Chapter 151

Everything was hustle and bustle in the camp now. People were excited and curious about the captured mammoths, but they were also trying to deal with the dead ones. To put it into perspective, there was nearly half a ton of liver to be dealt with.

Mammoth hides needed to be scraped and though the carcasses had been roughly cut up there was more cutting that needed to be done before the freeze which would no doubt come tonight. We were going to be busy long after sunset.

Also on the agenda were rotating guards through the night. The fresh meat would bring predators and if they couldn't get to the meat they would settle for the horses or even the live mammoths. With the female tied up she would be hard pressed to defend herself and the youngsters couldn't be counted on for any help at all.

The horses were accustomed to fire by now, but the mammoths weren't, so we would have to make sure to build the fires close enough to keep the predators away from them, but far enough away to keep from making them panic. It was going to be a busy night and I didn't think I would be getting much sleep, maybe not any.

Racaato took over the fire building detail and with the use of my original wagon, which hadn't been needed to carry the meat, he and some others gathered enough dried dung to keep the fires going all night. When they built the fires they built them smaller than normal and built more of them. It would be more work tending them through the night but Racaato thought it would do a better job of keeping predators out and would also lessen the fear of our guest.

Danlo stayed with the female during all of this and I'm sure his attendance helped keep her calm. I went back to talk with him a couple of times and to take him coffee and while I was there I saw he was even becoming familiar with the younger captives.

After the evening meal Ameliea, Dieta, Geera, Gema, Merita, and Maia armed themselves for an all night vigil. Merita and Maia had Prince, King, and Rover well in hand and they were patrolling the perimeter with our guard wolves. I felt comfortable knowing nothing was going to slip up on the wolves in daylight or dark.

As the work progressed and the meal was over I took Deimeta out to visit Danlo and his charges. She was delighted seeing the live beast and especially with the young ones.

"That one is just my size, Daddy," she squealed.

"Then it will be yours. You can teach it to behave and later when it is bigger I will show you how to ride on it."

"Can I really ride it? Will it let me on its back?" she asked, clearly thrilled at the prospect.

"You will have to ride on its neck since its back will be too broad, but I'm sure we can teach it to let you ride."

"Oh, Daddy, I can hardly believe it. I have never even heard of anyone who touched a live mammoth," she said.

"Then you will be one of the first to ride. You should ask Danlo if he thinks he can get the little one to let you pet its snout."

"Can you, Danlo? Will it let me touch it?" she asked.

"I think we might be able to do it, you will have to go very slowly though and make sure you don't frighten it," he told her, stifling a laugh.

"I'll be very careful, I promise."

"Come to me then. Be sure to walk slowly and keep your hands down by your side. Speak to it very softly as you approach," he instructed.

"What should I tell it?" she asked.

"Tell it how nice you think it is and how much you would like to be its friend," he said.

I backed up a few paces and let her get started. She talked softly and sincerely to the young mammoth and she took a step, waited a few seconds, and then took another. It was slow going, but that was how it had to be. As she got closer the little mammoth began to get curious and within a few moments it was sniffing Deimeta with its trunk and she was rubbing on the trunk and on its head.

Apparently the youngster liked the attention since it didn't seem to tire of Deimeta's petting. It sniffed at her constantly and she worked her way around it, touching and stroking it everywhere she could reach.

Soon they were pals and Deimeta played at tugging on the long trunk while the little mammoth pulled at her with it. I sat on the ground and watched as long as my poor tired ass could stand it, but much more quickly than Deimeta would have liked we had to go back to camp.

When we left the young mammoth followed for a few paces, but finally turned back to the safety of the mature female.

"Oh Daddy, I just love my mammoth, are you sure it can be mine?" she asked.

"I am very sure. It is your mammoth now and you will have to think of a name for it. You will also need to learn to care for it."

"What kind of care does it need, Daddy?" she asked.

"We don't really know yet, we have never had mammoths before. We will have to learn as we go along."

She was satisfied with this and we returned to camp. Jaada was there with one more small sandwich for Deimeta, just in case she thought she could eat a bite before she went to sleep.

"Thank you mommy, Jaada. I think I can eat it. Can I tell you about my mammoth while I am eating?" she asked.