Chapter 36

"I will take you all and show you how I do it when I go to kill some bison for our camp. You will see then there is no danger for me. We must make sure we do not tell anyone else though. It will seem like I have magic to them," I said.

"We will try not to worry so much then, but I don't know if I can keep from it," Winna said.

I didn't mention it to them and tried not to think it myself but couldn't keep from it. I felt confident Argent would make sure there wasn't any chance I would be run over by stampeding buffalo. I figured he had way too much invested in me to let it happen.

Breakfast was eaten and I went outside and to the horse cave. Bigglieo was hitching the team while Jonoco, Nadlo, and Danlo were getting the travois horses ready. I had Danlo take Bonehead and I got Ben from the cave and gave him to Danlo also. This left Bigglieo Dolly, Nelda, and Jolly for travois horses.

"Can you bring everything with this trip Bigglieo?" I asked.

"I think we can. Are you keeping one of the travois horses?" He asked.

"Yes, I will need Bonehead today."

"I still think we can bring everything else. I have been getting better at packing the wagon and I think I can get more in it now," he said.

"If you can't get everything today we will go back tomorrow. I do not want them to have to leave anything they want to keep."

"I will make sure they understand," Bigglieo said.

Georgo, Bigglieo, and the others left then. I put the bridle on Bonehead and then my saddle. She didn't even flinch. Apparently the wagon lesson had done a number on Bonehead. When I stepped into the stirrup she wasn't disturbed at all. I made the sound I usually did each time I wanted to lead one and she understood she was to move out. She was a little confused there was no one to guide her but she walked ahead anyway.

When I halter broke a horse I always used a clicking sound every time I wanted them to follow me and I always spoke whoa when I wanted them to stop. I had found it saved a lot of time once I got on their back if they knew when I wanted to go and when I wanted to stop. It took only about thirty more minutes to get her to turn with the reins and I declared her ready for me to ride.

I strapped a practice pad onto Ben for Danlo to use. They are similar to a thick saddle pad but cut in the general shape of an English saddle. It also had rudimentary stirrups hanging from a sewn on strap which went over the horse's back. The stirrups weren't stable enough to use for mounting so I lifted Danlo onto Ben's back then remounted Bonehead. We were off then too. I reminded myself I would have to ask Argent for more saddles in my bonus freight.

This was Danlo's first time riding and I gave him a few pointers as we went. He was a natural at it and had no trouble even without the benefit of a real saddle. After a while I had Danlo ease Ben into a trot and when Bonehead caught on we picked up speed too. We were covering ground pretty good now and we caught Bigglieo before he passed the place to turn up the other canyon toward his old campsite. None of us were headed that way though.

We had to stop to get Georgo who had been riding with Bigglieo on the wagon. I switched the saddle from Bonehead to Ben and put the pad on Bonehead. It took a little convincing, but I finally talked Georgo into riding behind Danlo on Ben and I had to give a little jump to get aboard Bonehead with only the pad.

We walked for quite a while and then I had Danlo try a trot again. I could see it was jarring for Georgo, but he seemed to be holding up all right so we kept it up. We arrived in Dalia's former camp in a little more than three hours.

After I'd helped him dismount I let Georgo go and talk to Barbo and his mate. I felt sure he would make my proposition sound much more magnanimous than I would have. Danlo and I had some proposing to do. I felt a little funny about it, but was determined to go through with it.

Danlo spied the twins and I could tell he wanted to run to them but he didn't. They were all smiles when they saw him.

"Shallea, Shaala, I am a man now. I have come to ask you to be my mates," He told them, without preamble.

They smiled and then giggled a little and when they realized I was there they blushed.

"But Danlo, how can you pay our mating price yet and what about our mother? She is still unmated and if we both leave to be your mates she will be alone here," One of them said.

"John is here to help with my payment and he...

"Hang on there Danlo. I think I need to meet and talk to Shelalliea before you tell the world. She might have a fly for the ointment," I said.

I could see when the realization of his near foul up hit him. He turned and I knew he was about to apologize but I cut him short.

"Don't worry about it. Take those two cuties with you and lead me to their mama. I rode a long way to see her and I'm ready."

Danlo took one of their hands each and led off, leaving me to bring the horses. I can tell you I got the bad end of the deal. Shallea and Shaala were as cute as girls could get. They were blue-eyed blondes with tight cute little asses and more titty apparent than I'd expected.

I followed the sassy swinging little asses to a well-kept hut. One of the girls stuck her head inside.

"Mother come out and see. Danlo is here and he has someone with him who wants to talk to you."

If the girls had been cute their mother was a vision. She was also a blue-eyed blonde and it was easy to see she had plenty of titty. Dalia probably laughed when she thought to herself of the first time I would see Shelalliea.

She saw Danlo first and went to hug his neck in greeting. She asked him if Dalia had come with him and he told her that she hadn't.

"I have come to ask Shallea and Shaala to be my mates and John has come to help me with my payment," Danlo said.

She looked at me with big question marks in her eyes. Her gaze gave me an odd feeling.

"I am John. Dalia, who I think you know, is one of my mates now," I said, and would have said more but she cut me off.

"You are John who took Dalia and Danlo to live with you? You are the one who killed the two turds who killed Gigo and Dergo for their mates? You are the one who killed Gembo when he tried to kill you for your mates, and who offered twenty-five bison each for Gema, Merita, and Maia?" She asked me, wide eyed.

I could see my reputation had preceded me, but I couldn't tell from her amazed tone whether it was going to be good or bad.

"Yes, I am John, and I have done those things and some more," I said, admitting it.

"Yes you have. I heard you also killed Jenabo when he said he would kill you and you killed the unmated one who threw a spear into your back. You are John. You say Dalia is now your mate too?"

"Yes, Dalia is one of my mates now. She is the one who told me about you," I said.

"She told you about me? Why would she tell you about me? What did she tell you about me?" She asked, and really seemed in awe of me now.

It was a little disconcerting, but I had to get on with this.

"She told me you were a beautiful, hard working, woman. She told me when I brought Danlo to ask your daughters to be his mates I should ask you to be one of my mates. I know you do not know me, but I promise I will be good to you and you will never be hungry and will always have a nice place to live. Will you be one of my mates?"

"I cannot believe this. It is coming true. I have heard of you, but did not see you when you came for Dalia and Danlo. I saw you in my dreams last night and you looked just as you do now. You asked me to be one of your mates in my dream. It is all so strange," she said.

I knew good and well Argent was responsible for the dream she was talking about. He was getting to be a caution in the dream department.

"Well what did you tell me in the dream then?"

"Of course I will be one of your mates. We can leave now if you want. Do I have time to pack a few things or should I leave everything."

"You should not worry about it. You should come here and let me kiss you. I am dying to."

She rushed to me and I dropped both horse's reins and wrapped her up in my arms as she pressed her lips to mine and then pushed her tongue between them. She tasted delicious and as she pulled her body to me tightly I made a mental note to kiss Dalia's feet after all. She broke the kiss after a long couple of minutes.

"You are my dream come true John. My dream come true."

I guess I should thank Argent for his part too.

"You are a dream yourself. I feel like kicking my own ass for not looking around this camp more when I was here before," I told her, and since she was still in my arms I let my hands wander down to her ass.

When she felt me grip her buns she pushed her pelvis to me and then stretched her neck up to whisper in my ear.

"I don't care if it is day, if you need me we can go into my hut right now," She told me, grinding herself against the rising Dicky.

I pulled her to me harder and whispered myself.

"We can wait until we are at my cave and it will be better. All my other mates will be there to help me hold you in case you change your mind," I said.

She shivered.

"I will not change my mind, but it will be better if we are all together. I must thank Dalia and the others too. It will be better after I have wanted you all day long," she said.

I knew then Dalia had been right. This was going to be a demanding woman, in bed at least. I was beginning to reconsider the hut when Georgo, Barbo, and Jara came up.

"John, I can see Shelalliea must have agreed to be one of your mates. Danlo, did Shallea and Shaala agree to mate you?" Georgo asked.

"I haven't really had time to find out if they would still agree to be my mates."

Turning to them he asked them each and they both agreed.

"All is good then. Jara has spoken to all the women and they will trust you to provide the bison as they can deal with them. They are astonished at your generosity in offering to make payment to the camp in honor of Shelalliea and they think...

"Unless they are asking more I will pay my normal price of twenty-five bison each for Dalia and Shelalliea and I will offer to pay the same for Shallea and Shaala on Danlo's behalf," I said, cutting Georgo off.

I had them all there. Apparently Georgo hadn't even mentioned my paying for Dalia and I'm sure he thought he was doing me a favor by negotiating a lower price for Shelalliea, Shallea, and Shaala. I didn't want to get into a poor man contest with anyone. I could kill bison easily and I wanted everyone to know it, even if I didn't want them to know how I did it. I wanted word of me paying the highest bride prices to spread. Besides I liked shooting bison when I didn't have to skin them out.

"It is so very generous John. We can hardly believe our luck. It will be one hundred bison. It will be enough meat to feed this camp for two winters," Jara said, before Barbo could get a word in.

"If you know where a herd is now I can go ahead and get the first part of the payment. How many bison would you like this first time?" I asked, wanting to get this show on the road.

"If you could, would you mind waiting for a few days so we can get things ready to take care of more bison at one time?" Jara, who I'd thought all along was the brains of this camp, asked.

"If you will watch over Shelalliea, Shallea, and Shaala's things until I can come for them tomorrow I will get the bison whenever you want me to," I said.

"We will make sure their possessions are not disturbed," Jara promised.

"Danlo you should help Shallea and Shaala tie their sleeping furs onto the saddle. Shelalliea will not need any sleeping furs for now. If we go quickly we should be able to meet Bigglieo with the wagon and we will be able to ride most of the way back," I said.