Chapter 14: Domestic Issues

The first thing I did when I got back was to survey how complicated my life had become. I now had nine mates. Lyna and Rona were not angry, they just laughed their asses off. Soya gave me a mock disapproving look, but then kissed me to show she was not upset. Despite their former husbands' relationship, Tola had been friends with Mada so she was excited. Geeta offered no opinion. My three newest Cro-Magnon mates were used to a harem lifestyle (or an "extra mate" lifestyle which was almost the equivalent of prehistoric prostitution) so they did not seem to mind. Once I had realized the effect that my latest mate would have (virtually none), my next dilemma became what to do about the widows.

I figured that Hogat, Nomat and Jonab would not wish any additional mates. Three would be hard enough for Jonab and Nomat to handle. While I figured that while Hogat would be able to handle another, he had no such desire for another mate. Rather than burden him, I decided to approach Ganor and Wala to see if they would be willing to share their furs with two more mates for Ganor. First, I needed to be sure that these women wanted to be mated.

"Do you plan to mate us, or do you plan to trade us away?" asked Sheela.

"I do not believe in trading away mates and I have too many mates of my own to have any more. I was wondering how you feel about Ganor."

"He is a good man. I am friends with Wala and she tells me that he does not beat her. My mate beat me," said Deena.

"I know not Ganor or Wala. He was not among my mates friends as we had come from Fumar's old camp," stated Sheela. "He seems like a desirable mate, as he is one of only five men who live here. Also, if he does not beat his mates, I would desire to be mated by him. He is attractive."

"So, you would like to lay with him too?" I asked Deena.

"Oh yes! I find him attractive too. It would also be fun to share my furs with Wala again. We were close when we lived in the cave of unmated women," she grinned.

Now it was up to Ganor and Wala.

"You want him to do what?" asked a surprised Wala.

"I want him to mate Deena and Sheela," I stated.

"You mean to actually be their mate? Not as an extra mate for just the night?" she asked again.

"There are no 'extra mates' here and there never will be!" I said adamantly. Then softening, I added, "I just don't like to have unmated women lying around. If a woman wants a mate, I try to find her one that she wants."

"And both want me?" asked Ganor.

"Yes."

"You mean you did not offer them to Hogat, Nomat or Jonab?" he asked.

"They each already have three mates. I do not believe they would want any more. As it stands, I have too many myself, but I am happy with each of them. Now that I have Mada, I am done collecting mates. I need your help, Ganor and I need you to approve, Wala."

"Of course I approve. I am proud that my mate has found such favor to have two other mates. Deena is one of my closest friends, so I am excited to have her in our furs. Sheela seems like she would be a good mate too. I'm sure we'll get along quite well. What would the mating price be?"

"It's very simple. Loyalty. From all of you and from your children too. I do not need signs that you are a good mate. Hogat's endorsement is good enough for me. We have plenty of food here and you will both need to do your part for us to continue to thrive. I'm confident that you will."

"Do I not get a say in this?" laughed Ganor.

Both Wala and I said "No," in unison. Then we all laughed.

Later, Ganor confessed that before he had mated, he had wanted both Wala and Deena and had had a tough time deciding who he wanted to mate. He had found Wala equally desirable to Deena and had only chosen his current mate because he had known her slightly better. In addition to his apparent excitement about Deena, he thought that Sheela was quite attractive. I knew that despite his earlier protestations, he was now a very happy man.

After a delicious venison stew, we put the children to bed. I had decided to have Vodor bunk with Jontar and Veela bunk with Rona's girls who were both excited to see their old friend. Depending on the weather, in the morning we would partition the large upstairs bedroom into a suite of three chambers for Ganor's family. Building the walls and sliding them into place were quite easy. The room would divide into two nine by twelve foot rooms. There would also be one eleven by twelve (for the adults). There would be plenty of room as each room had a large sleeping platform and mattress. Of course, if the weather was as nice as it had been today, we would wait until the following day to build the partitions. I desperately wanted to begin tilling the large field at the bottom of the hill to grow corn, wheat and oats. Once it got a good soaking over the next couple of weeks, the soil would soon be ready to plant, once the weather got nice.

I included Ganor's family in our family good night ritual. Veela, seemed to take to it with the great enthusiasm her personality possessed. I knew I would like her very much. Vodor did not seem to want to participate. He grudgingly accepted kisses from his own parents, but not from the rest of us.

After the kids were tucked in I grinned at Mada, who returned my look with what seemed to be one of both lust and nervousness. My other mates cheered as I ravished Mada's body and she ravished mine back hungrily. I taught her how to kiss and soon she got the hang of it. Considering her Neanderthal physiology, Mada's pussy seemed to be as extra hot as Tola's had been (probably due to the effect of the temporary Taint). It did not take long for either of us to explode. Mada was a wildcat in bed, kind of like Lyna, Tola and the three Cro-magnons. I was soon firing a load into her burning snatch, as we writhed in our mutual desire. Soon, Nahla, the healer had taken my new wife's place and I began to enjoy her nubile body.

In the morning, I would find out via Malok that I had impregnated both Nahla and Mada. It seemed that Fumar had been shooting blanks, but apparently I did not have that problem. This brought my pregnant mate count to four as Rona and Soya had been my first, I desperately wanted to get Lyna and Tola with my child next.

When I awoke, I came out into the kitchen and saw Hogat already boiling water for coffee and tea. I had a fairly large supply of both instant and brewing coffee and a large number of tea bags also including the herbal kind. Hogat had become as fond of coffee, milk and stevia, as I had. So I was not surprised when I saw three cups ready. He also had some venison jerky as a snack. We sat and talked, as we finished our morning brews, and chewed the jerky. Soon, Nomat arrived and he shared our mini meal before the three of us went out to milk the cows. This was a fun time for us. Like Hogat, Nomat had quickly become one of my best pals, as our morning routine allowed us a little bonding time

When we came back with more than seven gallons of milk, we noticed that there was plenty of life in the camp. We handed the milk to Rona and Soya who supervised the pasteurization process. Today, Jonab, Kala, Mara and Nahla were helping them as I had set up a rotation for everyone to learn how to do it. Ganor was watching with amazement. Lyna was already hard at work on breakfast. She was being helped by Tola, Stina, Looki, Neenee, Ruga and Mena. Wala, Sheela, Veela and Mada were watching, rapt at my blond wife's activity. I had taught Lyna how to make French Toast several days after she had arrived.

Now she was making it as well as I did. We had now collected almost a dozen eggs a day over the last couple days. This meant we would have French toast once a week and fresh egg dishes another day.

On some mornings we also had fresh red berries with cereal as I had a big supply of oat O's, corn flakes, raisin bran and rice squares, among other kinds of cereals. I also had a large amount of sweetened oat meal. This was a big hit because of the sweetness of the sugar. For reasons of dental hygiene, I limited this to once a week. Every morning we had some kind of meat. This included, bacon, pork sausage patties that were smoked in the smokehouse. We also had salted, fried venison strips. It turned out that everybody loved crisp bacon. It had become a huge favorite with practically all my extended family.

I smiled as I looked out through the thin mesh covered window. I saw my youngest, Zeena, feeding and playing with the dogs. I also saw Jontar working hard, cleaning out the chicken pen. It looked like someone was out there watching him. Everyone else but the other children was getting the table set. I had noticed Jontar's normal partner in crime sitting with Vodor and Fayla, and instead of helping Jontar. I approached the kids at the table. It appeared that Vodor was showing off for the girls.

I addressed my Sula. "Sula, why are you not helping Jontar this morning?"

My daughter looked nervous, but instead of speaking, I heard the new boy in camp open his mouth and say: "Jontar and I decided that from now on, Veela would work with him. I would work with Fayla and Sula."

He grinned cockily.

I looked at him grimly and said, "First of all, the three of you are not doing anything. How is that helping me?"

"I am just waiting you to assign me and the girls something. I figured I could supervise and sort what they gather."

"Well you figured wrong," I said in a surprisingly calm voice. "You are not experienced enough in my ways to supervise anything. Jontar and Sula are my best and most experienced workers. They work well together and I have no plans to split them up." I added.

I looked at Sula for reaction, but all I saw was shame. I was really pissed at Vodor and was just waiting for an excuse to fly off the handle at him.

"But Jontar and I decided..."

"It is not your place to decide nor is it his! I lead here and I decide who works with whom. Out of curiosity, what made you two agree to such a switch?"

"I told him that since I was the oldest, the biggest and the strongest, I should work with them because I would mate Fayla and Sula. He would mate my sister and Zeena. You and all men who live here have more than one mate, so I should too."

I felt the anger begin to boil in my eyes, but managed to show a little of Hogat's wisdom and restraint. Still, I would be sure that this young whelp would learn his place.

"First of all, you are not guaranteed any mate, let alone either of my daughters. You may be stronger than Jontar, but he is far better hunter and warrior than you are. How many deer have you killed?"

"None," replied the boy with his head bowed.

"Jontar has killed three," I stated. "He is of more use to me than you are right now. He understands my ways better than you. He is also my son. While I will not play favorites, that still means something to me. Finally, I know that Jontar and Sula are fond of each other. They would both get a say in whomever mates Sula. As I told you, they may decide they want to mate each other."

Sula looked shocked, but then smiled. "Father, I thought you would not allow us to mate."

"No, I just said that I would not force you two to be mates. I also said that I did not wish it. At the time that was true. After seeing how well you work together and the affection you have for each other, it appears that you might be well suited for each other. Only time will tell if this will continue and if and when you would be ready. Obviously you both would need to agree too. If all this happens, I would easily give you both my blessing."

"What about me, father? I was a woman. Who would you mate me with?" asked Fayla.

"Fayla, dear, I've told you this and it won't change. If and when you were ready to mate, I would be happy to find you a mate. It could be one who already lives here or another from somewhere else. He would need to agree to live with us and I would need to approve of him though."

"What about me? It is not fair. If Fayla does not want me and Sula wants Jontar, I will have no mate, as I cannot mate Veela, as she is blood," pouted Vodor.

"Likewise, I will help you get a mate from somewhere else."

"You would?" asked Vodor.

"When you are old enough and when I feel you are ready, I would," I said before pausing. "Your problem Vodor is that you think too much like a man when you are still a boy in my eyes. You have a lot to learn and need to see a few more summers before I think you will be ready to mate."

The boy would not be deterred.

"It is different elsewhere. I should be a man any day now."

"You are not elsewhere. You are here. I will speak to your father to ensure he understands my ways. You are a boy, and will remain one for a few summers more at least. The sooner you know this in your heart, the sooner you will stop annoying me," I said with a huge glare, as I towered my six foot frame over his five foot one.

I turned to look at Sula. "Go help Jontar. Veela can learn from you and Jontar about the chickens."

"Yes, father," she smiled with a blush.

"And, Sula?"

"Yes, Father?"

"From now on, you work with Jontar all the time, unless I have a special job for either of you. Understood?"

"Understood," she said and left.

I turned to the other two and said, "You will ask Nahla what you can do to help."

"Yes, Father," said Fayla.

"Yes, Mike," said Vodor, as both got up with little enthusiasm and approached my healer mate.

After breakfast, I took a walk to check out the levels in the water tanks. Then I realized I was not alone.

"I see your little but growing tribe is having growing pains," came Malok's voice in my head.

"I guess. Are all kids so frustrating?" I complained out loud.

"From my limited experience, all kids are different. Some are more trying than others, but you just have to be patient."

"If I was not patient, I would have strangled the little whelp."

Malok laughed. "You have to be patient with Vodor. He is not used to your ways. Believe it or not, it is easier for his parents to accept the culture change than it is for him."

"What about 'old dogs and new tricks'?"

"That does not apply here. As Ganor and Wala are used to having great responsibilities, anything that makes their live easier and more fulfilling is greatly appreciated. While people work hard in your tribe, they do so because it ultimately makes their lives better and more enjoyable. In their old tribe, everything was hard work just to survive. Ganor and Wala are seeing your ways and hearing about them from others. Wala marvels at how easy it seems to cook your way. Jonab was explaining planting and harvesting to Ganor. He is amazed how easy the concept is and is embracing the idea. They see how your ways of careful preparation will make it easier for everyone. Vodor has no concept of these things, because he has never had any real responsibilities. All he can see in front of him, is his manhood. That is all he has been looking forward to recently. He see that you are pushing it further away from him until it seems to be out of sight."

"I see what you mean. So, basically, I need to start giving him more responsibilities and telling him that it is a path to manhood."

"That makes sense. I'm sure that Hogat would tell you something similar. Speaking of your friend, the people running the project are impressed with how you are not only delegating responsibilities to him, but are also learning from him. Two of the biggest complaints about the human race, have been that it has lost its ability to adapt, and that is so prideful that it lacked humility. Your actions with Hogat, have shown that despite being somewhat prideful, you're a humble man. It is a paradox to those who don't understand human nature as well as I do. I have told them that what makes humans unique is that it is your innate sense of pride that causes you to strive to be better. The humility comes from not knowing something and the desire to learn. There are those like your counterpart in Africa who don't have this trait, but I believe that most humans have it. You have it 'in spades', as the saying goes."