Chapter 20

"And what are you going to explore," Shaeta asked.

"I will be looking around on the other side of the river. There is a small herd of cashda that waters near where we dug the clay. I am going to try capturing them," I said.

"But why, and how? I have never even been able to see one, most people haven't," Katia said.

"They are from another world also, or at least that is where they started from. Kwagi can't get close to them because they can get your scent from so far away, just like I can. They can't get my scent from so far like I can't get theirs. I have already been within a few hundred yards of them," I said.

"I still don't understand why you want them now. We will not be pulling our travois to another place for a long time," Shaeta said.

"You mean we probably won't be. You know that Matatu already wants to explore another location. That is how we got into the scrape with the loners in the first place.

"Besides, pulling travois is not all that cashda are good for."

"I have heard they are good to eat, but I don't think anyone in our Calak has ever tasted them," Shaeta said.

"They are even better for something else I know of. They can be trained to let you ride on their backs."

That got their attention and I knew they were having a hard time believing it.

"I have done it in my last world. With proper training the cashda will not even mind. They can carry a man all day without becoming too tired.

"If I had one, I could go far away to hunt, kill a large thaka, and then use a travois on my cashda to bring the thaka back while I rode on its back. They are very useful," I said.

"Well you have done as we asked anyway. You have entertained us while we made the gloves for Matita. Now we are done and we can blow out the candles and let you entertain us in the furs," Shaeta said, and that's just what happened.

Of course we were up with the sunrise the next morning. As we dressed my mates had a little surprise of their own for me.

"Nita and Lanita will be eating with us this morning," Katia said.

"Who are Nita and Lanita?" I asked.

"Nita is the healing woman you found and Lanita is her small daughter," Shaeta said.

"Oh, I didn't know their names. The small one is so cute, but when I saw her last she had just been hurt by the asshole that Matatu took care of later."

"We know. She told us all about it," Katia said.

"Nita did?"

"No, Lanita did. You are her hero as well as ours. She's the one who asked if they could eat with us, and apparently she wants to do it from now on. It embarrassed Nita when she asked me," Shaeta said, "but I thought it was very nice. It will be good for Katia and I to know more about dealing with children."

That made my ears perk up, since it seemed to indicate that a baby or two might be appearing in a while.

"No, do not go strutting around like you've done something yet. We saw that glint in your eyes. You have been doing your duty for sure, but we are not with child yet, neither of us," Katia said, and then they both laughed at me.

"Maybe I should work harder at it."

"You won't be working any harder unless Breezus sends us another helper. My throat is nearly raw from the screaming you made me do last night," Katia said.

"Mine too," Shaeta said, agreeing.

"It is like a woman always told me when I was younger. She said that children were fun coming in but hell coming out," I said, and got a laugh of my own.

Denac was waiting by our usual spot so I joined him while my mates joined his to go and get our food ready. I spotted Nita near the cooking fire but I didn't see Lanita. In fact, I didn't remember seeing her since they made it to our camp. She was probably sleeping late this morning. I had already noticed that the children normally stayed in the huts until the morning meal was ready.

"So, are you ready to go on your exploration?" Denac asked.

"Yes. I am anxious to get the cashda captured. It will take weeks to train them just for pulling the travois."

"It will be a terrible job for you. How will you handle them alone for all that time," he asked.

"I'm hoping that someone will help me."

"But how can they if the cashda can get their scent so easily?" he asked.

"It will not matter if they have your sent after they cannot escape. They will become accustomed to you. Once they see that we mean then no harm they will not be so frightened. You will see. After we have them for a while they will see it as normal, or almost normal."

"I will take your word for it, and if it is somehow possible that one day I'll be able to touch one it will make me happy. I never thought I'd touch a live thaka until you brought Buttercup to our camp, and now it seems I'm stumbling into him nearly every day," Denac said, grinning.

My mates, Jekaycey, Nita, and Lanita headed our way with food about then. Nita seemed a little uncomfortable to be doing it and Lanita was almost hiding behind her mother's skirts. At least they hadn't forgotten the purpose of the trip and had plenty of food with them.

"Good morning, Nita, and Lanita. I am happy to see you this morning. I'm thrilled to have breakfast with the woman who saved our Zakat," I said.

"I too. I feel honored," said Denac, joining right in.

At least it put them slightly at ease and even Lanita didn't seem so shy now. As they all found a place to sit Lanita was looking around for a spot when I spoke up again.

"Come, Lanita, I have saved a place for you," I said.

She eyed me cautiously and then came to stand in front of me, looking to see if she could find the place.

"But where?" she asked, finally.

"Right here," I said, picking her up and putting her in my lap. It made her giggle.

"Now, let's see what my wonderful mates have made for our breakfast," I said, holding up my large bowl and eyeing it. "Do you see anything you might like?"

She didn't speak but pointed to a tidbit. I picked it up at once and popped it into her open mouth. She seemed to nearly sigh with contentment and when I glanced at Nita, mostly to make sure I wasn't out of line, I saw that she had tears running down her cheeks. She wasn't balling her eyes out or anything but she was crying silently, a little. At least she smiled at me when she saw me looking.

Lanita didn't notice anything going on but it was easy to tell that she was happy. She waited patiently while I got a bite and then she'd point to what she wanted as I chewed. I was surprised at how right it felt to hold her and feed her like that and damned if I didn't nearly tear up myself. After all she was very brave for such a young child and it seemed she was remarkably resilient too.

After we'd finished eating the women left with the bowls, but Lanita stayed on my lap.

"Have you met Buttercup, Lanita?"

"Who is Buttercup," she asked.

"Buttercup is my thaka's name."

"I didn't know it had a name. I have seen it, but mother told me not to bother it," she said.

"Well, you should not go near Buttercup unless someone bigger is with you. I don't think Buttercup would try to hurt you, but it might decide to play and maybe get too rough. We can go see him now though and I will introduce you," I said.

Of course she was all for it and damned if Buttercup wasn't too when we got to him. He was very curious about Lanita but when I had her pet his neck he stood very still, no doubt hoping she wouldn't stop anytime soon. Lanita could barely stop giggling as she did it.

A few minutes later Lanita was glad to ride on my shoulders and I took her back near the center of camp where Jekaycey, my mates, Nita, and Caloe were talking.

"Who is going to take care of my little princess while I am gone today?" I asked, as I approached them.

"I guess that honor will revert to me," Nita said, grinning.

"Be sure to feed her well at lunch. I won't be back by then, but I'll be here for supper to make sure she is full for the night," I said.

"We will see that she is well fed my mate. I'm sure we won't match the excellent job you did at breakfast, but we will try our best to perform under pressure," Katia said, mocking me.

"Very well, if she is happy when I return I might not even spank you tonight," I said. It made Katia and Shaeta laugh at me, but it made Nita blush furiously.

I fetched my rifle from our hut then and latched my hatchet onto my web belt. In minutes I was headed for the river crossing. When I got there I shucked my boots, socks, pants and even underwear to cross. Walking around all day in wet clothes didn't appeal to me.

On the other side I dressed and scanned around for hoof prints at once. I didn't see any. That was the bad news. The cashda could very well have moved out of the area and if they had I was going to be pissed. I started toward the last place I'd seen them but I didn't feel optimistic.

Forty-five minutes later I was there but the cashda weren't. I did find some prints though and while they weren't fresh, they had been made since I was here before. It took a few minutes casting about to decide which way I thought they'd gone.

There's a lot of difference in trying to follow a trail of hoof prints made by horses that are being ridden and trying to follow horses left to their own devices. When not being directed by man, a horse does not go in a straight line; it grazes, pulling up grass here and then there but not moving in any particular direction. Horses usually don't decide they need to go somewhere and head that way in a straight line. They just amble along, kinda.

I spent two hours following their ambling, and even though I felt I was still less than a mile from our camp, I was sure I had walked ten. I was well and truly tired of this game already. Let me tell you it was a real mood elevator when I found them.

They had passed through a sort of opening in hilly terrain into what looked at first like a large natural clearing. It wasn't though. It was what you might hear called a box canyon in the cowboy movies. Of course it was nothing like a box, but it did have only one entrance/exit suitable for horses. The good part was that I was standing in that entrance and the horses were already inside.

The open area was probably over a hundred and fifty acres and almost all of it was clear for some reason. Men could make it out the other end by climbing a rocky hillside, but I was pretty sure the horses, or cashda, couldn't. They were stuck in there until I left, but of course I was stuck here. I was afraid if I left they would make their exit.

This was too good of an opportunity to let slide. If I had to I was going to fence the whole two hundred and fifty yards of the entrance with nothing but my hatchet and hard headedness, but I hoped I wouldn't have to.

Cursing myself for a dumbass for not telling anyone about the near universal three shot distress signal, I pointed the M1 toward a bank and fired three shots one after the other, spaced out just enough to make three distinct noises. All I could do after that was hope they'd notice and send someone to investigate. Then again, I could start blocking the entrance.