John and Argent by cmsix

Chapter 14

I made sure that we all got up early the next morning. The girls cooked bacon and eggs. These two Alien supplied foods were near an end so I had them cook up all that remained. Eggs were out of the question until next spring now but bacon might be procured if I could kill a wild hog. I wasn't sure about in this time but I knew that in the twentieth century wild hogs could be a little tricky to kill without getting yourself hurt. I intended to try and bag some but I was going to do it carefully.

We finished loading the wagon and I got the team and hitched them to it. I tied Ben to the back of the wagon and then got Dolly. I let her wear the saddle and bridle. Stinker had to come with us of course but would have to follow on her own. I was taking Dolly to help her get accustomed to being led and to help her grow used to being around people.

We had to travel down river past Gigo's camp for a couple of miles before we turned up another river's valley to head northeast. This trip could well be a water haul. The river we would travel up toward the newer caves was wider and its valley was wider also. That didn't mean that it was necessarily passable with a wagon. I hadn't noticed any obvious obstacles on the map but that didn't mean there weren't any. We would have to cross at least five smaller streams after we turned up the new valley. The only way we would know for sure was to try it.

We stopped for about an hour at Gigo's camp. All the girls went in to visit with Geera, Dieta, Waaya and Winna. I talked to Gigo and Dergo, mostly about where I was going. I wanted to see if they knew anything about the territory. Dergo had been up that river for about three miles. The only stream he'd had to cross was wide and shallow at that time. He told me that the valley was much more wooded than the one to my cave.

Dergo and Gigo asked me why I wanted to go up the river. I told them that I knew that there were several large caves about twelve miles up it and that there were also two larger blind canyons that I could keep my horses in. They asked me why I was even thinking of going to so much trouble for the horses.

"If you want to know for sure we can carry the bison for my next bride payment without them." I said and then grinned at them.

It was a smartass remark but it got the message across. The wagon could change everything that had to do with carrying anything. I also pointed out how much easier it had been to bring Delia, Waaya, Winna and their things home with the wagon.

"It just seems like so much trouble to move just for the horses." Gigo said.

"The horses take some care and some work to keep them in good condition. They do not take enough care to matter when it comes to carrying many large animals without them. I only killed fifteen bison on the first hunt. Think how much the wagon and horses will save since I have sixty-five more bison to kill just for the bride payments."

"You are right about that John. They are much better for carrying." Dergo agreed.

"I also want to go just to look at the area. There are many large caves there. I will not move there just to feed the horses. I think that it might be a much better place in many ways. If I don't like it we will just turn around and come back."

Geera and all the others came out then and started a little cooking. I saw that we would be here at least another hour. I didn't mind since there was no hurry and I liked eating much better than not eating. I did let the pups out of the wagon though. Maia said that she would watch them for me. She had become quite familiar with them now and they knew that they must come to her when she called them. They also knew that they had to stop what they were up to if she disapproved.

It seemed only a few minutes before a nice meal was ready. We sat around to eat and I had to go over the travel plans with Geera and Dieta then also. They weren't as quick to question my motives. I was surprised that no one asked me how I knew there were caves up that valley.

Soon enough we were leaving and a little less than an hour later we turned up the larger valley. I could tell after a mile that it was much more wooded. I even noticed a thick woods and an almost swampy patch near it were a stream came into it from the west. I was glad that we were on the other side of the river from that mess. I knew that if I wanted to get some bacon later that would probably be a promising spot. It was mostly hardwoods and the oaks in the mix were putting out plenty of acorns.

We kept at it until about an hour before sunset. We were still about five miles from our destination and could probably have made it before dark. That would have left us trying to make camp in the dark though and I didn't want to.

The girls made a fire and cooked a meal while I let the pups run around and hobbled the horses. I hadn't brought the trap since the pups were too large to be shut up in it now anyway. They would be sleeping in the wagon with us. Maia had been strict on them lately about making messes in the cave and I felt sure that they wouldn't foul the inside of the wagon box, though they all did seem to find pissing on the tires necessary. I wondered if all canines were born knowing that rubber tires were to be pissed on.

After our supper we sat around the fire talking a little and then the girls helped me get the tops from their rack under the wagon. It took only a few minutes to reattach them and soon we put the pups in the wagon box and then followed them in. I shut the tops and if I hadn't turned on my tiny flashlight we would have been in total darkness. I went around taking out plugs so we could get enough air for the night. I had one small fan that got power from the large battery that the wagon carried for such things. I'd made sure that it was fully charged before we left the cave. The fan should give us enough air circulation for the night.

Soon enough we were all piled up naked in our furs. It was so dark I had to determine my victims by feel. That was fun. Before long Merita and I had the wagon rocking while the others nibbled and stroked anything they could find by touch. Tonight I realized for certain that Argent and company had done some major improvement to my dick. I had no trouble at all controlling my orgasm. I let myself go in Maia, my second for the night, and was back up within ten minutes to pound Gema and then Delia to glory. It did make me wonder what possible reason the Aliens had for pumping up my equipment though.

I was pretty horny again when I woke up just at sunrise. I didn't diddle anyone though. It was a little cool out and we didn't waste any time dragging on our clothes after I raised the tops. We got out and the girls started a small cooking fire while I let the pups out to water the tires. I happened to glance down stream and I saw a large megaceros grazing its way away from us. I reached into the wagon and hauled out the M1 to try a shot. Just as I shouldered it the giant deer spooked at something, probably some sound or smell from us, and took off. The shot was too long and the deer was moving too fast for me to try it. I set the rifle up in its rack behind the seat hoping that I might see other fresh meat walking around later.

We stowed the tops again before taking off that morning. We arrived at the first cave about an hour later. I got down and walked around a little just outside its entrance. Grabbing my big flashlight from the wagon I headed inside. It was probably the stupidest mistake of my life.

The giant cave bear that had been sleeping inside voiced his displeasure loudly as he got up. Even though all his teeth were showing I was sure that it wasn't a smile. My Glock was in its holster of course but I was facing at least a ton of angry bear and it was only about fifty feet from me. Managing to quell the instant instinct to turn and run which would surely have been a fatal mistake, I used my top head for once and shined the bright light right in his face as I began backing out. The bear turned his eyes away for a second and I moved the beam to the floor and kept backing. I yelled to the girls that they should run. I hoped the bear's roar had already warned them.

The bear looked back toward me and I gave him another shot of the flashlight beam in the eyes. This was working pretty well but I knew that the trick would lose its effectiveness once I was outside. Even with an eighteen round clip in the Glock I wasn't sure that I could kill the bear before he seriously hurt or killed me. The Glock's rounds were designed to stop or kill men. No two thousand pound men were envisioned.

Just then Delia was behind me handing me the M1. I passed her the Glock even though I knew she didn't have the faintest idea how to use it. I didn't even bother shouldering the rifle. The bear was within thirty feet now so I just pointed at his chest and squeezed off two rounds. It stopped his movement toward me anyway and brought another loud complaint.

I took time to shoulder the rifle now and put four more rounds in the area I hoped his heart was located. He didn't go down so I gave him four more. Finally he took a stumbling step and then fell toward me. I backed up fast and kept him from falling on me. I kept the muzzle pointed at him for at least five more minutes. When I was sure that he must be dead I walked back outside and sat on the ground. My heart was pounding nearly out of control and I was shaking so hard that I couldn't quit.

Merita gathered some twigs and a few stray dead branches and started a small fire to make me some tea. I was grateful but still too wound up to talk. I spent quite a while berating myself for my move. Not only had I endangered myself I had come close to leaving my mates alone to face the bear. Even if they had come out alive they would still be miles from any home or help in a wagon that they had only the smallest hope of driving back.

It took me nearly two hours to settle down, even with the tea and my mates doing their best to calm me. The bear had very nearly scared me witless. At least the little sense that I'd kept stayed with me until I'd killed him.

I reloaded the rifle and then took time to show all the girls how to shoot the Glock. I made them each fire a few rounds until I was satisfied that they could send the lead in the general direction it needed to go. I told myself that I would spend a lot of time later until they could really shoot if they needed to.

When we went back into the cave I had Delia take the Glock, impressing on her that she shouldn't shoot unless she was sure she needed to and sure that she wouldn't hit me. I went in first but I had Maia handle the light. I told her to make sure that if there were anything else alive in there she kept the light pointed into its eyes.

Nothing else was alive in the cave. There was some refuse scattered around, probably the remains of hyena's meals. There were also a few animal droppings here and there. The cave was a good one though, fully twice the size of mine. The floor was basically level and it was dry inside.

We gathered some wood and started a fire not far from the bear's body. With the light from the fire and from outside we could have gutted him and skinned him out where he was. I decided to move him a little closer to the entrance for more light though, so I unhitched Sally and Jane and tied a strong rope around the bear's neck. They had to work to get him to the entrance but it was only about forty feet so it wasn't a real strain.

I took the harness off them and then hobbled all four horses to let them graze while we worked. I had wanted some fresh meat but would have done without for a while if I could have skipped the meeting with the bear. It was done now though and even though we had our work before us I knew that I was going to enjoy the bear's meat even if it tasted like shit. We had it to do so we started.

It is a damned job to skin a cave bear and another one to cut him up. The girls all said that they had never done one before but they went at it as if it were an everyday thing. One fucking bear took the five of us most of the day. We did clean everything that was useful though including the intestines. Delia took particular pleasure in taking his teeth and claws. She also made a point to get most of his long tendons. We scraped his skin and after I got some stout saplings we made a rack to stretch it on. We were going to treat the hide with the fur still on it since he had already slicked off and his coat was fairly clean and shiny with health.

Even though the bear hadn't fully fattened for winter he had plenty of fat. We were up late rendering it in our pots and pans and then we poured it up into sections of his intestines. We roasted a big slab of him for our supper and it turned out to be plenty for breakfast the next morning too.

We didn't put the tops on the wagon tonight. I hitched the team and drove it into the cave, turning it and heading it out before unhitching them again. I took the horses to the back of the cave and turned them loose. We set the tops on the ground several feet from the entrance and after washing off the cut up meat we set it on the tops to keep it fairly clean.

We built a fire right in the entrance and put plenty of wood nearby to keep it going all night then we got our bedding out and arranged it near the fire so I could get up and put more wood on it as it burned down. We left the pups in the wagon to sleep.

When we went to bed, after washing off as best we could in the cold river, I was too tired to fuck again. I don't think the girls minded a bit, as they were pretty tired too. They were all very affectionate though and each told me several times how glad they were that the bear hadn't hurt me. I didn't mention that I was pretty damned happy about it myself.

I felt really glad to be alive the next morning when the rising sun woke me. I put a little more wood on the fire so the girls could warm the leftovers and fix some tea. I let the pups out and had to scold them away from the meat but they went outside to sniff around while I was getting dressed.

After we'd eaten I asked for a volunteer to go with me to check out the other caves. Delia was elected by acclamation of the others. I think that they thought she would be more help since she had been the first to catch on to the use of the Glock and while she was no crack shot she was better than the others.

They all went back to work on the bear. Most of the meat would have to be sliced into strips for drying. Even with the knives I had it would be a lot of work. It needed to be done though and they weren't complaining. In fact they seemed to be happy about having so much meat. I decided that I was going to try harder to kill smaller game when I could. Of course if I just had a big chest type freezer we wouldn't have to go to the trouble.

I gave Delia about thirty more minutes of instruction in the use of the Glock. I explained exactly what happened when the trigger was pulled. I showed her a cartridge and pointed out the bullet that came out of the end and did the damage to the target. I had her try her luck at a couple of rocks and she hit four out of ten. They were around ten to twelve inches and she hit them from twenty feet. Not good shooting but not bad considering. She could surely hit one of the big assed cave bears.

We were much more careful entering the next cave though. We listened outside and when we didn't hear anything inside we went in much more slowly than I had yesterday. It was empty. After looking it over I knew that it would be a great cave to live in. It was nearly three times as large as the one we were living in now. It also had a much higher ceiling if that's what you call the top of the inside of a cave. Over near one side, far removed from the entrance, there was a depression in the floor that was full of water. The water ran down one side and seemed to go out through a rough hole in the floor. Oddly it seemed to just run out from a crack in the wall above the depression. Running water. It seemed awfully suspicious for some reason.

The next cave had me thinking even harder. It was just too good to be true. The map had told me that it was the largest. It wasn't one big open cave though. It seemed almost as if it were separated into big rooms. They weren't actually rooms, more like big chambers. It would be simple to divide them into rooms with a few partitions though and it was big enough for at least twenty families to have living spaces.

Topping it off was the downward slanting opening near the back. Almost as if it were planned the floor sloped down into a chamber underneath the rear wall. The opening was about five feet wide and the floor sloped down for about twenty feet until the next level was eighteen to twenty feet below the main cave's floor. There was ice in the lower chamber; it was below the permafrost level. Hell it was a natural freezer.

Was it natural though or was it Alien? Did that matter? If it had been done at Argent's direction why should I care? I couldn't begin to understand why he would have done it but it just seemed too pat. If he had done it, for whatever reason, why should I turn up my nose at the obvious gift? It made me wonder but hell, I was still wondering why he wanted to put me here in the first place. I knew that we would be moving here if there were any way to convince Gigo and the others to come with us.

The next cave was nearly as large but it looked more nearly normal to me. It wasn't like I was a cave expert or anything but it was just more irregular inside and there was no convenient deep freeze.

When that thought struck me I told Delia we had to go back to the others. There was no need for them to cut up all the meat. We could just put it in the wagon and carry it down to be frozen. If no one would move here with us we could get it later if we needed it. I felt sure that the others would realize how much better it would be here though.

When we got back I saw that we would be saving the girls more than half the work they'd expected. I explained my plan and they were glad enough to go along with it. We hitched up the team and then loaded the meat into the wagon. Soon we had it in the big cave. Wrapping it in some of the visqueen I had; we left most of it to freeze. I doubted any animals would stray down into the frigid dark to bother it.

We all went along for the rest of the explorations. I claimed the cave with the running water as our next home. We took the wagon back down river to the entrance for the blind canyons. It was just south of the first cave and on the same side of the river. We headed up into it in the wagon and it was just perfect. There were hundreds of acres up those canyons and only a few scattered small woods. It was mostly grass and wild oats. It was perfect for horses and would probably support over a hundred easily. Better yet, its entrance wasn't very wide and would actually need less of a fence than the one I'd already built. The walls were much steeper and more rugged than at my cave too. There was no chance a predator could get down from above with out falling to its death.

It was all too good to be true. It was there though and whether it was Mother Nature's or uncle Argent's doing it was nearly perfect. I'd expected to spend a couple or three days looking around here but I didn't need to see anymore. This was going to be a new home for all of us if I could swing it. It was such a good area that I might even consider moving my little band here alone if the others wouldn't come.

We had a few beans with the bear meat tonight. It was good and I ate too much. We'd pulled the wagon into the cave with the little pool and after supper I went to it and tried to wash off a little grime. The water was cold but it beat hell out of hopping into the river.

When we settled into the wagon I was asleep almost before I could squeeze even one titty.

When I woke the next morning I was ready to leave already. We had the bear's skin to deal with though and for a while I couldn't think of anything to do about it but finish it off here. Then I got an idea. We put the tops back on the wagon and lay the stretching rack out over them, tying it on. The skin was still stretched and we could move out. It was a little inconvenient because we couldn't get into the wagon box without taking the rack off first. It would have to do though.

It took a little over two hours to get back to Gigo's camp. Another big greeting was in order when we arrived and I had to admit to everyone how scared shitless I'd been when I found the giant bear. At least Delia had sense enough to tell us to bring a big haunch of the bear for cooking when we got back to the camp. We had taken it back out of the storage before it froze and the women went to work right away to get it cooked.

Dergo and Gigo helped me find a place for the big stretching rack and we set it up here at their camp. They offered to finish the work on it if I wanted to travel tomorrow. I thanked them and was grateful since we needed to go to Delia's mother's camp to deliver the tent to her brother. I was anticipating seeing another camp too. Gigo's was really the only camp I knew anything about. My visit to Delia's to pick up she, Waaya and Winna was a little subdued to say the least.

Waaya and Winna fit in here now as if they had always lived here. They laughed and joked with Geera, Dieta and all the others like they were one big family. In a way I guess they were. I didn't know anything about their former lives of course but if they were sorry those days were over they didn't show it.

I spent some more time telling Gigo and Dergo about the new area. They seemed as amazed as I had been. They didn't fully appreciate the value of the blind canyons for the horses but that was to be expected. They had never considered horses as anything but prey before. Even though they had seen how much help the horses could be I was sure that it would take more time for it to fully sink in. They still hadn't tumbled to the amazing possibilities of the wheels on the wagon. They took them for granted as a part of the wagon and I could tell they had no ideas about other ways to use them.

Still they were excited about the new caves and while they didn't jump right up and offer to move the camp there they were considering it. I knew I would have to take them there and show them, possibly others in the camp would want to go also. Their lives had been pretty good in this spot, they weren't bound to stay here at all cost but they would have to be convinced that they would be better off at the new location before they would move.

We didn't exactly have a feast that night but it was a minor celebration. I had to tell about the bear fight again and I even demonstrated the flashlight and its effect when shined in your face in the dark. We all had to tell about the caves and what we'd seen of the area and many of the others expressed interest in going to see them. The women were especially interested in the cave that could freeze meat.

We were up and off early the next morning. The only way that Delia was familiar with led back through the camp where she'd lived with Gembo. Dergo knew a different way though and he assured me that it would be possible to take the wagon his way. It had the advantage of being shorter too.

It still took us nearly three hours with the wagon. When we arrived we were introduced to and greeted by Barbo, the leader, and Jara, his mate. It was not an enthusiastic meeting but they were not hostile. We cut the pleasantries short and proceeded to the hut of Dalia, Delia's mother. Her brother Danlo was there also.

I didn't need anyone to tell me that I was meeting Delia's mother. The resemblance was apparent. Dalia was even a little taller than Delia, probably five ten. She was every bit as lovely. Their coloring was almost exactly the same and Dalia's age shocked me at first. It was a shock until I realized that I was mated to four girls, the oldest of them being seventeen. I estimated that Dalia was no more than thirty-five. That wasn't old to me at all and dicky twitched and pointed out that Dalia's titties were even a little larger than Delia's. I had lust in my heart for another mother in law. What else was new?

When we entered the hut of Dalia and Danlo I knew at once why Delia had wanted to give Danlo her tent. It was easily half again as large as the hut. Danlo was all smiles when she told him about the big tent. I figured that it would up his status quite a bit. I wondered then what the point was for Dalia and Danlo to stay with this camp now. My lust got the better of me and I asked it out loud.

"But where would we go John. I have no mate and while the others here are not necessarily kind to me they do help provide for us since my mate was killed. He was well liked and I have never been mistreated." Dalia said.

"You could come and live with us. We have a large cave to live in and plenty of food. We are probably going to move to a larger cave in an area where there is even more game. I'm sure that Delia would love for you to come live with us. As you can see I like having beautiful women around me."

"You are kind John but what would you want with an old woman around?" Dalia asked.

Delia broke in then laughing a little.

"You had better not ask him that mother unless you want to find out. John is a very surprising man. I would love for you to come with us and I don't see why you shouldn't. There is little enough for you here and Danlo will soon be a man. I haven't asked John but I think that he would help Danlo gather a payment for a mate." Delia said.

I saw Danlo's face light up at the thought. I think that I even detected a little smile on Dalia's face. She seemed to be thinking quietly for a few seconds.

"I don't see that any harm can come from it. It isn't like the men have been sniffing around wanting to mate me. I am destined to be an old woman alone if I stay here. I will probably feel young again living with a bunch of young girls and a handsome young man. You must be sure that Gema, Merita and Maia agree though." Dalia said.

"In the first place we would never go against any decision John makes. In the second we would all love to have you live with us. I'm sure that there is so much you can teach us." Gema spoke up for the others.

"What about you Danlo, will you come live with us also?" I asked him.

"Yes I will not leave my mother yet. I am not a man yet but I would like to come and live with you also. Is it true that you will try to help me gain a payment for a mate?" Danlo asked.

"I will help you and you may have to help me also. I still owe sixty-five bison for payment of my mates."

"Sixty-five bison! How can you kill sixty-five bison? We had heard that it was something like that but we thought that the one that told us must have been mistaken." Dalia said.

"It is true. John offered twenty-five bison each for Gema, Maia and I. When he went on the first hunt for them he killed ten in payment and five extra to be sure there was enough meat for our mating feast. I could not imagine him killing five bison just to make sure there was fresh meat for our mating ceremony. That is more than most must pay for their mate." Merita said.

"It almost sounds as if we are going to go on and adventure instead of just moving to another cave Danlo. I think that our lives might become more exciting." Dalia said.

"You can't believe what an adventure it is going to be mother. Tell mother and Danlo about the bear John." Delia said.

Yet another cave bear killing story. I had to reveal the secret of my hunting prowess to them to tell the story properly. I cautioned them that Georgo didn't want the knowledge of my rifle to become common and that I didn't either. Halfway through the tale Danlo's eyes were so wide I was afraid he might injure them. Dalia was affected in a similar manner but I could tell that she had heard a hunting story before and was a little skeptical. There would be no denying it after she'd seen the bearskin though.

Actually there was no denying it now. After I'd told the story Delia pulled a little skin sack out of her tunic and showed her mother and Danlo the teeth and claws of the bear. I thought Danlo would piss his pants. I was even more surprised when my other three mates produced a similar little sack from each of their tunics. They each showed their collection of cave lion teeth and claws and were quick to point out that they were from the cave lions I had killed so that they could have new sleeping furs when we were mated.

"I had almost forgotten about the cave lion skins. Where are they now?" I asked.

"We have them put away safely. When we saw the giant tiger skin on the bed we knew that we wouldn't need them for now. We will have them when it gets very cold though." Maia said.

"I should kill another cave lion so Delia can have a sleeping fur." I said partly joking.

"I'm not sure John, the way you collect mates there may not be enough cave lions after a while." Delia said.

I was slightly embarrassed at this but everyone else was having a hard time restraining their laughter so I just laughed out loudly and they all joined me. Talk died down after that and soon we were undressing for bed. I tried my best to get a look at Dalia while she was getting undressed without announcing to the world what I was up to. I think Delia, Gema, Merita and Maia conspired against me though as one of them seemed to be in my line of sight at all times. I did see that Danlo had his eyes full of naked young loveliness though. He could have easily seen his mother but didn't bother because there were new titties and bushes to be gazed upon.

We were up early the next morning and after fixing a light breakfast we packed up everything that Dalia and Danlo wanted to take. When we drove out of camp we saw Barbo and Jara and said our goodbyes. They seemed surprised that Dalia and Danlo were leaving but they wished us all well.

We had been traveling for nearly two hours when I saw someone running toward us from the direction we were heading.

"It is Jonoco." Maia said.

Jonoco was the young man that had held the team for me while I hunted bison for my mate's payment. I wondered what he was doing running toward us. When he reached us I stopped the wagon. Jonoco looked up at me.

"Gigo and Dergo are dead. Braato and Gordo killed them for their mates." Jonoco told us.