John and Argent by cmsix

Chapter 31

About an hour after sunset Georgo got the show on the road. Thankfully he did all the ceremonies at once. It didn't take long and when Jonoco and Jaiya, Nadlo and Melieta, and Danlo, Shallea and Shaala headed inside with the assorted mothers for guidance; the meal was on.

After twenty minutes I sent Bigglieo and a group of volunteers inside for the beer kegs and the tables of mugs that Argent had provided. They were all delighted to serve and they were back out with the brew in no time flat. I had dragged a chair outside and was now digging into the food that my mates brought me. Since there was no traveling to tire them out I felt that the newly mated were either naked by now or dying to get that way.

Dalia and Shelalliea had both gone in to help Danlo with his instructions and strangely I didn't even wonder if either of them were going to give him a little first hand experience. It didn't seem to matter to me somehow. I doubted they would have the time though because I knew that Shallea and Shaala were as anxious for some fucking as he was.

I did notice that both Nadlo and Jonoco were going to receive their instructions from their own mothers. Melieta and Jaiya both had living mothers and I saw them out celebrating. I wondered if there was some kind of custom for this or if straws had been drawn. I could probably find out from Georgo if I thought to ask later.

I was still eating after most of the men had wolfed down their meal. The kegs began getting a workout and I saw that Bigglieo, Barago and Racaato headed up the line for the first beer and walked directly back to the back of the line to queue for another round before they even finished their first mug. I was hoping I'd have a busy night and it looked like I would get my wish. Dieta came to me then and stood beside me with a beer for me.

"You should drink at least some of the bruga John but don't over do it." Dieta said.

"You know I won't. I'll need my wits with me tonight I hope."

"You will at that. There is Caato in line for his third already and... Oh look!" She said excitedly.

"What is it Dieta, I can't see all of the line from here."

"Barbo is doing just the same. He gets a mug of bruga and goes right to the back of the line for another. You might even get a little bonus tonight. Do you think that you can make Jara feel welcome too?" Dieta said and giggled.

"If every woman with a drunk mate shows up I may be worn out tomorrow." I said.

"Not all of them will come but there will be many. You had better slip inside and give Kateata a little attention soon. We will need her to help us." Dieta laughed.

Geera came up then and I could tell that she and Dieta were looking at the crowd and licking their chops. It seemed like they wanted me to get down to some serious fucking even worse than I wanted it. I could feel my dick starting to throb already as Kateata came over and gave me a little hug.

"I will have to be quick if I get any time with my man tonight." She said.

"I will make time for you Kateata. You know that I consider you one of my mates already."

"Oh no, not yet. If I were already your mate I would have to wait until you finished with everyone else tonight. I plan on sneaking in at the head of the line." She teased me.

I got a little surprise then when Raalto came over by me but I don't guess it should have been surprising. I'd seen him get a beer but I was pretty sure that he was still nursing his first one. Dieta went inside the cave to get him a chair.

"Do you like the bruga Raalto?" I asked.

"It is the best that I have ever tasted. I almost wish that I could drink more of it. I know that I will be needed later though to help some of my men to their beds." He told me and then grinned.

"They do enjoy the bruga."

"They will enjoy it until they pass out. They will complain about their heads tomorrow though." He said.

"Yes they will. Many of the women will be complaining also."

"You and I will have our work cut out for us later John." He said and grinned again.

"Yes but it is a job I can learn to enjoy." I told him and grinned right back.

"It looks to me that Barbo is going to be one of the first to drop. It doesn't seem right somehow but he is a leader and can do as he wishes. I hope that you can make sure that Jara has some help getting him into bed." Raalto said but he kept a straight face this time.

"It is my duty as host."

"It is that. It is a shame but for some reason Jara has never been very friendly to me. I have seen that she is not that way around you though. In fact I believe that she will be wanting Barbo to lead their camp to join yours soon." He said.

"I had heard that their camp was doing well now." I said.

"It seems to me that they are but then again I have never seen a camp doing as well as yours is. If I weren't so set on being a leader I would ask you now if we could join you." He told me honestly.

"If you decide it is what you want you will all be welcome. If some of the traditional customs bother you I'm sure that we can come to an agreement. I intend to be the leader here but in some cases I could forego some of the privileges if I needed to." I told him.

"I think I understand what you are saying John but that is not the case. If I joined this camp I would expect you to honor me with that particular custom. It is common courtesy in my eyes. I have always made sure to honor my men in that way." He was back to grinning now.

"If I'm not speaking out of turn I will tell you that if you do decide to join us I will be very happy to honor you as often as you can tolerate." I said with another grin of my own.

Raalto broke out laughing then and it took him almost a minute to stop.

"It might be even better to live here than I'd thought it might. Where would I fit in the scheme of things if we came?" He asked.

"I would have to think about that. I can see that you are a very good leader but I do have other good men already. I can promise nothing tonight but I will speak to the others. I will make you as close to me as I can without causing stress with the other men. I haven't known some of them long enough to be able to predict their reactions. I will tell you that I would love for your camp to join us and that if it wouldn't cause strife I would name you as the best man besides me. If you are considering it seriously I will speak to the other men." I said.

"I am considering it but you are right about the other men. When you have had time to talk to them maybe we can discuss it further." He said.

"I would like that."

Conversation seemed to die between us then. I don't know what Raalto was thinking but my mind was racing with the possibilities. I was sure that Bigglieo, Galto and Dargo would expect Raalto to be ahead of them if he came here. I didn't know about the newcomers though. I hoped that we could get things arranged so that he would want to join us.

A scuffle broke out then and I got up to see what it was all about. Raalto came with me and when we got to the scene, near the back of the beer line, we found Jara dressing down two men from her camp. The men were looking sheepish and with the tongue-lashing she was giving them I understood why. She finished and when she turned to leave she saw Raalto and I. She flushed a little but came to me.

"They have only had three mugs of the bruga but were already acting like ill-mannered fools. I had to speak to them because as you can plainly see our leader is even ahead of them." She said pointing to Barbo.

I couldn't help looking and I saw that Barbo was already so far gone that he hadn't even realized anything had happened.

"This bruga is very strong but it doesn't taste strong. It can creep up on a man who hasn't tried it before." I said trying to salvage the situation.

"It is that way with all bruga for Barbo. I am accustomed to it by now though. He knows his own weakness usually but when he taste bruga his good intentions leave him quickly. He will be very sorry about it in the morning and I will not be quiet when his head is pounding." Jara said and then I'll be damned if she didn't laugh.

Raalto couldn't help laughing himself and I had to join in at the thought of Jara giving Barbo a loud talking to while his hangover was doing its worst. Raalto made a lot of points with me then.

"At least you are in good hands tonight Jara. John is a good leader and I can tell you that he hasn't let the bruga take over for him tonight." Raalto said.

"I have heard that he is a good man and if he drinks no more than you he will not go wrong. I'm willing to bet that neither of you has finished his first mug yet." She teased us.

Jaada had come up to us by then and she joined the fray.

"John likes to see what is going on too much to drink until he can't stand. It served him well at the last ceremony since he came away from it with another mate." She said smiling proudly.

Raalto left then heading toward his mates and Jara joined Jaada and I as we headed back to where I'd been sitting. I couldn't decide how I felt about Jaada relating the tale of my mating with Roweea but I could tell that she had Jara's undivided attention. When we got back near my chair Kateata called me over to where she was standing near the cave's entrance.

"I see that I have waited too late to be abused first tonight." She teased.

"What do you mean Kateata?"

"You will have to give Jara some attention first now that she is here." She said.

"I will not put her ahead of you Kateata, you know that surely."

"Yes you will. I must think as one of your mates now even though we haven't had our ceremony yet. Jara is here already and everyone can tell that Barbo barely knows where he is by now. Dieta and Geera went into the cave when Jara headed back here with you and Jaada. In a few minutes I will take her inside to show her something and you should come in just a few minutes later. Dieta, Geera and I will make sure that she cannot get away." Kateata said.

By now I knew better than to argue with my women. I told Kateata that I would do my duty while dicky throbbed. While I was waiting and talking I noticed that Roweea, Maia and Delia went into the cave also.

I looked around in the crowd for Barbo and sure enough he was already so drunk that he could hardly stand. I nearly laughed when I saw Raalto coming back from the beer kegs bringing Barbo another mug. He looked at me as he gave it to Barbo and winked. I smiled back at him and nodded before turning around to enter my cave.

Kateata, Dieta, Geera, Roweea, Maia, Jaada and Delia were all talking with Jara in a little bunch not far from the bed. Jara surprised us all.

"I am glad that you didn't waste more time outside watching the drinking. I don't want to disappoint your mates but I just can't put up a fight tonight. Maybe next time I can do better." She said as she smiled and pulled her tunic over her head.

I couldn't be surprised by her actions for too long though since I switched to being surprised by her titties. They were fat and round and they wiggled and wobbled enticingly. The nipples were her best shot though. They had to be at least three quarters of an inch in diameter and nearly and inch long. They were standing up proudly and I could feel them beckoning to my lips.

My mates were doing their best to unlace her moccasins as she shucked her trousers off her delightful ass and pushed them down her trim shapely legs. I just stood watching.

"I'm not the one that needs help now, John seems to think that his clothes will leave of their own accord." Jara told my mates as her sparse bush came into view.

All my mates except Dieta came to help me shuck my clothes then. Dieta pulled Jara to her and they were soon pressing their titties together as they kissed and fondled each other's asses.

I was naked in a flash and wasted no time in grabbing Jara away from Dieta. Jara squealed as I picked her up and tossed her to the middle of the bed. She was obviously surprised with the soft landing. So surprised that she was asking me about it as I put my head between her legs for a taste.

"This is so soft and it feels so good, what is it?" She asked.

"It is our bed. It is where we all sleep. It is nice isn't it?" Delia said.

"Yes and it isn't the only thing that is." Jara said as her hands found their way into my hair.

I could tell at once that Jara has enjoyed some form of the bathing facility not long ago. I could smell the light fragrance of soap even though her pussy was making its own sweet fragrance about now. Her fluids were nearly sweet and her labia were pulsing as I pushed my tongue up her as far as it would reach. I made sure that my lips massaged hers while I was burrowing for depth.

I was enjoying my feast at Jara's bush when her hands began pulling my head toward hers and away from her pussy.

"That is enough of that for now John, I need to feel you inside me." She whimpered.

It sounded like a good idea to me and I crawled up over her. When her hand grasped my hardon to place it she almost seemed alarmed.

"You are so big. Please go slow, at least at first." She said.

"I don't want to hurt you Jara, I want to make you feel good." I said.

When she had me in place I pushed up into her wet warmth slowly but firmly. She was very wet and though she was tight I pushed in all the way in one slow stroke. Her arms went around me as I put my mouth to hers for a deep kiss. When I withdrew for a new stroke her legs encircled my hips and she pushed herself to me as I entered her again.

I couldn't maintain the kiss for long since I was dying to get one of those fabulous nipples into my mouth. I bent my neck and inhaled one.

"Yes, yes nurse me. I love that. Chew them gently too." She sighed as I did that very thing.

Her pushing hips urged me into a faster rhythm. I was happy to speed up and sure that I would have a long night of fucking ahead of me so I didn't bother to try holding back. Restraint wasn't needed anyway since Jara didn't have any. She popped her cork in less than five minutes and I was still as hard as a rock when Dieta pushed me off Jara toward Kateata.

Kateata was being held down by Maia, Roweea, Geera and Delia. They had hold of a limb each and Kateata was already moaning for me not to take her before she was mated. I saw Jara's eyes widen as she heard Kateata crying for mercy but her attention wandered from us when Dieta latched onto her pussy for a little licking.

With my mates all busy I got to aim my own dick for once. I took hold of it and swiped the head up and down between Kateata's slippery lips while she wiggled, squirmed and pleaded for me not to do it. Everyone was effected by Kateata's begging, especially Dieta. I could hear her moaning between licks of Jara's sweet slash.

Kateata managed to keep up the charade until we both let go. She screamed my name at the last though and when the others turned her loose she wrapped her arms around me and kissed me fiercely.

Geera descended on Kateata's pussy to restore order while Roweea engulfed my shrinking dick to devour the evidence.

"I wonder who we can get next?" Delia said and all the others laughed.

"Caato's mate should be next by rank but Colonto's would do just as well and Colonto was the first to ask to join our camp." Geera said, taking a few seconds to speak between slurps.

"I wonder if Jara will get new clothes?" Jaada, who had been mostly left out of things, asked.

"I'll make sure of it." I said.

I got up a few minutes later and so did all my mates. We pulled the spread over Kateata and Jara and left them in the middle of the bed snuggling up to each other while we dressed and went back to the party.

When we walked out of the entrance Raalto was standing in it and he slapped me on the back as I joined him.

"I was just making sure no one wandered in while you were busy. I'm leaving to go comfort some of my own members now though. The sounds from inside have made me remember that I have things to take care of tonight myself." He said.

"Yes, you must do your duty." I told him laughing.

I watched while the revelers got drunker and drunker and I helped carrying the heaviest of the immobile to their beds. Soon though I had my own duties to attend to and as the crowd in my cave grew I retired to those duties. I spent most of the night honoring my men, so to speak.

Thankfully somehow I was near the edge of the bed when I woke the next morning. The only body between me and the edge of the bed was Britta's. I remembered from last night that I had honored Barago early and often and I doubted Britta was up to any more honoring of her mate this morning, even though she had once hinted that doing it in the daylight held some interest for her. I was able to ease over her without rousing her and she even slept through the final twist I gave one of her nipples as I headed for the shower.

On my way to the bathroom I noticed several stacks of new outfits near the bed and I laughed to myself.

I hadn't been in the shower more than a few minutes before Shelalliea and Dalia joined me.

"How did Danlo perform last night?" I asked.

"Danlo did fine, but the twins were more than a match for him." Dalia told me grinning.

"Yes they were. Their mating has left Dalia and I squirming though. We came back after they were asleep to see if you might help us out but all the guest must have used you up, everyone was sleeping when we came in." Shelalliea said.

"I did have a busy night. I am awake now though and maybe I can give you some attention in the shower."

This brightened their morning and they were soon brightening mine. Shelalliea was facing the shower wall shortly with her hands on a grab bar and my dick up her. She was an inspiring sight from this vantage and Dalia made sure my back didn't get cold by covering it with her own wet nakedness as I humped Shelalliea to glory.

When Shelalliea could stand on her own Dalia assumed the position and I gave her a workout, sharing the orgasm with her. When we all had our wind back we resumed the washing and then left the shower for more fondling and teasing while we dried each other.

After we were dressed we went toward the kitchen. Shelalliea and Dalia started cooking and I had a mug of coffee within a few minutes. I walked outside to survey the damage, sipping my coffee, while I waited for breakfast.

Raalto came out of the big cave soon after I got outside. He came over to me and I noticed his glance at my coffee mug.

"Raalto, I see that you are in need of a mug of coffee." I greeted him.

"I must admit that when I saw yours I wished for one." He said.

"Come inside, I'll get you some coffee and we can have some food soon. Some of my mates are already up and cooking."

"That sounds good. My mates are still in the furs and I think that I'll let them sleep as long as they will." He said, then followed me back into my cave.

Ladeliea was helping Shelalliea and Dalia by now and Georgo was sitting at the table with his own mug of coffee. When Ladeliea saw Raalto and I coming she got him a mug of coffee then he and I joined Georgo at the table.

"I think that most will be slow getting out of their furs this morning." Georgo said as we sat down.

"I know that they will. That bruga tasted very good and I think that it was stronger than most. I could see, before I went to my furs, that most of my people seemed even drunker than usual." Raalto said.

"I'm sure that they were and this morning their heads will be pounding much more than usual." I added.

My mates and Ladeliea started bringing our breakfast then and the talk died down while we ate. It perked up for a few minutes when we'd finished but Raalto didn't stay long. As he left to check on his mates Shelalliea asked him to bring them over for some breakfast and visiting after they got up and he agreed.

"I had a surprising conversation with Raalto." I told Georgo.

"What was the surprise, has he changed his mind about our agreement for Baahaya?" He asked.

"No it isn't that. Raalto is considering joining us here." I told him.

"I think that would be excellent John. Raalto's camp is large and all the people are hard workers, he makes sure of that." Georgo said.

"I felt that was the case but when he asked where he would fit in I didn't know what to tell him. I wondered if there would be hard feelings among the other former leaders here if Raalto was put ahead of them."

"There shouldn't be. They all know that Raalto is a better leader than they were. They might not like to have it rubbed in their faces but they do know it. Since Barbo's camp is not joining yours you don't even have to worry about any problems from him. He is the only one that I can think of who would complain." Georgo said.

"I still think it would be best to talk with the other men first." I said.

"It is always better to have an understanding with your men. In fact it is going to be necessary for you to talk often to your main helpers. This is already the largest camp I have ever heard of and if Raalto's camp does join yours it will be even larger. You would have a very hard time keeping order in a camp of that size without many helpers." Georgo said, stating the obvious.

"I would like for him to join us though, I think we would all be better off." I said.

"I'm sure you are right. Today will be a bad day to have discussions though." Georgo said.

"It will at that." I agreed.

The newly mated made their appearances then. Nadlo, Jonoco and Danlo looked bright and chipper as they sat with Georgo and I. All the girls looked good too as they joined my mates in the kitchen. They were quickly shooed back to the table since my mates plus Kateata and Ladeliea had the cooking well in hand.

Raalto returned then with Reeana and Jareena. Ladeliea brought him more coffee as his mates were served some breakfast. I wanted to talk more with Raalto about the proposed merging of our camps but didn't feel like bringing it up with everyone else here. He and I drank coffee while the others ate and when Georgo was finished he joined Raalto and I in the practice cave for a little talk.

I should have let Raalto have a look at the practice cave sooner. He was amazed when he saw it and learned what it was for. When I gave him a demonstration with my bow he was excited and I could tell that he was dying to try one. When I explained that we planned to have a bow and arrows for every member of the camp and intended to teach them all how to use them during the winter he realized at once what an advantage it would be.

I was fairly certain that Raalto would be bringing his camp to join us after the archery demonstration. He, Georgo and I discussed dealing with the other men and we all agreed that talking to them about it first would be the best way to proceed. We all agreed again that today wasn't the day for it though and then I had an idea.

I got Raalto a bow and some arrows to try and I showed Georgo his locker so he could get his equipment. I gave them both a little instruction to get them started and left them at it. I went to my cave and sat down at Frank. I asked for a few pitchers of Bloody Marys and when they appeared on the table I sent Geera, Dalia and Dieta to rouse my main helpers and bring them to the table while I dug around in my medicine stores for some Percodan. I could cure the hangovers and while I didn't intend to do it every time I was going to do it today so I could talk to them.

My mates were soon back with the grumbling men and their mates. I smiled to myself to see them all wearing their new Wilma outfits and nearly laughed when thinking about Barbo waking later to find Jara sporting new clothes too. He probably wouldn't think anything about it and I guessed that was for the best.

After a Percodan and a couple of bloody Mary's I made sure that the men ate breakfast whether they needed it or not. Only Barago got sick enough to barf and after he'd washed his face I encouraged him to try again, he did and kept it down this time.

They all had a mug of coffee and I told them to go relax in their beds until their heads quit pounding. I went back to the practice cave to check on Georgo and Raalto.

They both surprised me with their progress. They were doing respectably well and I let them keep at it. I got my bow and joined them. I wanted to make it look like I was the one that knew what was going on and I would have to practice to keep that front up. I had done it all before but it had been a while since I'd done any shooting with a bow and I could see from Raalto's rate of progress that I'd be passed by if I didn't put in a little effort.

As I practiced a little thought came wiggling up from my subconscious. It nagged at me but wouldn't materialize. While I kept shooting and also kept trying to remove the mental fog that seemed to block the subconscious to conscious progress of the idea my accuracy deteriorated. I wrenched my attention back to the practicing and let the thought take care of itself. At least my aim improved and after thirty more minutes of the exercise I quit and left Georgo and Raalto at it. I went back through my cave and headed for the horse pens.

When I left my cave I was surprised to find only three people outside. The night's celebration had been even more successful than I'd known. Nadlo, Jonoco and Danlo were out and about now. They were making a start at cleaning up the area but I noticed that they stayed close enough to each other so that they could converse while they were at it. No doubt they were going over their night's activities with fond memories.

When they noticed me they stopped what they were doing and approached.

"How was your evening men?" I asked and got nothing in reply but wide grins.

I asked them to knock off policing the area and come with me to the pens. When we arrived I got one of my lariats from inside the horse cave's now organized tack storage. I saw that Argent had supplied a full assortment of tack for all the new horses. I was slightly surprised to see that along with the harness for the Clydesdales a complete set of tack for riding them has also been supplied. I smiled at the thought of letting a small rider climb aboard one of the giants for an afternoon gallop. Maybe later.

Grabbing a halter and bridle for Red and asking Danlo to bring Red's McClellan and pad I headed for the pen to see how amenable Red would be to a little ride.

I needn't have bothered with the lariat. I should have known it wouldn't be needed. Since Red had been spending most of his life at stud he probably assumed that he was about to do a little fucking anytime a human came for him. He walked right up to me as soon as he understood that I was indeed coming for him. He gave me no trouble while I put the halter on him but he did seem a little surprised to receive the bridle and bits.

Jonoco held the lead rope as I saddled Red and when I took the bridle's reins and mounted he released the lead rope's snap. Danlo opened the gate and Red and I headed out of the pen and down river.

Red was magnificent. While he wasn't exactly what had been desired by those that had owned him he was exactly a wonderful horse for my normal use. I eased him into a gentle gallop and could tell that he was casually traveling at half again the speed of Ben's slow lope. I let Red set the pace and after about three miles I realized that he could probably keep to this speed all day with only minimum breaks for a blow occasionally.

I slowed him and we turned back toward home. I knew better than to ask Red to bolt from a standing stop. I could already tell that he was much faster and more powerful than any horse I had ever had between my legs and I'm sure if I had asked him to make a race type start that I would have been thrown back over his powerful ass as he left. I'd often seen that happen to even the small jockeys in quarter horse racing and I knew that my extra weight would be even more likely to stay where it was as Red left without me.

I eased him into the slow lope again and then asked him to run with my heels. Red put on a burst and I found myself traveling faster on horseback than I ever had before. His speed was incredible. I pulled him back to the slow lope quickly. I didn't need to get back to camp that fast and I sure as hell didn't want him to find a hole to break a leg in.

When we got back Jonoco, Nadlo and Danlo were clearly amazed that I had been able to ride him with no trouble since they considered him a wild horse. They asked me about it and I told them that the spirits must have intended for these new horses to obey us. They chewed this like a pickle and I told them to get some halters for the big horses and see if they could get them harnessed for a test drive with the wagons.

While they were fetching tack I looked over the new horses again and saw that we had two more than I had found upriver. There were two beautifully matched Morgans with the bunch now. Sooner or later Argent was going to need to stop sending gifts but I wasn't going to berate him for this. I knew at once that the Morgans must be for Georgo's wagon and I went to the cave myself to look for their harness. I couldn't wait to see them trotting off with the buckboard.

When my wranglers had four of the Clydesdales ready we led them to the big wagon. Argent and company had changed the hitch at sometime and the wagon was ready for four draft horses now instead of two riding sized horses. Of course the giants stood patiently as my helpers and I made the adjustments and hitched them.

We all climbed aboard when everything was ready and headed upriver this time. The trip was as uneventful as could be. I'm sure that the team barely noticed the wagons miniscule weight as they merrily trotted off with it. I only went as far as the ramp and then turned back. I didn't have the M1 with me and didn't want to risk a meeting with Smilodon or anything else nasty. Thinking of the M1 finally let my nagging thought gain focus.

When we got back to the pens I told Danlo, Jonoco and Nadlo which horses were for Georgo's buckboard and asked them to give all the new horses at least a try and to let me know if any of them seemed to need further training. I was sure that none would. I returned to my cave hoping to find Raalto still there.

Racaato, Raalto and Georgo were sitting at the table drinking coffee. Erieta, Failiela, Cahttiea and Britta were having their breakfast while most of my mates were either eating their breakfast or cooking more. I asked Racaato how he was feeling now and he smiled, telling me he felt very good and asked me how that could be. I didn't answer that question but I did ask him to come to the practice cave with me.

"What do you think of Raalto?" I asked him when we were at the shooting benches.

"He is the best camp leader I know of except you." He told me.

"Do you think that he can be trusted with the secret of the rifle?"

"If anyone can he can. I have known Raalto for quite a while and have always considered him honorable and loyal. He could have become leader of his camp almost a year before he did but did not attempt to out of loyalty to his leader." Racaato said.

"He is considering bringing his camp to join us here." I said.

"I think that we should do everything we can to encourage it. Raalto would be excellent as your second in command and I am a little surprised that he would consider it." He said.

"His only question is where he would fit in here. Would you be offended if he were made my second man?"

"No. It would seem strange to me if he weren't. Until you Raalto's camp was the largest. I don't see how anyone could dispute Raalto's place as second man here." Racaato said.

"I am glad to know your thoughts on the matter. I must speak to the others also but I have decided to show Raalto the secret of the rifle. Do you think you can show him how to use it?"

"I can show him what I know but I'm sure that I cannot tell him everything that you told me and I still have not finished my lessons with Frank. It is a little difficult because Frank is often busy with other lessons for your mates." Racaato said.

"I had not even thought of that but I see now that it must be true. I will try to get another place for lessons. Do you feel well enough to go to the horses and get familiar with some of the new ones?"

"Yes, I feel fine. Will we be trying to train the new horses soon?" He asked.

"I don't understand how but the newest horses seem to be practically trained already. I want you to try a ride on all of the new riding size mares. While you are riding them try to decide if you would rather keep Bonehead or switch to one of the new mares."

"I will go and do it now then." Racaato said and left.

I took out my palm and contacted Argent. He agreed that another Frank was in order and in a few minutes he had created a study room with a new entrance near the entrance to the bulk storage room for the weapons and ammunition. It came complete with chairs and both a large and small display exactly like the other setup. I named this one Phil then left to see if I could talk to Barago or Caato.

I found Caato at the table with Bigglieo; they were both drinking coffee. I got some coffee and sat down to talk. I broached the subject and got basically the same response from both of them. They were glad that Raalto was thinking of joining us and both said that they would consider it only right for him to be designated second in command. All that remained for me now was to talk to Colonto and Barago. Caato told me that Colonto was feeling well and was outside but he said that Barago was still resting.

I decided to leave Barago alone and I went outside to talk with Colonto. When I found him and we talked Colonto told me he was surprised and honored that I would consult him about the matter. I assured him that since he had joined us I wanted his opinions and would always consider them. He was quick then to assure me that Raalto deserved to be second in command if his camp did join with us.

I had a feeling that everything would work out well now and I went into the big cave looking for Raalto. He wasn't there but I saw Reeana and Jareena, his mates. They told me that he had gone to examine the horses. They let me know that he had talked to them about the merging and that they were hoping everything could be worked out.

"In fact we are hoping that when we leave to return to our camp it will be to pack." Jareena said.

I told them I was hoping for the same outcome and left to find Raalto.

He and Racaato were together at the horse pens. Racaato was on his second trial mare and though I could tell that he was still tentative I also saw that he was doing better. When he finished with this one I called Danlo to take care of her and asked Racaato and Raalto to return to the practice cave with me.

"Do you think that you are ready to see my secret method of killing the bison Raalto?" I asked him as we all walked back toward my cave.

"I know that I am ready to see it, I do not know if I am ready to try it." He said.

"Once you see it you will be asking to try it Raalto." Racaato said.

"It is easier than you might think but it is not as easy as it will look when you see it at first. Don't worry though as it will all be explained to you thoroughly." I said.

When we were in the practice cave I asked Racaato to get his rifle and give Raalto a demonstration. I showed them the new study room before the firing began and asked Racaato to give Raalto a short demonstration and then take him to the new room and have Phil start the lessons. They both agreed and I was loose again.

It had been a busy morning for me and it wasn't half way to noon yet. When I got back to my cave Georgo was deep into more coffee and I joined him. He was happy that things were moving so fast. I was too but I was still anxious to talk to Barago. Ladeliea brought a mug of coffee for me and then returned to the gathering in front of Frank. It seemed that all the women that lived near me were going over their cooking lessons. I saw that my mates had included Jara in their gathering. I could also see from the way she was sitting that she didn't see the necessity of wearing her thong in my cave.

I pulled my attention away from Jara's bush and back to the table when Barago came in to join Georgo and I at the table. I did get a flash of Britta's blonde bush as she got up to get coffee for Barago but I tried not to linger on it. When she went back to the lessons I broached the subject of Raalto and his camp with Barago.

He seemed particularly enthused with the idea. He thought that it was only right for Raalto to have the position he wanted and he encouraged me to try my best to convince Raalto that it would be the best thing for all of us. I assured him that I would.

I felt like rushing back into the practice cave to tell Raalto about my talks with the others but I didn't. I did go over to speak to Geera and tell her that I thought they should go and get Jareena and Reeana and invite them to join the lessons. She smiled excitedly when she realized what I meant, grabbed Dieta by the arm, and headed outside leaving all the others to wonder what was going on. I didn't tell them anything but I did ask if they didn't think it was time for some motions to be made toward lunch. They laughed at me but got up to cook anyway.

I sat at the table and watched the show with Georgo. Barago had to leave suddenly and from the look of his gait I thought he might be experiencing distress from the other end of his digestive tract now. Geera and Dieta returned with Jareena and Reeana and I happily watched for flashes of naked asscheeks from all the lovely cooks all the while speculating about what Jareena and Reeana would show me after I'd had the chance to honor Raalto. It was a wonderful way to wait for my lunch.

I noticed Racaato and Raalto coming from the practice cave then and when they were seated I told Raalto that I had spoken to all my main men now and that they all agreed that he should be second man if he did decide to join us. He smiled and thanked me.

"You are very much smarter than I thought John and I already knew that you must be very smart. You did know that showing me the rifle would seal my decision didn't you?" He said.

"I hoped that it would but I also made sure to settle any other possible objections too."

"Yes you did and I thank you for that also. When the wagons leave to begin gathering the possessions of the others I hope that they will have room for many of our possessions also. I will be going back to pack." He said smiling.

"Then you must make sure to practice with the rifle and learn to ride a horse. The rifle will afford you the ability to protect your people much more effectively than ever before and the horse will allow you to move quickly among them if you need to." I said.

"It is strange somehow that I came here to celebrate a mating and see what your camp was like and now I find myself learning things that I would never even have considered and longing to hurry and finish moving here." Raalto said.

"I think it shows that you are very smart yourself, to recognize a better situation so quickly when you see it."

"I do also and it shows that what I've been telling Barbo all along about his bruga is correct. While he drank it until he didn't know where he was, Raalto paid attention to the needs of his camp and found them a better place to live." Jara said as she handed me my plate.

She leaned in close to me as she set it down and I couldn't resist running my hand up the inside of her leg, nearly to heaven. She smiled at me and gave me a peck on the cheek as she left.

Reeana and Jareena were coming to us then, Reeana with Raalto's plate and Jareena with a mug of beer for both of us. Reeana set Raalto's plate before him.

"Is it settled then my mate? Will we join this camp?" She asked.

"I have decided we will join them." Raalto said.

"Then I am bringing a mug of bruga to my new leader for the first time." Jareena said as she stepped between Raalto and I to set the mugs down, rubbing what promised to be a wonderfully round and firm ass against my shoulder in the process.

I silently cursed a growing dicky when she did it and nearly blushed when first Jareena and then Reeana gave me a peck on the cheek also.

After we'd all eaten Raalto turned to me asking what his new leader's first request of him would be. I told him that learning to use the rifle and then a Glock should come first and that after that we would all go to the horse pens for riding lessons.

"But what is a Glock?" Raalto asked.

"It is perhaps John's best kept secret. You will be very surprised when you see its power as I am now surprised that he will be sharing this magic with you." Georgo told him.

"When you have made a good start with the rifle come to get me and I will show you the Glock." I said.

Racaato and Raalto left then and headed back to the practice cave. Georgo and I sat on our asses and talked for a while. Several things were trying to get my attention at once. I needed to get hay for all these new horses for the winter. Once more we would be disrupted by days of freighting possessions. I would need even more cave modifications to make room for Raalto and his mates and for Daaggo, his second, also. Even though the new horses needed practically no training we still had done no training of the bunch before them and we would soon need their help. Things were moving more quickly than I could have ever imagined and winter was on its way also. It looked like I was going to have to do some actual planning.