Chapter 15

"I should not tell you this, but I don't care what others say. It is said when a woman mates for the first time it can hurt her. I do not care if it hurts, I am very excited I will be mated and I know Gema and Merita are excited also," Maia said, and then blushed, as did Gema and Merita.

"I will tell you it can hurt the first time, but I will be as gentle and careful as I can. Causing pain for any of you is the last thing I want to do. I will also promise I will make it worth the trouble you suffer on the first time."

"Geera and Dieta have both told us later we will be glad we went through the pain. We are all ready and they will be there to help," Gema said.

"So we will leave the guests to celebrate after the mating ceremony and go at once to my cave?"

"Yes," They all said.

"We will be glad for the wagon then since we will not have to walk."

"I didn't even think of it. You mean we will ride to your cave in the wagon?" Merita asked.

"Of course we will, and we will not be so tired when we get there."

"It will be better. The wagon is large also and we will be able to put all our bedding, furs, clothes, and other belongings in it won't we?" Gema asked.

"Yes we will. You will find the wagon and the horses are much better for traveling and carrying things than you think. I will have to catch some more horses and train them also. You will each have a horse of your own so you need not walk for miles just to get somewhere. When you are out gathering you will ride the horses and let them carry back what you have found."

"It will be exciting John. We will probably be able to do our work much easier and faster with the horses to help us," Maia added.

"You will be, but it will take time to catch and train more horses. Until I have done it you can use Sally and Jane to ride and gather. Ben is a stallion and I do not think you should try to use him. Sally and Jane will be able to carry two at a time until we have more horses. Horses are not without their own price though. We will have to cut grass for them to eat in the winter and we should also try to find some oats to gather for them."

"Will it be more trouble to care for them over the winter than they will be worth?" Gema asked.

"No. You will see they are worth the trouble. Unless the snow is very deep they can still graze on the standing grass. I have blocked off a small canyon to save them all its grass for the winter. We will only have to feed them when they can't find food for themselves. Remember the wild horses are able to live during the winter without any help. We only have to help our horses because we make them stay close to us which keeps them from roaming over larger areas to find food."

"It sounds like it will be different from what we have known," Merita said.

"Being mated will be different, but I think you are going to like it. I know I am."

They blushed and giggled a little then. Breakfast was finished and we stood and separated to help with the last of the meat processing and with the beginning preparations for our mating ceremony.

The rest of the day was spent working in and around their camp. There were in-ground pits for cooking which had to be cleaned out and a large table built of small trees and covered with hides was erected. It was to hold most of the food after it was ready. Many smaller fires had to be made also for other cooking. I can't even begin to guess how many times I saw women heat stones in the fire and then put them into skin bags of liquid for heating.

Basically the whole camp was given a once over, cleaning and repairing and making things look neat and tidy.

The next day was more of the same. Georgo had returned and about noon new arrivals began. I guess Georgo, Gigo, and Geera had known what they were talking about. There were many more people than I'd expected. Before sunset there were more than a hundred new faces around and I felt like I had been introduced to each of them twice. If handshaking had been one of their customs my hand would surely be bruised from it by now.

Cooking started in earnest the next morning. All of the new arrivals had fires going where they were camped and all the women seemed to be cooking something. By three PM I estimated there were over one hundred and fifty guests here.

The feast started at sunset and there were mountains of food on every table which had been erected. Gema, Merita, and Maia were first in line and they'd told me I was to wait at our usual spot on the rock ledge while they prepared my plate.

When they came with a plate and large cup of tea for me I wondered if I could eat it all. They'd brought their own plates also and we sat together and had our last meal as unmated people. They laughed and talked while we ate, but made no mention of the upcoming mating ceremony. Taking a cue from them I didn't mention it either.

Georgo waited until everyone had eaten before rising and speaking. He went on for some time with a speech extolling the virtues of being mated and going over how the man must provide for his mates and how his mates must see to his comfort.

By the time he'd wound down all the fires had been put out except the main one. He stepped to it and threw some kind of flash powder into it causing it to flare brightly. He called Gema, Merita, Maia, and me over to give us a little speech and then extracted a promise from me to provide for and protect my mates. Next he made Gema, Merita, and Maia promise to make a comfortable home for me and to keep me clean and well fed. Hell, that was about it. When it came down to it the whole thing has mostly been about the feast.

To me it had seemed a lot like a normal wedding on my old earth. Generally there was a lot of scrambling around and nervous motion over not much of anything that meant shit. The women did all the work and the man sat around scratching his ass, waiting for the next chance to eat, and ultimately for the signal to commence fucking.

As far as I could tell my part would be one hell of a lot more advantageous than any groom from my time though. There would be a lot more fucking for me when the party was put to bed. In the first place I had three brides instead of only one and there was also the help and instruction I'd be getting from my delectable mothers-in-law. I had high hope for those instructions.

After the ceremony Geera and Dieta gathered us up and we headed for the wagon. It had been one of the main curiosities during the last two days. When I harnessed the team this afternoon and tied a saddled Ben to the back I'd had hundreds of eyes on me. Loading all of the girl's things into it had also been the subject of much scrutiny. It had all been scrutiny from a distance though. The cubs had complained loudly any time a stranger got near it. All in all the whole process had been fairly well organized and went off quietly.

Gigo had pointed out Gembo, Jabo, and Jenbo to me earlier. They had made no effort to meet me and I hadn't bothered to introduce myself to them. They didn't cause any trouble, but each time I noticed them I could tell they weren't really into the spirit of the proceedings.

Fuck'em. I didn't give a rat's ass what they thought. If they came around later looking for trouble I was going to make sure they found a hell of a lot more than they really wanted. I was confident it would be the last trouble they ever came across.

There was room on the wagon's seat for all of us and we were soon headed to my cave. All the women were quiet at first as they got used to riding. After a while Gema, Merita, and Maia began to talk among themselves and they were soon whispering with Geera and Dieta. Finally they got around to me.

"John, shall we begin the mating nights tonight?" Gema asked timidly.