Chapter 194

How far did I intend to go toward exerting my superior force? I didn't know, but I did know the next step. The next step was in Dutono's camp and, weather permitting, we were going to take it in a day or two.

Sateala's friends were gathering around now and wanted to visit with her. I left and headed back to my office to do a little visiting of my own with Ralph.

"Hello again John," he said, as I entered.

"Yes, I'm back already. Can you give me a weather prediction for the next few days?"

"Of course. Are you planning a mini-war?" he asked.

"I believe I'll take the politician's way out and call it a police action."

"I see. The weather will not be bad, but it will start snowing tomorrow, probably around noon. The wind will be about fifteen miles per hour and might get up to twenty-five miles per hour occasionally. The temperature should stay about the same and the snow will probably amount to between twelve and eighteen inches," he said.

"Not the best weather to be traveling in, but maybe it won't be impossible."

"You should be able to make it. We might need to provide something for the horses to keep them warm when they are not working, and you should probably take one sleigh full of hay for them. Maybe we should provide some grain for them also," he suggested.

"I suppose you can help me out along those lines."

"Surely - it won't be a problem. May I ask exactly what you intend to do there?" he asked.

"I intend to retrieve the other three women he captured and I'll probably invite any of the other women to join us if they want to. It may not be my place to try righting every wrong I come across, but I guess it is if I make it that way."

"I'm sure in this case might makes right. I can assure you most of the others here and now would do as they liked if they had the ability to do it," he said.

"I think I'd like for you to reinstate my videos and give me a look at his camp if you have a view of it."

"We do have good placement in and around his camp," he said.

I sat down and looked at the screen while Ralph chose the views. Dutono's camp was in a cave also but it wasn't in the side of a plateau like ours - it was in the side of a small mountain, the largest of a small group of them. I could see at once it would be no trouble to climb over it if we needed to. The whole thing was a little odd looking and didn't seem like a natural formation. Once more I wondered just how much rearranging Argent had done on this planet before I got here.

"Do you know anything about the inside of this cave?"

"It is a little more than a hundred and fifty feet to the back wall from the entrance and the whole thing is roughly two hundred feet wide. The cave is especially well suited for human habitation, not the least of which is the hole which lets the smoke from their fires escape.

The floor was mostly level to start with and over time they have made it even more level. You can see there is a large entrance they have mostly closed with skins, for the winter," he said.

I didn't have any doubts we could go there and do what we wanted to, but I didn't think we could do it without suffering some losses. In the cave they would be hard to deal with. Probably the only thing they needed to go outside for was water and they might have enough inside to last a long time. Hell, there could be a spring or something inside to furnish water.

"Where do they get their water during the winter?"

"Unfortunately, for your purposes, there is a small spring near the back of the cave. In that particular spot the floor slopes down sharply and the spring forms a small pool," he said.

It was bad for us. I wanted to go right down there and get the other women out, but with more snow coming it seemed like a fools errand. They would be in their cave with no real need to come out and we would be outside in the snow.

For a while I just looked at the video of the cave. I had a feeling I was missing something so I kept having Ralph switch from one angle to another - finally it came to me. The smoke hole, we could stop it up and force them out.

On the other hand it would take quite a while for the smoke to become annoying enough to force them all outside. Maybe a backup plan was in order.

"Ralph can you provide a few cs gas canisters for this mission?"

"I can't see any reason I couldn't and it is an excellent idea. The gas won't do them any real damage and it's effects wear off quickly. The biggest danger from the canisters would be fire and I estimate the probability as low. It would certainly be safer for all involved, even for them," he said.

"I plan to just try stopping up the smoke hole first to see if it will make them come out, but if it doesn't work we'll try the gas."

"It is doubtful the smoke alone will force them out. If it does it will be fine, but if it doesn't the gas surely will," he said.

"Thank you for the help," I said as I went back out into my cave."

I could tell as soon as I left my office plans for the trip were already underway. My mates and many of the other women were gathering food and supplies. The coffee maker was in high gear to fill our thermoses. Racaato, Raalto, Caato, and Barago were drafting men to come with us and I was told Danlo, Jonoco, Nadlo, Sahto, and Talvo were down hitching horses to sleighs and packing them with other equipment and food for both humans and horses.

I went to Raalto, Barago, Caato, and Racaato to give them the bad news.

"I know everyone wants to go, but two of you will have to stay. There must be someone here to lead this camp incase some of us don't come back." I said.

"I was afraid you would tell us something like that. I don't guess we can persuade you to stay here with the camp?" Raalto asked.

"Guess again. You know I am going."

"Yes I knew and we have already wagered for the right to go. Caato and Racaato have won and they will be going with you. Daaggo, Bigglieo, and Galto are going also, along with five other men. We assumed you could not get away without most of your mates and they are as good with the rifles as anyone. From what Shateala has told us you and your mates would outnumber all the men of that camp," Raalto said.

"It is a comfort to have plenty of mates."

Since it was decided I put on a heavy coat and headed to the horse cave to see Danlo.

"I see you seem intent on going today Danlo," I said, when I got there.

"We were just guessing you meant to. We are hitching up in case signs for the weather are good," he said.

"They will be."

"Do you want to bring Big Mother also? She might be very impressive when we get there," he said.

"I'm afraid she would have more trouble with the snow than the horses. I have also discovered their camp is in a large cave and she wouldn't be able to impress anyone until they were already defeated and forced outside."

"Very well, we will leave her here then. I do think we should bring an extra sleigh with hay though," he said.

"I think you are right, in fact I think we should take six sleighs. There will be many of us and we will probably want to sleep in them instead of on the ground. If we succeed we will have many more coming back with us.

"You should put a layer of hay in the floor of all of them and spread bison skins on the hay in four of them. There should also be some sacks of grain here soon, it is also food for the horses."

"What is grain for horses?" he asked.

"Seeds from certain types of grass - oats."

"I know of oats, but I didn't know the seeds could be used for feeding the horses. I have seen them eating the tops when they find them though," he said.

"Next year we will try to find some and gather the seeds. The spirits will be sending us some for now though."

Danlo made no comment over it and I was glad there was no need for more explanation. He went to Nadlo and told him to catch more horses and I thought we should also take one buckboard so I joined them and asked them to hitch it also.

"You might as well catch Red and some other mounts too - they may not be needed, but it won't hurt to take a few."

I headed back to my cave then, but stopped as soon as I left the horse cave. The big cat was sitting just outside the entrance and to tell the truth for once, it scared me badly. When I stopped it stood and began walking toward me. My heart was hammering in my chest and my hand reached for the Glock though I knew it would be only a little help.

As the cat approached me I held the Glock on him, but didn't fire. He didn't appear to be attacking, just walking toward me. It was fearsome and became more so as it got closer. Standing, its withers were only a foot or so lower than the top of my head. It made an African lion from my old earth seem small. When it reached me it rubbed its head and then its shoulder against me and seemed for all the world like a house cat stroking itself against its owner's leg. I was too frightened to move.

Finally I realized Argent or some of them had done something to this cat. Never would it have acted this way on its own. I holstered the Glock and stroked the cat with one hand. It didn't purr, but since I knew it was under alien control I halfway expected it to. If they'd gone to all this trouble I didn't see any reason to complain so I headed for my cave knowing I would have some surprised mates when I got there.

I guess I should have been more careful with the cat, but considering everything we knew about him up till now I just didn't see the need. I didn't encourage him to come with me, but he came right along by my side, almost as if he were a dog I'd trained to heel. Thinking about it I realized even if I didn't want him to come into the cave there might not be a hell of a lot I could do about it. Still, I was convinced something had been done to the cat by either the aliens, Ralph, Frank, or Phil and I couldn't see it turning on us.

My mates and others who were in my kitchen and cave didn't see it that way - or at least they didn't spend a lot of time trying to reason things out. When I pushed my way through the hanging bison skins which closed the cave's entrance to keep the cold winter out I caused quite a commotion.

The first one to see the cat was Gema and this didn't surprise me since she was the first to see almost everything new. The cat surely fell into that category. She screamed long and loud as soon as her brain could make sense of what her eyes were telling her. I felt the cat tense up and so I stopped just inside the entrance and laid a hand over his back, hoping to calm him. Gema was only the first to scream. All of my mates that were present did so too and many of the men standing or sitting around the table joined in, including Raalto, Barago, and Caato. Racaato, Bigglieo, and Galto didn't even get a yell out, they just stared wide-eyed for a second and then joined the throng that was rushing anywhere as long as it was out. I didn't say a word, I just let them head for the exits.

I did speak up a few seconds later though. Roweea, Ameliea, Merita, Maia, and Dieta were back from the practice cave with their rifles in hand in much less time than I would have thought possible.

"Don't shoot. Don't hurt it," I yelled.

"Don't hurt it?" Ameliea asked, amazed as they lowered their rifles just a little.

"No, don't hurt the cat, it seems to like me somehow."

Just then I felt fear again myself because Deimeta came running out of the hall that lead to the unmated women's quarters. She saw me before the cat and she seemed to miss it as she came directly toward me at her fastest gait. She must have noticed the cat for the first time when she was still about twenty feet from me because she came to a sliding halt.

"Daddy! Where did you get that?" she asked.

"It came up to me when I was leaving the horse cave, I was scared at first, but it just rubbed itself against me and I think it likes me. Come a little closer and see what it does," I said.

She gulped and started our way slowly. I felt sure it would be safe but just in case I pulled the Glock back out of its holster. It turned out to be a needless precaution, for when the cat noticed Deimeta was coming to us it suddenly lay down on the floor beside me. This caused Deimeta's step to be more confident and she walked right up to its head.

"Can I touch it?" she asked, when she reached my side.

"I think so but stay back a little and don't get between your mommies and the cat, they're ready to shoot it if it tries to do anything dangerous," I told her.

I'd noticed that as soon as I drew the Glock, all of my mates that had fetched their rifles shouldered them again and they had the cat in their sights for the moment. It made me feel better about things since all of my mates had spent plenty of time practicing and even if the cat wanted to cause trouble he would only have about half a second to do it.

He didn't want to though. When Deimeta reached out to touch his head, near the ears, he pushed it against her hand seemingly to increase the pressure of the rub. I was frankly amazed and after a few seconds of this I holstered the Glock again and petted him a little myself. I saw my mates had also relaxed somewhat and were headed our way.

"Before we get too friendly with the cat I want to take him into my office for a few minutes and think about this," I told them.

"Can I go too Daddy?" Deimeta asked.

"I think you'd better let me spend a little time alone with him first. If I decide he is really safe I'll bring him back out quickly. I really don't think he means us any harm at all."

"OK Daddy, we'll wait here," Deimeta said.

She backed away from the cat and I took a step or two toward the office. When the cat saw I was going away he got up and assumed his heeling place again. It was surprising since I'd never even had a dog who would do as well as he was. We went to the office and the cat waited while I opened the door then he preceded me as I held it open for him. I followed and then closed the door behind us.

"Welcome back John, I see you have made friends with the cat," Ralph said, as the door closed.

"Yes, I was surprised and not a little afraid at first. Is this your doing?"

"No, Argent had the cat modified on the day you first saw it, during the bison hunt. It knows none of your people will hurt it and it will not endanger any of those who are close to you. In fact it will no longer harm humans unless they are specifically out to do you harm. Argent gave it the ability to know the difference. I thought it was a little much at the time and I still do, but I don't guess there is really any harm in it. He is a spectacle on his own though isn't he?"

"Without a doubt. He makes a strong impression."

"He has also been trained thoroughly. I guess you noticed he will heel to you without you even having to command it. He will also hunt with you and even fetch a stick if you want him to. In your presence he will not attack anything unless at your command. He will also speak at a word from you, but I'd recommend you take him outside before you try it. He can be rather loud when he speaks," Ralph said.

"I'll bet he can be. This is the damndest thing Argent has come up with yet and it seems to me he didn't give a lot of thought to it before hand. Still it will be different and probably fun, are you convinced it won't harm anyone, even Deimeta."

"He is no longer capable of danger to any human you are familiar with and in fact he knows exactly which ones live at your camp with you. He won't bother any human at all now unless he senses it is intent on doing harm to you or yours," he said.

"I wasn't aware cats could be so thoroughly trained."

"They can't be actually, he wasn't trained in the sense you are familiar with. He was modified. His brain is now a far cry from the one of a normal animal of his type. He had to be made considerably more intelligent and even had to be given a small amount of telepathic ability so he could determine whether people he encountered had knowledge of you and intent, whether good or bad, toward you," Ralph told me.

"In other words it isn't really a cat any more."

"It is and again it isn't, it will still act the same if it isn't around people and if you don't want it with you it can be sent back into the wild where it can live as it always has," he said.

"Why did it only come to me now if it has been this way so long?"

"Originally, after it was modified, it had a sanction against approaching you. Argent had it removed after he returned and the cat made its way here then," he said.

"I don't guess it will hurt anything to keep it around. I'm sure Deimeta and probably all the others will come to like it after they have decided it won't harm them."

"It will not harm them. It can't. I'm sure Deimeta will find it a wonderful playmate, probably for quite a while. You can be sure no one or no thing can bother her while the cat is with her," he said.

"I guess I'll go and give them the good news then. Come along Smiley," I told the cat, as I headed out of the office.

I think nearly everyone in camp was gathered around in my cave when Smiley and I came out. The intake of breaths was audible when we stepped out of the door. Deimeta came scampering back up to me.

"Is it all right now Daddy, can I play with it some more?" she asked.

I stopped and picked her up. Without even thinking about it I swung her up to sit on Smiley's back. He didn't have a mane as a lion would, so there was really nothing she could get a good hold on. She curled her little fingers into a grip on the skin of his shoulders though and seemed she would be able to keep her seat.

"It is all right now Deimeta. You can play with Smiley or ride him around or whatever you want to do with him. I'm sure he is a gift from the spirits and I'm also sure he won't hurt anyone in camp. You should get down after a few minutes though and let everyone come up and meet him if they want to."

"Thank you Daddy, I will. You find me the neatest toys and pets somehow," she said, grinning her widest.

"You're welcome Deimeta. I'm glad you like Smiley. Later I'll show you some of his tricks."

I left her on his back and went to the table, hoping for coffee. Jaada brought me a cup and when she put it down I pulled her into my lap.

"What do you think of Smiley, Jaada?"

"Is that his name? I was very scared when I first saw him, how could I not be?" she asked.

"That is his name and I was scared when he first came up to me also. I think once everyone is accustomed to him he will be fun to have around though. I'm sure he will be able to discourage those who might want to bother us here. In fact I think he has already had some contact with our enemies. I'm sure he was the cat who killed the spy and he is probably also the one who took care of Shabago for us."

"I wonder why?" she asked.

"Only the spirits can know, I'm sure. It can only be their work for the cat to come to us like this, that's why I know it must not mean us any harm."

"I'm sure you are right. I should go and get you a sandwich - you're probably hungry. We will have a big meal for everyone before we leave. Are the wagons almost ready? We have finished packing everything that we will need to take with us, we have prepared enough food for a week, just in case it takes that long," she said.

"The sleighs are nearly ready, but I think I will ask Danlo to hitch another one now. Smiley will take up a lot of room and since he is here now I wouldn't think of going without him."

She went to fix my sandwich then and later as I ate it and drank my coffee I tried to think of the best way to use Smiley to influence the people we would be going to deal with. I was sure he could make quite a thrill for them, although I wasn't sure if they would like him as much as Diemeta seemed to.

After I finished eating I went back to the horse cave and took Smiley with me. It wasn't as if I had a lot of choice in the matter, when I left he came with me. I wondered if he would have stayed if instructed. Probably he would have, but I felt it would be better to keep him with me for a time.

Danlo was speechless when I walked into the horse cave with Smiley. He did his best to maintain his composure but Nadlo, Jonoco, Sahto, and Talvo made a hasty retreat to the back.

"I don't know why they have done it Danlo, but the spirits have made Smiley here my pet. You can probably tell they have made the horses aware he is not harmful since they would be in a panic if it was a normal cat who had come in here."

"Now you mention it I'm sure it is so. They don't seem to be bothered in the least by him. I guess I will have to try and act the same. It is very frightening though, at first it was anyway," he said.

"For me also, he just walked right up to me when I left here before to head back to my cave."

"I guess he got your attention pretty fast," he said, grinning.

"He did at that, but now Deimeta thinks he is just a big pet, she has been riding around on his back."

"It didn't bother him for her to ride?" he asked.

"It seemed to me he liked it. He was much better behaved than many horses I've ridden and it is certain her weight didn't strain his back."

Danlo laughed over it and then I did too. Deimeta's weight on Smiley couldn't have been a bother for him since he easily weighed ten times what she did. I asked Danlo to hitch another sleigh so Smiley could have his own personal ride and Danlo said they would be glad to.

"If you are going to let Deimeta go along she will probably want to ride in it with him," he said.

"I'm going to try my hardest to leave Deimeta here. I'm afraid this isn't going to be the type of outing she needs to be on."

"You're right of course, but it might be a job explaining it to Deimeta," he said.

"It probably will be, but I'm going to. Things could easily turn dangerous on this trip and I don't want to have to be worrying about her safety. It will take away attention I might need to be giving other things."

"Good luck with her then. We will have everything ready within a half hour and we will bring all the sleighs up to your cave for loading and leaving," he said.

"We'll be waiting on you there."

Smiley and I went back to my cave and Deimeta was waiting near the entrance. She came to get Smiley and was soon leading him off by a tiny handful of the skin of his neck. Smiley didn't seem to mind at all.

"I know you aren't going to let me go on this trip, so I want to play with him all I can before you leave. How long will you be gone?" she asked.

"I hope we will be back late tomorrow night. Much depends on how hard it is to convince Dutono he needs to let us kill him."

"That could very well take some fast talking Daddy. I hope you have a backup plan in case he can't be convinced," she said, smiling.

"I think my backup plan may have introduced himself to me earlier today."

"Daddy, you aren't going to let Smiley get hurt are you?" she asked.

"When it comes time for the hurting to be done I think Smiley will be one of the last ones on the receiving end."

She looked him over then, especially noting he was much taller at the withers than she was.

"You might be right Daddy. Not very many people would want to mess with Smiley, he is just a little bit intimidating at first," she said, and then she laughed.