Chapter 89

I took the hobbles off Red and tied them to the saddle then mounted and reached down for Ameliea's hand. She took mine with no protest and I pulled her up into the saddle in front of me as she squealed in surprise. Red tensed but didn't move.

"You will see it is much easier to ride than walk," I told her, as I used my heels to move Red out toward Jara's camp.

I was leaving it to the others to finish up and follow. I didn't think anything would come up Raalto, Racaato, and the others couldn't handle. I knew I was being somewhat impolite to my mates, but I felt sure they would understand. I was busy answering questions until the others caught up with us. Now, since Ameliea had stopped spitting and cursing she seemed to want an explanation for everything.

I kept Red to a slow walk and the others caught up soon enough. It seemed to change Ameliea's mood when they joined us and she quit asking questions and put on a sullen look for the others.

She didn't completely give up her quizzing and when we passed the place where Racaato had shot the men last night she saw the blood easily and asked about it. She couldn't understand how we had killed them so easily and I didn't elaborate.

When we reached Jara's camp the packing was on. I was glad to see Danlo had made sure all the travois horses were here now. He had put a saddle on one of the Clydesdales and ridden it leading most of the others in a long line. Galto had also ridden, but had chosen one of the other travois horses as a mount. He had led a smaller string of horses. All the travois poles and slings were in the big wagon.

We began packing at once, but weren't finished before sunset. We would have to stay here again tonight. With some crowding we all found room in the huts to sleep. All except for my wranglers who stayed outside to make sure the horses were safe.

All my mates, including Ameliea, stuffed ourselves into Jara's hut. Jara was staying outside by Barbo again, and even though he still hadn't even made a noise she was determined to stay with him in case he did I guess.

It was a tight fit in the hut, but I didn't mind at all. I didn't see where Ameliea found a spot, but I had no trouble locating my other mates. They all crowded as close to me as they could and there were plenty of body pats for me to pet and pat as I drifted off to sleep.

I didn't feel like fucking for some reason and so I didn't start anything and was a little relieved when nobody else did either. Dicky didn't even have any objections tonight.

I was only asleep a little while when Argent appeared in my dreams.

"It has been an exciting time John," he said.

"Yes, and unexpected. I suppose Barbo was attacked by the lions while he was trying to discover the secret of the rifle Racaato was using."

"You are correct. He thought to discover your secret and copy it. He was so intent on keeping Racaato from seeing him he didn't bother to watch for lions. He was surprised at the last."

"I am surprised myself. Do you happen to know how he was able to live over his wounds? After I saw the extent I couldn't figure out how he kept from bleeding completely out."

"We did it of course. At first we intended to let the other one go, but decided to help him also. If you'd rather they died we can simply stop treating them. Neither are close enough to health yet to survive. Infection will finish them within days if we stop treatment," he said.

"I would have been much happier if you had saved Gigo and Dergo," I said.

"It was near the beginning of your stay here and our policy then was not to help. Our rules have changed slightly since then," he said.

"I hope they have changed so any of my mates who might become injured will be safe."

"You need not worry about them. We will treat them at once if they receive any life threatening injuries. I would still caution you to take the best care of them you can though," he said.

"I will. But what is to become of Barbo and Bowto?"

"What do you want to happen to them?"

"I want them both to return to health with only impressive scars. I do want it to happen as nearly naturally as is possible though. If it takes them months to heal so be it.

"Please make sure they both have quarters near the other leaders in my camp though. I want them to be easy to tend to and I will merely tell my people to treat them as if they were already members of our camp and merely injured while hunting. I'm sure Barbo will be well settled into our camp before he is well," I said.

"We will take care of it, but what about getting them back to your camp?"

"We will have to load them into my wagon and carry them. I assume you can make sure their wounds will not reopen as we move them."

"Yes, we will take care of it," Argent said, and then he was gone.

When I woke and went out to piss the next morning I was a little annoyed at having to use the outdoors again. I decided I was getting spoiled by the bathrooms. Breakfast was delicious as usual, but understandably not up to what I'd come to enjoy. It was plentiful though and I assumed the women had cooked mostly things they didn't want to have to haul.

It tasted good though and there was plenty of it. I saw, though she still seemed put upon this morning, Ameliea didn't hesitate to do her part cooking and she seemed civil among my other mates.

Some of the men from Jara's camp had skinned the lions Racaato had killed. The bison had gone to waste in the excitement and it was understandable.

Erieta and Racaato's new mates made a point of finding the lion's remains and getting the teeth and claws. The new mates especially liked the thought their mate had killed three lions at once.

I saw Ameliea go and talk with them and she seemed interested in their trophies. When she came back she talked to Dieta and was telling her about the lions.

"Racaato is a good hunter, but John has killed many more lions. During the mating days after Danlo, Jonoco, and Nadlo mated Melieta, Jaiya, Shaala and Shallea he went hunting and killed seven adult lions, a whole pride, and their four cubs," Dieta told her.

"I do not believe it," Ameliea.

I could see this pissed Dieta off, but she didn't blow up. I wondered how she kept from it.

"You do not have to believe it. When we get home I will show you the teeth, claws, and skins. John says he will get a lion skin for all of us. He has ten already and there are more teeth and claws than any of us can count," Dieta told her, and then turned back to helping load.

Later, when everything was loaded which could be loaded I took over directing the loading of our patients. Barbo was still unconscious, but Bowto had come around a time or two. I gave him three Percodan to make sure he was out of it before the loading started.

Of course, with Argent's help I had no worries, but I still wanted everything to seem as carefully done as possible. Soon enough they were loaded and we headed off for home.

With all the travois horses and both wagons we were able to take everything except the huts. We didn't really need them, but I hated to leave them to just rot. I decided to go back through Cardiato's camp on our way home.

It wasn't really a long way out of the way and maybe they could use the huts. I asked Jara and the other hut owners for their permission first and they agreed we had all the disassembled huts we could use.

When we were ready to leave Ameliea came to me and reached up after I had mounted. I was surprised, but pulled her up at once.

"You can ride in the wagon if you'd rather," I told her.

"I like riding on the horse now I have tried it. I would rather ride with you," she said.

We headed for her former camp and it wasn't long before the questions started again. First among them was where we found the giant horses and then she wanted to know what they would eat during the winter.

I didn't really mind all the questions and it was interesting what she came up with. Before long I was paying even closer attention in case she mentioned something I had forgotten.

Raalto and Racaato had been right. She was very clever. She made another attempt to discover how we had killed the others so easily and I finally told her she wasn't going to find out unless she intended to stay with us.

"I see you mean to have me whether I want you or not," she said.

"I would love to have you Ameliea, but only if you want me too. You can stay as long as you like and I will not take you against your will. You can stay from now on. If you do not want to live in my cave you do not have to. We have plenty of caves for everyone," I said.

"That is what you say now, but I will wait to see. You have many mates and I am small, if they want to hold me for you they will have no trouble no matter how I struggle," she said.