Chapter 2

With all of my basic needs covered for now, I decided I wanted to get a better look at the area around my new home. I packed a sack with necessaries and a couple pounds of salt and went looking for what passed as civilization around here. Maybe I'd get lucky and find a woman looking for a good time. I was still dying to try out my new equipment. Armed to the teeth, I blocked the entrance to my cave and set out going east to try and circle around the small mountain my camp was on.

After about 15 minutes of moving along at a steady jog, I rounded the edge of the hill and started working my way up to the top for a better view. It took about 30 minutes to get to the top. Imagine my dismay when I noticed people moving in a band toward where my cave was. Stupid! I left a lot of valuable items behind to take this look around. Oh well, I figure that if I get robbed, I'll track the criminal or criminals down and take anything they stole back.

I kicked it up a gear and ran back to my camp. When I approached, I took note that it was a party of five people and four were women and they were all beautiful. The male had his back to me and was trying to force open the door to my cave. I locked eyes with him and shook my head.

"Get away from my cave!" I shouted at the imbecile.

"You will die and I'll take what I want," he said.

"I don't think so."

"How you think I get all these women for myself? I kill their men. I am the great warrior Calnot. I'll kill you and take your cave now. You are soft and you don't even have a spear."

I raised my bow before he could blink and let an arrow fly pinning his arm to the door.

He screamed and dropped his spear.

"Women, kill this man!" he shouted

The women pulled their flint knives and ran right at him and proceeded to stab him about 100 times until he was nothing but a pile of bloody meat on my doorstep. Calnot screamed like a woman as he fell under their knives.

As the oldest female approached me, she dropped her spear, got down on her hands and knees and touched her head to the dirt.

"What is your name great warrior?" she asked.

"Uh, Frank."

She then spoke so fast that I had a hard time keeping up.

"UhFrank you are truly a great warrior. You use weapons we have never seen and did not stab him in the back as he did our mates. We have been waiting for a chance to kill him but there hasn't been a better male around until now so we took what we could get. We can see that you are superior to Calnot in every way and want you to take us as mates. We trust you will not beat us or cause us harm."

"First of all, my name is Frank. What are your names my future mates?"

"I am called Assani. The others are Cammi, Desiree and Tammi. We are yours if you will have us."

"Is that you are mine until a better warrior comes along or is it literally that you will be with me as my wives and helpmates? I don't want any of what old Calnot got at some point in the future."

"Give me a moment please," Assani said.

She rose to her feet and took the other women off for a short distance where they thought I couldn't hear them. Of course with my enhancements, I heard them plain as day.

"Do you think he is the one the augurs foretold?" Assani asked Cammi and the others.

"A warrior like none other, you will know him by his shining weapons, his mating staff and his strength. He will be lover, father and protector of the people and a great chief," said Cammi.

I took the time to retrieve my arrow and wipe it off on a handful of grass while the ladies finished their discussion. I was pretty sure that I was who and what they were looking for at this point. I then dragged Calnot's bloody, dripping corpse to the river and unceremoniously threw him half way across letting the water take him downstream.

I heard a gasp behind me and turned.

Assani said, "You threw him to the middle of the river as if he weighed nothing."

"I am very strong."

"We have discussed the matter and are willing to swear blood oath to be your mates if you can prove to us that you can handle all six of us in the furs."

"Sounds mighty interesting. What happens if I fail to 'prove' myself?"

"We will simply leave you and seek another. We seek a specific man that the augurs of our village told us would be coming soon."

"So, how do we do this?"

"You go into your cave, we come in one at a time and you see if you can please us. We will not harm you but if you fail, we will know you are not the one we are looking for."

"That is a challenge I am more than willing to take. Would you please gather the ladies so we can all bathe before the pleasing begins?"

"You have strange ways but I don't see any harm."

The ladies came to the river and looked at me expectantly. I shrugged, dropped my clothes and turned to walk into the water with only my combat knife in hand. When old Mr. Johnson was first seen, the group collectively stood in awe.

"Your staff isn't covered," Desiree said.

"Uh, no, I'm naked. Of course it's not covered."

"No, I meant that you don't have the skin hood over the end of your mating staff."

"Where I come from, males have that skin removed right after birth. It presents a cleaner look and is lower maintenance when a male gets older."

"It is as unusual as you are. I like it," said Tammi.

"Well come on ladies, you have seen all of me. I think it's my turn to see all of you."

They all blushed and shook their heads.

"We will wait to bathe until you are finished and in your cave. It is unusual for women and men to bathe together in the daylight."

"Suit yourselves. You don't know what you're missing though. It's a great day for a swim."