Chapter 5

Finally everyone seemed ready to go. Zakat and Matatu took their place in the lead and things were about to move. Katia walked back to us after fetching her pack and I was astonished by its size.

"Shaeta, ask her to put that on our travois. I don't want your best friend walking around with a bent back," I said.

"It isn't that heavy, it's just bulky, but if you can carry it also I'm sure she will let you," Shaeta said.

"Of course I can carry it."

"Carl wants you to put your pack on our travois, Katia. He's worried about your back," Shaeta told her, and I knew from her tone that it meant something more than I realized, but all I could do about it now was wonder.

Katia made it even more worrisome when she gave me her own version of the ten thousand watt smile as she unshouldered her pack and put it onto the travois. Thankfully the others started moving while we were taking care of this little detail.

When everything was in place I made sure the girls weren't in the way and then yanked hell out of the cart's handle. I'd already learned that getting it moving in the first place was the hardest part. The cart leaned toward me of course, swiveling around its axle, and that momentum caused the whole thing to move, getting me underway.

Previous trial and error adjustments had let me balance the ungainly looking rig so that I was basically carrying about forty to fifty pounds of weight via the handle. It was enough to give me good traction and let me lean away from my grip to put most of the work on my thigh muscles. It was almost easy to keep the thing moving once I got it started, especially on level ground.

Shaeta and Katia were frankly amazed at my fast start.

"Did you practice that too?" Shaeta asked.

"Of course. I'll be dragging this thing all day for many days, it only made sense to try and find the easiest way to do it," I said.

They both laughed at that but I didn't care. Now that I was within the group and could observe more closely, it was easy to see that my way was a lot better than theirs. With the cart's wheels and the leverage it gave me I only had to support the extra fifty or so pounds and I could just as easily balance the load so I didn't even have that much, or any weight on me. The weight I carried ended up making it easier to manage the cart and travois rig.

An hour later I also knew I was in much better shape than most of the men. I'm not saying that there was a lot of extra fat on them or anything like that, but since I'd wound up here I'd made a point of running a little at least every other day. Running was good for building endurance and by now I could easily pace myself and run most of the day if I needed to. I wasn't even tired when Shaton called for the first break, about two hours after we'd started.

It seemed to me that we were going to end up taking an easier time today than they normally would have. No doubt many of them were still suffering the after effects of the gajee and they were probably wondering if I could keep up the pace. My guess was that none of the heavy drinkers would complain about taking it slow today.

I wouldn't have had a bit of trouble traveling day and night except for the load. I hadn't done any practicing pulling this much weight and there was no doubt my legs and thighs would be sore tomorrow. It took only a glance at Shaeta to remind me it would be well worth it.

The break lasted at least half again longer than I expected it too, and I was beginning to worry that someone else might be having a harder time than expected. Shaeta and Katia stayed right with me most of the time but we didn't do much talking.

At the next break we ate some type of pemmican that they used for the midday meal while traveling and again the break was longer than I expected.

It's fairly boring playing the part of a beast of burden all day and by the time we'd stopped for the night I'd been trying to decide if I wouldn't be better off with some type of harness arrangement that would let me keep my hands free while I pulled my rig along.

Since I wasn't actually supporting any weight except as much as I needed to for pulling, there'd be no point in something that would fit around my neck or shoulders. Maybe a harness around my waist would let me do just as well though, and end up letting me have most of my upper body free.

When we stopped for the night I put thoughts of a harness aside when Shaeta told me that we would be staying here at least three or four days.

"That's fine with me, but what will we do here. Is someone else going to be mated?" I asked.

"Not that I know of. We are stopping because Zakat thinks we should do some scouting to see if we want to settle near here anywhere.

"Also, Matatu needs to make some gajee, he says he needs to replenish his supply after our ceremony," she said.

"Do I need to help him with anything?" I asked.

"He wouldn't let you help with anything important, they are always secretive about the making of gajee. He would be pleased if you'd help gather wood for the fire though, especially since the last ceremony was for you and I.

"Mother and I will be cooking some special treats for him while we're here, to let him know we appreciate him," she said.

"Then I will gather some special firewood for him, to let him know I appreciate him too," I said, trying for a little touch of my former weird humor.

She gave me the oddest look for a second and then it went away. I didn't know if I'd said something wrong or not. I did appreciate Matatu though, hell, I appreciated everyone that had anything to do with me having Shaeta for a mate. I still had a hard time believing that lucky stroke.

I noticed almost at once that our furs ended up being right beside Katia's or else hers were by ours. That was fine with me, since it might let me get a better early morning peep show tomorrow. In fact, it looked almost as if they had been put there just for such a happy event to occur.

I just sat on my big ass while the women were cooking but I did it with my ears alert. From my eavesdropping I learned basically what the scouting would involve. The men were choosing up sides for hunting parties and they'd be fanning out to see if they could do any good. Plentiful game in an area made it a better place to stay a while.

I already knew that the game was thick here since I could smell it. I decided that I'd go hunting alone the next day, after I picked up a little firewood for Matatu. I kept my ears peeled until Shaeta and Katia came over with our supper, but didn't hear anything else that amounted to much.

Shaeta had a big smile on her face when she and Katia showed up. Hell, I couldn't keep one off mine either. Not only was my mate a real beauty, her friend was one too. I could get used to eating my meals with these two.

"And what are you grinning so about my mate," Shaeta asked, as they reached me.

"How do you expect me to keep a big smile off my face when my beautiful wife and her equally beautiful friend come to bring me a wonderful meal?"

Shaeta looked very pleased with my comment but Katia blushed to the roots of her hair. Neither of them mentioned it though and I decided that they were both pleased somehow but that Katia's blush must be because she was still unmated. Maybe the mating changed them somehow. I doubted it, but it must at least change their attitude. I didn't feel like I could let it go at that though.

"I'm still marveling at my luck. Only a few days ago I was climbing trees to watch people go by. I didn't have a mate or even a Calak and now I'm a member of the biggest Calak I've ever seen and mated to one of the two most beautiful women in it. To top it off, the other beauty is my mate's best friend. How could I end up so lucky?"

Even Shaeta blushed this time and Katia was redder than a beet.

"Enough, enough, mercy," Shaeta said.

"What?"

"Stop long enough for us to eat anyway, then you may start again if you must," Shaeta said, and I knew damned well that she would welcome more now, or later, no matter what she was saying.

"If I must, I'll stop."

"He acts as if he is nothing special. All he's done is best the Calak's Zakat and them let him keep his place. He takes care of his wife and her friend after the celebration and he sits around laughing at all the other men while they are still waiting to cheat him in a trade for a hide that he doesn't even want or need," Katia said.

"Topping that he is carrying more weight than any of them and when you came by he even took over your load. It's exciting to wonder what he'll do next," Shaeta said.

I was pretty sure what I was going to do next though. My amazing sense of smell had already let me know there was a cow and calf pair of thaka nearly a mile from camp. After I gathered some wood for Matatu in the morning I was going to take the cow and if possible I'd capture the calf. It smelled like it was a very young one.

"No need to wonder my beautiful mate. Next I'll be doing exactly anything you ask me to do. I'm also smart enough to understand that the best way to keep a beautiful mate happy is to listen to her closely and try my best to do exactly as she tells me to."

Both their mouths dropped open at once and they stared at me wide eyed.

"I can not believe your luck, Shaeta," Katia said, after a minute that seemed like twenty.

"I can't either. Who'd have thought I could find such a man, and up in a tree at that," she said, and then giggled.

"I'm going to be looking up from now on when we travel," Katia said.

We all laughed after that. When we'd finished eating they dealt with the bowls by snatching out handfuls of dried grass and using it to wipe them clean, then they returned them to where ever they were kept.

The sun was down shortly and we undressed and got into our furs. Shaeta rolled toward me at once and gave me a big kiss, and I couldn't resist slipping a hand down to run up under her short sleeping shift and fondle one of her wonderful cheeks. She sighed when I did and pressed herself closer to me.

"I hope we can make our camp here, I am growing impatient," she whispered.

"Be careful what you wish for, it might come true."

"I hope it does come true," she said, grinding against me lightly now.