Chapter 10

I woke up to stereo kisses from my dark haired beauties. We all snuggled a bit before I was forced out of bed by the dogs' incessant scratching at the door. I had shut them out of the bedroom, because I didn't want them jumping on the bed with Soma.

By the time I got back from letting the dogs out, Tanala was shuffling across the living room, carrying her stuffy and heading towards our bedroom. I scooped her up, causing her to squeak, and carried her into the bedroom. After dumping her on the bed, I pounced on her and started tickling. Kanala and Soma were already in the shower and couldn't hear Tanala's giggles and pleas for help.

I finally stopped my 'tickle ambush', when I got the patented 'I'm gonna pee if you don't stop' warning. My little angel gave me a dirty look, after sitting up and puffing the hair out of her face. I just smiled.

"Good morning, princess," I said.

Tanala just harrumphed, and got out of bed. She strutted grumpily towards the bathroom while trying to hide her smile.

As much as I wanted to join my mates to wash their naughty bits, I decided to get dressed and take care of the animals before breakfast.

Momma cat greeted me with a complaining yowl when I entered the barn. I fixed her a can of food, then refilled a water dish for her. I took care of the rest of the animals by letting them out into the pasture. The stalls were mucked before I headed back to the house for breakfast.

Stepping into the cabin was a scene of domestic bliss. My mouth was watering, not because of the food, but because my mates' and Anala's asses looked spectacular in 'painted on' jeans. My two mates were cooking along with my mother-in-law, while my father-in-law and daughter watched from the table.

Then, the scene was completely ruined, by Tandor. He staggered down the stairs, scratching at his privates. His hair looked like he'd stuck his finger into an electrical outlet. I was laughing inside as I watched his progress. He didn't say a word. He just trudged past everyone and out the door. I looked at everyone else, and saw they were trying to control their mirth, as well. I was curious, so I went to the door to find out what the hell he was doing. My mouth dropped open when I saw where he had gone. Tandor was standing there, with his head back and his eyes closed. He was pissing on a tree. I just watched dumbfounded. Apparently, he had completely forgotten about the bathrooms! The teenage caveman finished his morning leak and lurched back to the cabin.

Denali ran to the tree after Tandor had done his business, and watched him walk away with a look that said, 'How could he? Doesn't he know that this is my territory?'

--With the teenage zombie sitting at the table, acting 'normal.'

--I couldn't help but ask, "Bathroom not good enough for you, Tandor?"

--He just looked at me. Shit ... he wasn't even awake yet. Teenagers haven't changed since the Stone Age.

After eating, I decided it was time to check my laptop for the message from Gronfa.

The new clinic was something I would have never thought of, until faced with someone needing help. Trust me, if someone had shown up needing medical care, I wouldn't have wanted them in my home. I wouldn't have wanted to keep a constant eye on them while they were inside the compound, and then have to explain what everything was, either.

The bonus freight would come in handy, though. I had a few items on my wish list that could now be filled. Full grown chickens would be first. I was tired of not having eggs, and I wasn't patient enough to wait another three months or so for more. My cooking repertoire was severely limited without eggs. I grew up on a farm, for Christ's sake.

The family was waiting on me to get the day started when I got back to the kitchen, so we went out and got to it.

First thing we did was check on the meat in the smokehouse. The new folks were excited about the prospect of preserving a much larger piece of meat than they were used to. I figured one more day for the meat we had hanging would finish the smoking. I allowed Kortan and Tandor to do the honors of keeping the fire going.

The women were eager to get to work on the animal skins, so we dragged them from the shop and over to the new leather shop. I spent about an hour after that trying to explain everything. Since Soma was in no shape to work on the skins, I got her cute little fanny set up with a lawn chair to observe. We were watching Kanala and Anala scrape the hides when Soma started asking questions about their knives. I had to promise her I would let her choose one that evening.

I took the guys with me to the shop. We grabbed the bow sets and targets so they could start learning the new weapon. We set up the targets in the area behind the shop and I started teaching them all about the bow and arrow.

I was surprised, even though I shouldn't have been. They understood the concept from the very beginning. After I had shot the first arrow and they stood there catching flies with their mouths for a bit, they couldn't get their hands on the bows fast enough.

After I watched them practice for a bit, I had to explain about the flight of the arrow by making them stand to the side a bit, watching how the arrow had to arch through the air to the target. I figured I would let them practice for a while and left them at it.

I decided to show off a bit for my mates and went to the pasture, haltered Blaze, and saddled him. When I rode around the corner of the barn on the sorrel stallion, I thought the women were about to feint. Tanala, ever my cheerleader, was just vibrating with excitement as she was standing by her mother. My new family must think I'm a dentist since I had seen more open mouths that day than I ever had. I dismounted and led the horse over to the women. Kanala and Tanala were the first to come over and give Blaze some attention.

"I know you said that you rode the horse, but I just couldn't understand your meaning," Kanala said.

"Oh, Daddy!" Tanala exclaimed, reaching for me to pick her up. "That was so wonderful to see you riding him. Can I ride him with you?" she pleaded.

I loved that little girl so much, already, that I didn't even consider saying 'no.'

"Yes, you can ride him with me princess, but not 'till your mommy has ridden with me first."

I had Anala come over at that point, to meet Blaze. Anala was so in awe of being able to touch a horse, she was completely speechless. Kanala was giving her mother the speech I had given her, explaining the horses and what I used them for. Soma listened to Kanala's words and, unable to contain herself, came over for her own introduction. Blaze responds very well to most people, considering he was a stallion, and just ate up all the attention.