Chapter 2

Julia had only had three or four orgasms in her entire life. She remembered each and every one of them, and she recognized the feelings she was having now, as the very same thing she'd felt just before she had enjoyed each and every one of those orgasms. With a cry of shame she realized she was going to experience something with this savage man that had never happened with any man except her husband. And, after all the pain and horror she'd been through in the last week ... her cry of shame grew louder with the realization that she wanted this orgasm ... needed it ... needed some kind of sweet release that would make her feel human again ... female again.

Badger Claw dipped his longest finger in the salve. Then he pushed that finger into the woman's sex, deep. If there had been someone else there to ask about it, he would have said it was to be sure he got the medicine where any unseen injuries would be covered. But he also knew he was giving this woman something she needed. When his finger penetrated her she let go of her knees. Her heels hit the grass and dug in as her hips arched up off the ground and she cried out. But it wasn't a sound of terror or hurt. It was the sound of a woman whose man knows how to treat her.

He heard them coming ... feet pounding on the ground ... and he removed the finger from the woman. He stood up and his erection stood out from his body, straight and proud. The woman lay limp, satisfied, happy for the moment. She looked at his rampant sex and smiled at him - not in encouragement - in thanks for not doing what many men would have done.

The bushes were torn apart. Three startled faces peered into the copse. They saw their mother lying on the ground, legs spread and the Indian standing. All of them saw his stiff penis and knew what had happened. Bobby had the knife he had found in the Indian's clothing. He was just as naked as the Indian, and looked a little like him too as, with a scream of rage he launched himself at the man he thought had just raped his mother.

He didn't have even the ghost of a chance. Before he knew what had happened he lay on the ground, his wrist hurting. The knife was in the hands of the big Indian and the Indian's foot was on his chest ... again!

His mother yelled, "Bobby! No!" She looked at the girls. Yellow hair was still naked and the girl twin had washed out her undergarment and rags and was wearing them again. "It's not what you think!" she said. "I know what it looks like, but it's not what you think."

Molly cried out "But Mamma, you screamed!"

"He had to put the medicine inside me" She covered her sex with one hand, "Where I was torn and injured."

Each of the kids had put that medicine on some hurt or injury and they all knew just how it felt when it burned. All three winced. Molly was staring at the Indian's still half hard penis.

"He put the medicine ... in you."

Her voice made it quite plain what she thought the Indian had used to medicate her mother's vagina.

Julia blushed "Not with that, you silly girl. He used his fingers." She realized how that sounded and rushed on. "Now be quiet. He didn't hurt me. He hasn't hurt any of us. I don't think he will. We must cooperate with him and teach him English so we can communicate. Do whatever he tells you to. I know his ways are strange, but while we are with him I want you to honor his customs.

They all trooped back to Badger Claw's lodge, where the girls learned how to butcher and smoke a deer Indian style. While the meat was smoking, Badger Claw went and obtained clothing for most of them. Bobby was easy, with leggings and a loin cloth. There was a scabbard for a knife, but no knife was in it, of course. For Cindy and Julia there were buckskin dresses that were plain, but beautifully made. Both women slipped them on gratefully and marveled at the feel of tanned buckskin against their skin. Julia realized immediately that the leather would rub her nipples in a most delightful way once they quit hurting so much.

Molly had put her dress back on, but it was torn and filthy. He had nothing for her and she complained about it. He could tell she was complaining and laughed as he threw a treated skin at her. Then he dug into his things and came out with rawhide and a bone needle. He also had a long thin piece of hedgewood, hard as iron and sharpened on one end. It turned out to be an awl to poke holes in the leather for the needle to go through. Obviously she would have make her own dress.

Molly knew how to sew, but this was different. Her mother helped her, of course, but it still involved a lot of standing around naked while the big Indian watched. She wasn't quite so nervous about him seeing her naked now, mostly because he had seen her naked so much. But when she was naked and he looked at her, she got a warm feeling in her stomach that she knew she wasn't supposed to get. Not from just any man. And seeing him naked only made it worse.

A woman had come to the teepee with moccasins for the twins, and there was a toddler with her. The big Indian made it clear by pointing to the toddler and then to himself, followed by pointing at Bobby and then her mother, that this toddler was his son. But the woman went away with him and didn't come back. So she knew he had used that interesting looking thing between his legs for what it was intended, yet he didn't appear to have a wife! It was strange. She asked her mother about it as they sewed together her dress and her mother said that she had heard that Indians didn't think of marriage quite the same way as civilized people did.

All Molly knew was that she had feelings she knew she shouldn't, and was in a situation where those feelings might cause things to happen that shouldn't. She wasn't in her well-ordered, white-regulated world any more. Anything could happey. It was both scary and exciting at the same time.

Neither Julia nor Molly could sew with the beautiful precision that the Indian women did, but they ended up with a buckskin dress for Molly that was serviceable and looked nice, at least as far as they were concerned. They had used the same pattern Julia's dress was made with. Julia warned her daughter "This will feel ... different when you put it on. With no undergarments it is ... somewhat titillating."

At suppertime they decided to give their Big Indian a name. Julia pointed at herself and said "J-U-L-I-A" She did that several times and then did the same for each of the children. Then she pointed at him with a question on her face. He said a word that sounded like "O-AH-HA-CHAY-TO" She tried saying it and he rooted around in his things. He came up with a beautifully tanned Badger skin and pointed at it and then himself. Then he pointed at one of the claws and then at himself. Thus it was they learned to call him Badger Claw.

As they worked with him the memories of little Ronald Throckmorton came back with much more clarity than one could have hoped for. Within three days they could have simple conversations with him and his vocabulary got better each day. He learned that Julia's man had been killed in an accident before they were taken captive. He learned that they grieved for their dog, and were worried about their animals. He learned that the soldiers probably didn't know they were gone and might not know for many suns ... possibly many moons.

Yellow Water's lodge was untouched by the people, and would be abandoned when they moved to their winter campground. No one would speak his name again. In the night, Badger Claw went there and found Yellow Water's knife. Knives were scarce, and Badger Claw had traded everything he had that was worth anything for the clothing he'd gotten his captives. He made a new handle for the knife, so no one would recognize it. When he gave this to Bobby, the boy's eyes bugged out. He was proud and stood tall, holding it and fighting invisible foes with it.

He did that until he had to gut his first deer with it. After that he put it in his scabbard, where it belonged. He had learned it was a tool, not a toy.

On the fourth day Julia suggested they needed baths again. Badger Claw looked at her with one eyebrow raised.

"You not very dirty," he said.

She smiled and tried to explain that clean bodies were healthy bodies. Finally he agreed. As they left she said "Bring your medicine."

He grabbed the pouch and they set off for the creek. No one was shy about being naked now. Once her menses were over, Cindy didn't care at all if her brother and Badger Claw saw her naked. Molly too had grown accustomed to the freedom of being able to be naked without it being anything special, though if Badger Claw was naked she took every opportunity to stare at his body. And, she had gotten over feeling bad about the fact that she liked it when he looked at her too. So they all got naked and got into the water. Julia stood by him as they washed. "Your medicine works well Badger Claw. I think I am healing quickly."

He looked her over. Julia was healing well. And she was much less shy too. Now, when he inspected her wounds, she sat quietly, or lay still, letting him touch her wherever he wanted to. In the night he woke up several times to find her arm flung over his body as she sought his heat, or comfort. In the mornings, if his erection touched her she did not flinch away or scold him. She stood in the water near enough to touch him. Her back was smooth, though she would carry some of the willow scars for life.

When he was finished she said "You haven't examined everywhere." Her hand drifted to the brown fur between her legs.

As he looked at her, he saw the change start on her neck first, a glow of pink, then splotches of red and her face bloomed red, and her upper chest looked suddenly sunburned.

"I think I need more medicine there," she said quietly. He looked at her, realizing what she was really saying.

His penis stiffened. Perhaps she was going to thank him.

He looked off in the direction of the deer bed where he had pleasured her before. "We should go there?" he asked.

She blushed even redder and nodded. She turned to her children. Bobby and Cindy were splashing each other, laughing. Molly was daydreaming, lifting water to her breasts and letting it drip off her fingers.

"Children!" she called. They all looked at her. "Badger Claw says I need more medicine ... ah ... in my private place." She was beet red now. "It's not proper to ... um ... put that on in public. We're going over there and we'll be back very soon. You stay here." She turned quickly, embarrassed, but determined.

Badger Claw went to get his salve and then walked beside her as they went toward the deer hide. "I did not say you needed this," he commented.

"Oh hush!" she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him. When they got to the soft grass she went from foot to foot, nervous and shy again. He could tell she wanted this, but that it was hard for her to accept it.

"You want to put the medicine on yourself?" he offered.

She looked down. "No. I want you to do it ... like you did before."

"You do not need this, Julia" he said holding out the balm.

She looked in his eyes now. "Yes ... I think I do. I shouldn't, but I need to feel ... good."

"You confuse me. It sounds like you want this, but you don't want this. What does this mean?"

She was standing close to him. When she spoke, her voice was low ... conspiratorial.

"My people ... touch each other like that ... like you did ... but only sometimes. Only when they're married. My husband is dead. And I am not married to you, so my people would say that letting you touch me is wrong. But I want to feel that ... like before." She lowered her eyes. "It made me feel ... good."

Badger Claw thought about that. "I say this," he said. "I won you in a fight. My people would say I own you, and that you have to do as I say. This is our way. With my people, when a man and a woman want to touch, as long as they both want to touch it is a good thing. There are different kinds of touching. I hear you Julia. I know what kind of touching you want. So, I tell you this. Lie down there" he pointed. "I must put medicine on you. Do what I say woman!" He scowled fiercely at her, flexing his muscles.

She smiled at him, knowing what he was doing - knowing that he was making it his decision, so she wouldn't have to feel bad about it.

"Yes, my savage master" she said in a little girl voice. "I must do as you say." Then she kissed him on his lips. It was a quick kiss, but her lips were soft and warm on his. She lay down and pulled her knees up, opening herself for him with no shame at all.

Badger Claw looked at Julia, who was a very handsome woman. He had thought about her sexually a lot recently and now his penis stiffened completely. She stared at it, but said nothing. He knelt between her legs. Then he took one foot and brought it close to his face. He had an idea. "Julia, you have just bathed. Your ankle is clean." He licked her ankle. "Does it disgust you that I would touch your clean ankle with my tongue?"

She shook her head "No", but there was a puzzled look on her face.

Then he licked her calf. "You are clean here too. Is this disgusting?"

Again the shake of her head.

He licked above her knee and her eyes widened as she realized what he intended to do.