Chapter 164

When I got back to the celebration there was a little surprise for me. More men were still standing than I had expected, but they were still hanging out near the beer. I also saw most of my leaders were still hanging in there. I had expected Raalto and Racaato to keep their heads tonight, but I was a little disappointed to see Colonto and Caato probably hadn't had any beer to speak of either.

I moved over beside Dieta and Geera who were still ensconced near the food and I stood with them to survey things. In a minute I saw Colonto go over to help Cahttiea take Natalto off toward their quarters.

Bummer for me, apparently Colonto intended to honor his best man Natalto by paying a little attention to Cahttiea tonight. I had been looking forward to having my dick down her throat later. She was still the only woman here I knew who could give me a real deep throat treatment.

While I was watching them I saw Caato start over to help Heilalieta with her mate Jalaato. Jalaato had been Caato's best man before they brought their camp here. Heilalieta was another choice bit of honoring it seemed I was going to miss out on tonight. Not only her, but I had also envisioned doing my duty with Jaadalla and Jetta, Caato's mates, but they would, no doubt, be helping Caato by holding down Heilalieta while he honored Jalaato.

Out of my peripheral vision, off to my right, I saw Danlo. I hadn't expected him to get drunk for the simple reason he didn't really like beer. He would usually drink a mug or two for appearances sake, but he hadn't developed a liking for the pleasures of a good drunk yet.

It wasn't what had my attention though. Dicky had sounded an alarm when he realized what was going on. Danlo, Shallea, Shaala, Daria, Jatalieta, and Tulaarra were all gathered around Sahto, Talvo, and their mates Weeahta and Geritatea.

They were all helping shepherd the two young drunks, Sahto and Talvo, toward their quarters. I wasn't jealous of Danlo's upcoming ceremony with Weeahta and Geritatea, even though they both appeared to be delightful little dishes. My recently discovered voyeuristic streak was making my dick throb in anticipation of what I'd be able to see if I took up my post in the spot which had given me such a thrill when I'd watched Danlo putting the wood to Daria one morning.

It just wasn't fair. There was an abundance of things I wanted to get into tonight and I wasn't going to get around to all of them, there just wasn't enough time. I would have to do my best to do my duty to John and his boner though.

I was still watching Danlo and his bunch moving off with their prizes when Dalia, his mother, came to stand beside me. She must be a mind reader.

"Are you remembering your time watching Danlo with Daria?" she asked, mentioning the time she'd caught me spying on them and had gotten herself fucked for her troubles.

"You know I am and I'm trying to decide whether to sneak off and do it again or wait and help some poor woman get her mate to his furs."

"A difficult decision I'm sure. Maybe you should wait here a few minutes in case you do see someone who needs your help. It will take them some time to get Sahto and Talvo into their furs," she said.

It still amazed me my mates seemed more anxious for me to provide willing dick for women with drunken mates than I was. I was happy about it for sure, but it still surprised me sometimes. I decided Dalia was probably right. I could watch fucking later and I should probably hang around and try to do some of it tonight.

About then I spied a pretty woman I didn't know, struggling with her mate. He wasn't drunk enough to fall down yet, but was close. I wondered why I hadn't seen her before, but I don't guess I should have. She and her mate had probably joined us when we consumed what was left of Jakado's camp after their infernal spying adventures.

She was a tall one, at least as tall as Dalia and Shelalliea and maybe a little taller. I could see her face was pretty and I loved the look of her long silky black hair. I was about to go and assist her when Ameliea came up to me.

"I see you eyeing Miekadakta as she struggles with her fool of a mate. I think you should go and help her at once, but I should warn you Kartogo, her mate, is not one of those who will consider it an honor. Like many idiots, he thinks the whole of this camp is stupid for not noticing he should be leader," she said.

"Then why did he come here in the first place?"

"He was not stupid enough to die for the pleasure of staying away. Have you forgotten you gave them no choice?" she asked.

"I gave them a choice, I told them they could leave."

"Yes but you also told them they could not force their mates to leave with them. Even though Kartogo is stupid, Miekadakta is not - once she arrived here and saw what a wonderful life we have she wouldn't even consider leaving with Kartogo.

"She was dumb enough to agree to mate him and I think at the time she believed his bragging about becoming leader some day. She has learned much better now. It doesn't mean she wouldn't still like to be the leader's mate, or at least one of his mates," Ameliea said, looking like she was having an internal battle to keep from laughing at me.

Her information gave me some pause though. I knew by custom it was my right to have Miekadakta if I wanted her. Kartogo's feelings on the matter didn't count in the long-term scheme of things. Still, all else being equal, I wouldn't normally invite trouble by screwing her since I'd been warned he was violently opposed to it.

There were other things to consider though and I'm sure Ameliea knew it and had told me all of this for a reason. If Kartogo were going to cause trouble here sooner or later it would be to my benefit to have him do it sooner.

I know it was a cold-hearted view of things, but in my opinion it was better to have a funeral for a dead troublemaker than it was to have a live one in my camp spreading his message of dissent.

I had come from a society which at least gave lip service to freedom of speech, but did I have the luxury of allowing it here? I wanted to think I did, but was confronted with the realities of my leadership and of making decisions for people who had come to rely on me for their survival.

Was there a difference between me and some twentieth century dictator, sheik, or king? I didn't know and wasn't sure I had the wisdom and knowledge to know. Freedom of speech was a wonderful thing in a perfect society and if you said it fast. It was expensive though, in both manpower and to some extent resources.

I wanted peace in my camp and I wanted people to get along and work toward our common good, but I wasn't sure I could manage that particular miracle if I allowed dissent to grow without confronting it. I also wondered if freedom of speech was such a good thing if it let people who were trying to agitate and try to change things for their advantage have free use of it.

Freedom of speech was wonderful in a mature society and civilization, but in truth almost no one liked it. Many would claim it was wonderful and then be disgusted by its use by others.

In some ways I had the best of all worlds. This was not a democracy and I could allow all the freedom of speech I wanted to and then could turn around and deny it at my whim. We had no democracy here and I didn't want one. It is a good compromise with a large civilization, but it would only be a hindrance to our small group. My benevolent monarchy was just the ticket for here and now, and anyone who was opposed to it could leave, or die.

I had to second-guess my right to elect myself judge over this type of matter. I had no idea if the type of society I had grown up in could be beneficial in these times with the limited resources available. To me freedom of speech was a luxury easily afforded when there was plenty for everyone to eat, but it might be a different thing when everyone or at least most everyone was needed to help gather food for our basic survival. I just didn't have the answers and I wasn't going to get them tonight.

I was going with the current customs. I would help Miekadakta get Kartogo to his furs and then I would spread her legs and fuck her. If he wanted to exercise his freedom of speech tomorrow I would let him bitch until his heart was content. If he wanted to fight about it, we would fight and if he tried to put a spear in my back I would kill him and have another mate.

Ameliea had been standing beside me while I considered all this. She had been watching me and when she spoke I wondered if she could read my mind too.