told her. “I guess you don't go home at five.”

“No, I arrive in the beginning of June and stay until end of August. I've been here now every summer for four years. I love it up here.”

“I'm sorry, we’re being rude, I'm Justin this is my partner Br…” He didn't get to finish his introduction.

“Oh my God.  I know who you are!”  You know my friend Edda. She sent me a message that you were coming. I just didn’t realize it was this soon! She told me to take good care of you!”  Her revelation made the men laugh. “I’m sorry I was not there to help yesterday. We were busy building a camp for a large full service group who will arrive in a few days.”

“It’s fine, all I did was sleep it off really. I’ve had worse.” He did not elaborate on his weeks long battle during his radiation therapy. “So you know Edda, that is certainly a nice coincidence.” They told Nina how they had run into Edda at the airport and instantly liked her.   “She’s a colorful person, kind of like your sweater” Brian said jokingly.

“Well… She was also the one who knitted it for me, so I wouldn’t get lost in the fog” Nina told them and the joked a bit about how small Iceland was.  “In fact, most Icelandic people have only three degrees of separation and many think it strange if they do not have at least one facebook friend in common with a fellow Icelander.  Also the largest part of the population is blood related to the degree of six generations.”  Nina explained.

“So... how do you get messages up here? My phone has no signal at all,” Brian asked.

“Well, there is a small reception on top of the highest mountains so sometimes when I go patrolling, my phone comes alive my text messages roll in. But I have a satellite phone for communicating with the boats when they are to be expected and of course in case of emergency. I have a solar panel on the roof to charge the phones.”

"So, if you are here the whole summer... can you take a shower anywhere?" Brian asked, the thought of living without a shower made him shudder.

“If I really want a shower I can walk to the next creek Hlöduvik, but it takes several hours to walk over there, so I don't do that every week. I'll take a decent shower in August when I get back to town, until then I swim in the creek and use a washcloth. Totally old style, I know, but I make do.”

“Don't you ever get lonely out here” Justin asked.  

“Lonely? Pffff! I'm lonelier in Reykjavik in the winter where no one ever has time to visit or money to go places anymore. Up here people are constantly after me, asking for advice, direction or just chatting, trying to give me their leftover beer and food. I only wish the season was longer.”

They asked her if she knew the history of the area, and she informed them that indeed she did, and that her family was descendants of farmers living here in earlier times. She had also just defended her masters in historical science, in which she did some extended research and collected information about the history of families living here in the last two centuries of residence in Hornstrandir.

Three farms had been here in this very creek, a chapel, a shop and a small boat building company where they used driftwood to build the boats. The families made a living from fishing, egg harvesting on the cliffs and farming to a small degree. Life was not easy, and slowly but surely they young people started dreaming of the new technology such as electricity and radio, and better opportunities and moved away to other parts of the Westfjords and some even went all the way to the big city, Reykjavik, like Nina’s great grandmother who was the oldest daughter on one of the farms.  In the end only one elderly man was left who refused to move but in the fall his children sailed back and pretty much kidnapped him. They knew he would not survive the long cold winter alone.  Since then the small creek had been just a summer destination recently mainly for hikers but also for the descendants of the last farmers in the creek who used the old farms as summer houses.  

“I still have not logged your hiking information" She grabbed a folder from a plastic box she had next to her and made a check mark next to their names. "The passenger list states you are going back from Hesteyri in 5 days. Before you leave here I need you to remember to talk to me so that I can write down your hiking plan and route and if you change anything you need to tell me or leave a message in any guestbook you might find near emergency shelters. That is the first place we look if someone is missing. Are you planning to hike today?”

When they told her about their plans of a trek to Hornbjarg and back and that they might need directions, she told them to walk up river for a while, until they'd come to a place where large stones had been placed strategically in the river, for easy crossing.  For the hike she encouraged them to manage their time according to the tides and aim to be back between 4 and 5 in the afternoon. Then they could with ease cross at the mouth of the river, since then the tides would be low. That way they’d save themselves a couple of hours hiking back up river.  She pointed to where best to walk so that to avoid unsurpassable rocks and reminded them to not go close to the edge.

"Yes, we will be careful.  A guide at Latrabjarg warned us about the puffin holes a few days ago." Justin told her.

Following Nina’s advice for the route it was not as steep as one might think by looking at the monumental mountain.  Although naturally similar to Látrabjarg the feeling of hiking to Hornbjarg was totally different. The paths were not worn down like further south and the vegetation, although further to the North was richer, due to the fact that no sheep were here to graze. Another difference was the total lack of cars and people. In fact they only met one pair of hikers going up and one on the way back. Standing on, that is near, the edge of the cliff, they could hardly hear each other for the noise from the birds.  The puffins were friendlier than down south; here of course all the animals including the birds were protected and they simply did not realize that those two-legged creatures might hurt them. A puffin even ate some of Justin’s sandwich out of his hand.

The largest difference though was the endless view of an open ocean. They could see on the eastern horizon, the northern coastline of the rest Iceland and of course the other giant bird rock on the other side of the creek, but other than that all they saw was the seemingly endless panoramic view of endless ice cold Arctic Ocean. A large lone iceberg lay stranded near the shore. Valur had told them it was unusually large but seen from atop the close to 500 meter tall bird cliff the iceberg seemed small.

They followed the shore on the way back and saw the farm of Nina’s ancestors.  It had been renovated to a nice looking summer dwelling.

Even though they had brought some fruit, eggs and sandwiches with them they were starving when they got back.  For dinner the heated up some of Justin’s pre made spicy rice and added to it one of the grilled chickens and loads of vegetables. The simple meal was delicious and after a generous cup of tea with whiskey they both figured they have a quiet evening. That was of course before they knew of the impending visit.

Justin was sitting outside the tent sketching the mountain ring of the valley when he spotted the first gray creature. For a second he thought it was a small dog but the wary attitude when the animal found out it had been spotted soon made him realize it was a fox pup.

Brian was reading a copy of Nina’s History master thesis. Her masters was on deserted places in the Westfjords and she had written her thesis from a collection of memoirs and interviews with people who grew up and lived here as well as interviewing some of their descendants to learn stories that had not been published before.  He was pulled from his readings, about how a man would climb the near vertical rocks without security lines to get eggs for food and how another carried a 50 kg stove over the steep mountains on his back because a horse could not make it in such steep mountains, when he heard Justin gasp.

“Ohhh Brian! Look at this… bring the camera” he heard him whisper. As he stood to fetch the camera the little gray got spooked and ran away, only to return soon after this time with the company of a slightly smaller littermate. They were running around playfully biting each other tails and this time forgetting all about the presence of the humans.  Brian crept quietly to the tent and grabbed the rest of the chicken they’d had for dinner from the trash bag. He took a leg bone and threw at the pups.  The reaction of the young foxes was to say the least quite comical.  Their fear was instantly forgotten and they jumped and threw them selves after the bits and pieces that came flying their way. After a while two more littermates arrived and the four of them showed marvelous “hunting technique” catching the flying food. Justin was not sure what was funnier though. The playful pups or they joy Brian seemed to be experiencing throwing food at them.  He had the camera on high-speed burst and took hundreds of photos planning to choose the best when he’d have his computer again.

After some time of watching this adorable side of Brian he just could not stand it any more.  He placed his camera away and walked over to his lover.

“Can I have some chicken?” he asked and kneeled down beside his lover taking his hand and started sucking on his fingers.  At first Brian just stared at him taken aback, but Justin’s arousing ministration soon had them both on the ground removing each other clothes.

“Where did you put the toilet bag?” Brian panted as he remembered he had forgotten to replace the supposedly ever-present condom he normally had in his pocket after coming back from their hike to Hornbjarg.

“Ahhh.. It’s in my backpack, in the top. Hurry!” he did not have to tell Brian to hurry though since said man was just as much in the mood as he was.

While Brian was rummaging in the tent, Justin quickly spread out their sweater and jackets to make it a bit warmer to lie on the cold grass. He shivered and rubbed his upper arms but quickly forgot about the chill when Brian came back staring at him hungrily like a predator going for his prey.

“Roll over,” he instructed Justin and then pulled him up on all four and started preparing him with a generous amount of they way to cold lube, then adding a finger and scissoring them inside the tight hole. Justin shivered, but he did not feel cold, he was just so aroused.

“I know, the lube is cold, you know it’ll heat up” Brian whispered hotly in his ear as his long fingers massaged his prostate.

“No… NO! Not cold….  Argh… Brian, get inside me! Oh God! You make me crazy!” Justin cried out.

“Ssshhhh…  Be a good boy and don’t wake up the entire valley” Brian teased him and added a third finger, fucking Justin’s hole fast with them.   He wanted to open him up well so that he would not be sore at tomorrow’s long day of hiking… and he could not help teasing Justin and letting him wait for it.

“BRIAN! If you don’t fuck me now I’ll scream!

Ok. There was only so far the teasing would go. He used his free hand to grab a condom from the small bag and tore it open with his teeth in his usual way and before Justin could make good of his threat he’d spread a generous amount of lubrication on himself and was sliding gently into his lover inch by inch.

“Oh God Brian, faster, get it all in!” Justin kept on demanding!

“Easy boy, we have a hard day of hiking to morrow, I’m not gonna tear you up…

“Ahhhh… good yeah…. Mmm… Oh… oh… oh…. God Brian…. fu….k…feels good…“  

Brian had always loved the little nonsense noises Justin made during sex. It turned him on to no end.  Justin was fierce tonight topping from the bottom like he was so good at squeezing his cock so that he was about to explode much sooner than he’d like to admit.  It did not take long before they were both close to cuming and neither of them wanted to drag it out.

“Brian!!  Ooh… I’m close!  Fuck me!!!” he hot blond cried out and Brian pulled him up fucking him in a kneeling position a few more thrusts until he let him take them surfing on the wave of a most mind-blowing climax.

Afterwards Brian could not help giggling a bit.  “It’s a good thing the main camping place was full Sunshine. You are not able to fuck quietly.” Brian teased him in their post orgasmic bliss.

“Tsk tsk… I’m willing to bet you that you wouldn't be quiet if such an awesome cock as your own was assaulting every sweet spot inside you” Justin told him and reached for his clothes. It was way too cold to lay there naked like that.

“Oh oh… don’t do that! I like you naked.” Brian pretended to be severely hurt.   “To bad Iceland has such cold nights. Why don’t we instead try that giant sleeping bag construction of yours? I’d like to but your theory to the test” Brian suggested.  

“Hmmm… what happens if I loose” Justin asked.

“You’ll have to keep trying…” Justin took his words face value and jumped up grabbing their clothes and teased Brian with a sexy pose on the way to the tent.  He had zipped their bags together earlier that day; he’d been a bit cold the night before without having Brian to keep him warm.

“Shit, I left the toilet bag outside, do we have any condoms in here?” Brian asked, and Justin immediately reached for a small pocket on the inside of the tent. “Of course we do, you trained me well”

“No, you were always this smart” Brian replied, and happily let his lover mound him inside the warm spacious sleeping bag.

As the two lovers fell asleep in each other's arms they were blissfully unaware of the curious eyes watching and waiting to explore the funny thing the men had forgotten outside of the tent.  

- - -