Chapter 102

Kateata and Ameliea were keeping me warm when I woke the next morning. They were both awake already and after giving me a good morning kiss they were gone, leaving me to fend for myself. I guessed I could manage.

I showered and dressed and made a beeline for coffee. I was surprised when Daria brought it to me this morning and I noticed all Danlo's mates were in here even though he hadn't made it yet.

"Where is, Danlo?" I asked Daria, as she set my coffee down.

"We are going to let him sleep a little longer since he had to work so hard last night," she said, giggling at the last.

She didn't seem to be in a rush to leave so I took this opportunity to run a hand up the back of her leg and onto her ass, copping a feel of the beauty was just the thing to get my blood flowing early in the morning. Too bad it couldn't make it flow in a more productive direction.

Daria leaned down, put her arms around my neck and gave me a toe-curling kiss while I played with her ass. She turned toward me slightly and I was able to get both hands into the act for a while. I was ready to send Danlo somewhere, anywhere, at the moment, but when we broke the kiss I released her and settled down.

I didn't get a lot of time to simmer before Jatalieta was there with my breakfast and another body to explore. When she set my plate down she shifted directly into her kiss and this time I took my chance to slide my hands up under her tunic and explore her titties. They were delightful and Dicky was pounding when she went back to the kitchen. I did manage to eat before my breakfast got cold.

Georgo and his tribe came in a few minutes later and he sat near me.

"Dotallto is anxious to resume his visiting tomorrow, John, are you planning on showing him the secrets of the rifle and the Glock?" he asked.

"I don't think I will just yet. I might have been a little premature in asking him to stay with us and while I don't think he will cause any trouble on purpose, I don't know him well enough to share such things with him yet."

"I think you are wise to withhold the secret for now. Especially since there isn't time to train him properly and it would be a disaster for one from Jato's camp to see him wearing the Glock and take it from him," Georgo said.

"I hadn't really even thought of it and I'm sure you are right. I must be careful to make sure no one loses a weapon to any of the other camps or anyone who doesn't live here."

"If they did obtain one they would still not know how to use it properly," Georgo said.

"I know, but it would be a danger. In the first place they might injure someone while trying to learn how it worked and that is only the best we could hope for. They would probably not gain much by just getting one, since they would soon be out of ammunition, but they would be dangerous as long as they had some. I think we will be better off keeping the secret from him."

Georgo's food came then and soon others, including a remarkably spry Danlo, came in to eat. I got another plate soon, but Jaada brought it this time. She let me know her ass wanted a little exploration too while she was near me by rubbing it against my shoulder. I always had time to grope a woman who needed it.

After breakfast most of the men took off for their chores. Raalto and Racaato wanted to know where we were going this morning and so did Danlo, Jonoco, and Nadlo.

"I thought we would take a little trip down river to the big side stream. There is a good hardwood forest along its banks and I want to explore it a little.

"I thought it would be better to take the big wagon along so we could have something to tie the horses too while we went into the trees on foot. It will also give a place for those watching the horses to sit while we are hunting."

"Do you think there will be game easily found there?" Racaato asked.

"I'm sure there are some boars and sows and probably some tender young ones. There are most likely some of the smaller deer there too. Finding out exactly what is there is the main reason I want to go though."

We all went to get our rifles and then down to the horse pens. The wranglers, including Sahto, and Talvo, who were going also, hitched the team while Raalto, Racaato, Danlo, and I saddled horses. At the last minute I decided to ask Nadlo to stay in camp with Bonehead saddled in case we were needed back in a hurry. I told him where we were going and then we left.

When we got to the side stream it only took about twenty minutes to find a place to cross the river with the wagon. No doubt it would be a lot bigger job during a wetter part of the year.

We parked the wagon and after dismounting we tied all the horses to it. Jonoco, Sahto, and Talvo would be staying with it while the rest of us went exploring. Raalto and Racaato entered the woods near the river while Danlo and I walked up the side stream a few hundred yards before entering.

Of course it was old growth since there had been no such thing as harvesting timber in this time. The brush was almost non-existent after we'd moved a hundred yards from the river. The canopy made sure of it. There were deadfalls a'plenty though and the going wasn't as easy as it could have been.

Danlo told me he knew almost nothing about hunting as we were entering the woods. I told him we weren't hunting primarily, and all he needed to do was move as quietly as possible and keep his eyes open for anything moving.

I should have prepared him more thoroughly for what might happen. We had only been in the woods for about thirty minutes before I spotted two sows rooting around under some oaks.

There were about twelve piglets with them also. The piglets weren't big enough to bother with for cooking, but one of the little bastards did sound the alert by squealing - like a pig, of course.

When the sows looked up and noticed us they were not impressed and not afraid either. They probably weighed seven to eight hundred pounds each and their first reaction was to make angry grunting noises.

"Try to shoot one in its chest, Danlo, between the front legs and about halfway from where its legs join and the top of its back. That should be close enough to its heart to kill it.

"If it keeps moving anyway, keep shooting. They are sometimes hard to kill. If we don't stop it try to get up a tree if you can, their teeth are sharper than you think."

We didn't have any more time to talk. I was a little surprised the sows headed toward us as if to run us off. It was time to shoot or run.

Danlo fired first and did a good job. The sow dropped within steps. My first shot didn't seem to bother the other one and my second didn't either. I was beginning to think I should be looking for a tree I could climb, but my third shot must have hit something important because she paused and then dropped.