Chapter 8

I was out of bed before the sun was up and taking care of the animals. I made sure the livestock had food and water for a few days, just in case we were delayed. I made sure the dogs and Mama cat had plenty of food and water as well.

After pulling the Mule out and hooking up the trailer, I made sure to load some MRE type meal packs, a hatchet, bow saw, entrenching tool, and a couple sleeping bags. I was sure I would be staying with Kanala and Tanala, wherever that was, but I made provisions to camp in the trailer if needed.

I stoked the fire in the smokehouse, adding more wood, and then made a quick run out the gate to check the garden. Everything was as shipshape as I could make it, so I headed into the house for breakfast and a shower.

I startled Kortan as I was going into the cabin. Apparently, he had been coming to find me. My family surprised me as they were wearing their original hide clothing. I had completely forgotten about them. Good thing Kanala did not forget. They were going to wear their boots and I was happy to see that.

Tanala was happy to receive her last shot of antibiotics after I checked and rewrapped her foot. I made sure they had two pair of socks on under the boots, just as I had preached to them the last few days while they were breaking them in. Tanala's boot was tied on loosely before I checked Kortan's leg. I was happy with my doctoring all around and told Kortan I would be taking his stitches out when we got back.

Breakfast for the day was oatmeal that Kanala had shown she could make. I made a note to get the whole family started on a multi-vitamin when we got back, especially the kids.

Since I had skipped my shower first thing this morning, I took one after eating breakfast. I had my body armor on over a t-shirt and pulled my buckskins on over that.

I had just finished strapping the thigh holster and machete to my legs when Kanala came in the bedroom carrying a wolf hide vest. She motioned me to turn around and helped me put the vest on. I turned back to her, pulled her to me, and kissed her deeply until she was purring. Looking her deep into the eyes, I said, "Thank you my mate, but that was your mating present..."

She shushed me, "My present to do with as I wanted. The wolf was big enough that Tanala and I have a vest too." I thanked her again and left the room, heading towards the vault. Kanala had just given me a way to conceal another Glock in a shoulder holster.

In the vault, I put the shoulder holster on under the vest and got a web belt for Kortan and Kanala. I filled the pouch at my waist with loaded stripper clips for the "M1 walking stick" and put the scoped M1A in a hard case with extra ammo. I needed to get outside. Between the vest and body armor, I was sweating like hell.

I got my load out to the Mule and went in to get a few things from the shop, then went in the cabin to fit the web belts to Kanala and Kortan. Kanala's knife went on her belt, along with a canteen, a hip pack, and a flashlight. Kortan got the same, except I added a hatchet in a sheath. Kortan and Kanala each got a lighter to put in their pouches.

We loaded the Mule with our packs. I took a cooler with ice into the cabin and made sandwiches for our trip. Some bottled water, granola bars, and bags of chip went in the cooler as well. I put the cooler in the bed of the Mule with our packs and used a bungee net to keep it secured. The M1A and the walking stick were riding between Kortan and me in the front seat.

The dogs knew we were leaving, so we all played with them a bit before hitting the road, so to speak.

I wasn't taking any trade goods because, frankly, I didn't know what to expect. Retrieving the rest of Kortan's family was the primary reason for the trip. My original plan had been to scout and observe the native people before making contact. That plan was blown to hell when I ran into my new mate and her family. I didn't intend to arrive completely empty handed; hopefully, some game would cross our path along the way.

I planned to keep the Mule on open plain as much as possible, trailblazing a path parallel to the river. Their old village was downstream along the same river that flows by the fort. I had to clear some brush here and there or cut down a sapling or two, but we were making good speed. Like any trip, we had to stop for lunch and bodily functions. Not once did Tanala ask, "Are we there yet?" I didn't even have to threaten to stop the cart in order for her to behave.

About an hour after stopping for lunch, we were the closest to the river that the trees had allowed, when a couple of pig like animals stepped out of the brush about a hundred yards away. I stopped the cart and looked around for danger. Seeing none after a quick look around, I grabbed the M1A, jumped out of the ATV, and climbed up on the bed. Using the roof of the Mule, I sighted in on the strange pig. It was a peccary, but a lot bigger than I had ever seen or heard of. There were two, so I sighted in the biggest and hopefully I was quick enough to get the other. Being that it was only a hundred yards away, and I was using a scope, I popped a shot right between the eye and ear. That peccary dropped like a stone. The other swine was turning to run already and I squeezed off a quick shot. I knew I hit it and that it hadn't gone far from all the squealing that was going on. I vaulted off the Mule and climbed in real fast, handing the gun to Kortan and punched it to get the squealing piggy.

I hopped out again real fast after pulling up close and saw that I had shot the thing in the hip. I pulled my Glock and shot the loud little fucker in the head. Kortan and Kanala were out of the cart in a flash, leaving Tanala safely in the Mule. We field dressed the animals in record time and I threw them up on top of the trailer. I swear, it seemed like it took me longer to lash them to the trailer than it did to gut them.

A couple of hours later, Kortan told me we were getting close. Driving along a few minutes later, I spotted a small thicket of trees at the base of a hill about a quarter of a mile from the river that would hide the trailer and cart perfectly. With the Mule parked, I had everyone get out and pulling everything we needed from inside the cart. Each door had a gate latch, so using four bolts, I "locked" each door. I unhitched the trailer and pulled it up close parallel to the Mule. Except for what we were taking with us, the rest of the items from the Mule went into the trailer. The M1A went back into the hard case and was locked with a padlock from the case. The keys from the Mule and the gun case went on the same chain that held my old dog tags around my neck. I did transfer the ammunition from the case into my pack. Our meat surprise was unloaded from the top of the trailer before it got locked up, covered with the canvas, and zip tied in place. The camo netting went over the whole thing, including the Mule. I did break off some branches stuck them in here and there to help break up and blend in our transport camouflage. Two poles and cross sticks were cut for a travois to haul our pork present for the village.

Kortan towed the travois and praised the simple contraption. Tanala rode on my shoulders as Kanala walked beside me. We crossed the plain without seeing anything and entered the river's tree band. After walking about a mile, we came to the river and turned, heading further downriver.

It was late afternoon when we rounded a bend and we could see the settlement on a rise above river level amidst a clearing in the trees. I could count seventeen fur covered huts and a large longhouse type structure. As we were walking closer, I could see that the river served as washhouse, bathhouse, and latrine. At least they had a way to get rid of excrement, even though it didn't seem right to me. We were spotted and a yell went out; Kortan waved and answered with his own shout. I lifted Tanala off my shoulders and started using my walking stick as its namesake intended, rather than carrying it like the rifle it was.

Walking into the village proper, we received a few looks of surprise, but most were looks of suspicion towards me. We walked past a central fire pit, but it was more like a lot of little fires in a ring. Women, usually with a child close at hand, congregated around the fire. We all went over to a hut a teenage boy was sitting by. He was looking down and messing with a broken flint knife when we walked up.

"Tandor," Kortan called out while setting down the travois. The boys head jerked up in surprise at hearing his father's voice. He smiled real big and rushed to hug his father. The young man had one nasty looking black eye. Kortan tilted the boys head back and looked at the shiner. "Who did this to you?" Kortan asked.

The boy looked away. "Geck," was his reply. Kortan growled a bit and then walked into the hut.

Tanala hobbled over to her uncle and gave him a big hug. After the hug, she took Tandor's hand, pulling him closer to me. "Tandor, this is my new daddy, Doc," she said proudly. My daughter is already a "daddy's girl." I smiled and nodded at Tandor.

"Well met, Tandor," I said, stopping myself from trying to shake his hand. He kinda smiled at me and looked to Kanala. Kanala had taken off her pack and was tugging at mine.

"Hello, brother," she said in greeting. "As you can see, we found Tanala a healer. Doc is a healer that saved us from a wolf." She petted her fur vest, beaming at me. He went wide eyed when he noticed the garment she had on. "Doc also asked me to become his mate. We have a lot to talk about. We will be packing up and leaving tomorrow." A sad look crossed his face and he looked down to the ground. I understood what he was thinking.

"Tandor, look at me," I said, and he did. "You, your mother, and your father, will be coming to live with us as well." Relief washed over his face.

"Good, I don't like it here anymore. Some of the men are not nice and cause trouble all the time. Geck is worst of them all. I know he has killed some men from the village, but everyone is afraid to say anything about it."

A woman I assumed was Anala, Kanala's mother, came out of the hut, following Kortan. She looked more like Kanala's older sister and just as beautiful in a weathered kind of way. Anala smiled real big when she saw her granddaughter and daughter. She rushed forward and gave each a hug.

Anala smiled at me, then proved that sarcasm was alive and well in the Stone Age. "Great spirits Kanala, I don't think your new mate is big enough," she laughed, then hugged me too. I already loved my mother-in-law; she made me blush. Kanala was blushing as well.

"I am very happy to meet you Anala, now I see where Kanala gets her beauty." It was her turn to redden this time.

Anala elbowed Kanala a couple times. "I like him already," she said, then turned to Kanala. "You have chosen a wonderful mate my daughter. From what Kortan has told me, he fought a wolf to protect you, so he is brave. Then your father tells me that he is a healer as well, but has a secret we must wait to hear. I know he comes from far away as I can tell by his clothing, and you all are so clean. I prayed to the spirits that Tanala would be healed. I am so happy she is better now." Anala and Kanala hugged, both having tears in their eyes. Anala spied the peccary at that point and said, "Oh, peccary, he is a great hunter as well."

Kanala giggled and reached up to jingle her necklace for her mother to see. Anala's eyes shot open, and she stifled a gasp in her hand. At that point, I saw bruises on Anala's upper arm; I could tell they were from someone grabbing her.

Kanala and Anala cut a hind quarter off the smaller peccary and then dragged the travois over to the women at the cooking fires. Then the hen party started. I was pointed to quite a bit, and I heard a gasp or a giggle every once in a while. Tanala went over and joined them, being held by her grandma.

Kortan, Tandor, and I busied ourselves stoking the fire in front of their hut. Generally, fucking off and trying to remain invisible. An older man with remnants of a bear skin wrap and a decorated spear tottered over to us. Kortan stood when he approached, and I followed his lead. The old man's steps faltered a bit upon seeing my full height. He stop in front of us and nodded to me and then Kortan.

"Doc, this is Cabal, the headman of our village," Kortan said by introduction. I smiled at him and nodded back. Cabal eyed me up and down in appraisal, never giving a hint of his deductions, and then turned to Kortan.

"Kortan, your daughter has found a very large and strong mate. He will do your family proud." He then turned to me and looked into my eyes. He gazed at me, as if looking into my soul. Just like he did, I kept my poker face, not submitting to his dominance. After a few seconds, his eyes shifted slightly away and down to my chest where the lion's teeth and claws were displayed. His eyes flashed and a smile spread across his face. "Your new son has bested a cave lion, I see," Cabal said, turning to face Kortan again.