John and Argent by cmsix

Chapter 61

When I woke the next morning I was in bed with Geera and Dieta. The rest of my mates, and Daria, were already gone. Snuggled up to Dieta's ass, I reached over and began toying with her nipples; her hips began squirming before she woke and dicky did a little squirming of his own. A little streak of meanness crept up from somewhere and as Dieta came to life I gave her round ass a firm slap.

"Ow, what was that for John?" She asked.

"I just wanted to make sure that you were awake."

"Well I am now." She said.

"Good, why don't you and Geera come and help me shower?"

"I think we will." Geera said as she gave my ass a slap.

We got up and went to the bathroom. When we were out and dry we returned to the bedroom and dressed then headed for the kitchen. I went to the table and took a chair; Kota was naked and came to me with my coffee right away. I pulled her into my lap as she set it down and after giving her a good fondling and then finger fucking she returned to the bedroom. Racaato came in and sat down just after she disappeared.

"I think I have in mind a total of those that want to go on the mammoth hunt." He said.

"Is it more than we will have room for?"

"It is many more than we can carry in the two wagons." He admitted.

"I forgot to tell you that we would have seven wagons for the trip. It seems that more wagons and more of the big horses have appeared."

"But how could they?" He asked, shocked.

"We can't question the dealings of the spirits Racaato. All I can tell you is we now have six of the big wagons and we also have a four horse team for each one, including a four horse team for my first wagon."

"I see, that is wonderful, it means that we will be able to include everyone that has expressed a serious interest in wanting to go along. In fact, if some of us ride our horses we will have room to spare." He told me.

"That is good because we will have meat and such to bring back in the wagons and I do want all that can ride a horse to do so. I have some ideas for using the horses on the hunt, if we find the right group of mammoths."

"What do you have in mind?" He asked.

"I want to wait until we get there to tell. I would like for it to be a surprise."

"I see, but if I knew I might be able to scout ahead for the type of mammoth you want to find." He said.

"You are right. I want to find a group of mammoths with some young ones among them and I intend to use the horses to try and bring them back with us, alive. I believe that we can eventually train them as we have done with the horses. When they are grown they are very strong."

Of course I didn't need for Racaato to scout for the mammoths. I could easily go and check the video feeds and find them myself. That wasn't the point though. Lately I had been relying on Argent too heavily for such things and I was afraid that my group would come to think that I could see the future or something like that. It wouldn't hurt to find the mammoth group that I wanted and then make sure that Racaato scouted in their direction.

"I have never heard of anything like that but I had never seen a wagon or a man riding a horse before you came. Maybe it will be good to train some mammoths. Even if we can't make them do what we want they will be a powerful omen for any that see them in our camp and we can always eat them later if we find nothing else to do with them." He said.

"You see it will be worth the extra effort. We will only try to capture the small ones; they should be easily handled."

"But they will need their mothers for milk." He said.

"They would grow faster if they had their mother's milk but they can live without it by now. I'm afraid that keeping the mothers alive and driving them home would be more than we will be able to do."

"You are probably right. Mammoths are not very aggressive but if they are provoked they can be dangerous. I just hope that you don't intend to bring home some young rhinos." He said.

"Rhinos act much to strangely to bother with; they are unpredictable and even the small ones could do serious damage."

I asked Racaato not to discuss our baby mammoth capture plans with anyone except Raalto and he agreed. Raalto happened in just then and we went over it all again to bring him up to speed. He wasn't as enthusiastic as Racaato had seemed but he couldn't find any harm in trying it. When the others started appearing for breakfast we tabled the discussion.

Just after I'd finished my breakfast Deimeta came out of the bedroom and was no doubt looking for some of her own. I pulled her into my lap, gave her a good morning kiss on the cheek and by that time Eileiea was there with her plate and her pint sized coffee mug.

"Are you going to feed me Daddy?" Deimeta asked.

"There is nothing I would like better."

As I used a fork to offer Deimeta bites of breakfast I marveled that it didn't seem like a chore at all. In fact I loved doing it and Deimeta enjoyed the attention. After she'd finished we both sipped from our coffee mugs.

"Would you like to go with me today? I'm going to take Burtalgo back to his camp, the one where I found you."

"Won't it be cold on the trip?" She asked.

"The snow is melting now and it isn't as cold out today. You don't have to go if you don't want to."

"I would like to go if it is warmer." She said.

Geera came over and volunteered to take Deimeta back to the bedroom and dress her in warmer clothes for the trip and I reluctantly released her. Danlo was finished eating by now and he left to hitch a team of only two Clydesdales to my original wagon. I asked him to saddle Red and tie him to the back just in case we ended up needing him for something.

When I entered the bedroom to put on some warmer clothes for myself I saw that Argent had taken time to go ahead and send the new things. Deimeta was giggling as she stood patiently, completely naked, while Geera tried to get the new leotard on her. Finally Geera just stretched the neck open and had Deimeta step in and then pulled the rest of it up around her, wrestling to stretch the garment enough to allow Deimeta to slip her arms into the long sleeves.

I grinned as I saw that Deimeta had a tiny set of chain mail now and then I noticed that I had new clothes of my own. Stripping I put on my new boxers. The material didn't feel like any I had encountered but it was comfortable and didn't itch. I continued with the new long sleeved T-shirt, long underwear bottoms and then put my own mail back on. All the rest of my clothes were of the new material and they seemed thinner than my others. I wondered what was going to be warmer about these new garments.

When I finished with my pants and shirt I sat on the edge of the bed and found I also had new socks and new boots. I put these on and since I would have a few minutes free I went to my office to ask Argent what the deal was.

He answered my message at once.

"Argent, these new clothes don't seem like they will be any warmer than the others."

"They may not seem warmer but they will be. They are more than insulation; they will not allow heat to escape unless it passes a certain temperature. They will also make sure that you do not become damp from sweat." He said.

"I don't understand how that can be possible. If they can let the moisture out then they won't be waterproof."

"Yes they are waterproof. Water from perspiration will be removed but no water can enter." He promised.

"How is that possible?"

"Your previous civilization had a concept for it but believed that it wasn't possible. It is possible but due to their slight misunderstanding of quantum mechanics they could not discover it. The cloth contains, in your earth's language, Maxwell's Daemon. I won't bore you with the details but Maxwell's Daemon was always possible, your scientist just didn't realize it. The cloth contains millions of the daemons and they regulate the water inside or outside the cloth. They can also make sure that heat energy does not pass, unless it needs to be vented." He explained.

"So the material consist of tiny check valves that allow heat in and water out but not vice versa?"

"I should think that you could visualize them better if you considered them semi conductors. However they are semi conductors for heat energy and water molecules. The concentration of heat and moisture on the inside adjust the percentage of the conducting." He told me.

"Well the clothes and boots are comfortable enough and if I'm warm in them I'll just be happy and forget trying to discover how they work. I'll admit that quantum mechanics was never one of my strong suits, I don't know a strange quark from a charm quark."

"Good." He sent and signed off.

Danlo was back by now and asking me about the new wagons and horses. I had to give him the "spirits work in mysterious ways" talk. He was mollified after a while.

My mates packed plenty of food and plenty of coffee. We gathered up Burtalgo and Deimeta and headed for the horse cave. Only a few minutes later we boarded the wagon and with a snap of the reins Danlo had us on our way. The ride toward Dunto's camp was uneventful until we met Dunto and two of his hunters just north of Raalto's old camp.

"Greetings Dunto, are you out looking for Burtalgo?"

"Yes we are John. We feared we would only find his body though. It looks like he is in better shape than we had any right to expect." He said.

"The night before the snow I had a vision that showed someone caught out in the cold. Danlo and I came this way looking and we found him, nearly frozen. We put him in the wagon and took him back to our camp and he has been recovering since then. He was well enough to bring back today."

"I am glad, we have lost enough men for a while. Was he able to remember the message I sent with him?" Dunto asked.

"Yes he was and I will gladly trade with you for the widows."

"I'm sure that they will be glad to go since there are no men for them to mate in my camp." He said.

"I hope that salt will be appropriate for the trading. I have brought some in case it will be."

"Salt will be fine." He assured me.

"Why don't you and your men climb aboard and we can all ride to your camp?"

"Good, I have been wondering what it would be like to ride in this. Did you say it was a wagon?" He asked.

"That is what it is called."

We started again when they were seated in the wagon box and most of the rest of my trip was spent answering questions about the wagon and the horses. I referred Dunto to the spirits for some of the answers but I did explain how the wagon was used and some things about the horses. We were back in his camp before lunch.

After a noon meal Dunto and I gave a sham performance of a trade. I was glad to find that he didn't like to make a big spectacle of the negotiations. He did have the widows bring their children up and I acted as if their looks and condition mattered. In fact I had noticed both women when I was there before. They were a little taller than normal for these people. They had a daughter each and the girls seemed to be around eight years old. They were all in much better shape than Deimeta had been.

Deimeta stayed with me during the trading and it didn't seem to bother Dunto. He even spoke to her a time or two. I could tell that some of the others in the camp were bewildered by her obvious increase in status. This was probably helped along by her new clothes and also by the fact that she was wearing a new coat, made from the last of the lion cub skins. Not many people had lion fur to wear. She was also decked out with her own necklace. Geera and Dieta had made it for her from a few of the teeth and claws in our collection and there was no mistaking the cave bear claws and lion teeth that it was made of. During the meal she had sat comfortably in my lap as she ate and she had sipped occasionally from her coffee mug.

Soon enough the salt was delivered and we helped the widows load their belongings and children. Deimeta was happy to have new playmates and when she asked if she could sit in the wagon with them I agreed. The three entertained themselves during the ride back to our camp.

When we arrived and went into my cave Deimeta showed her new friends the rocking horse and they were delighted to have a turn on it. Their mothers were in full culture shock when they saw their new quarters. Tulaara and Weeahta were quick to help them with their things and then gave them a short course in the new cooking facilities.

Later, when the evening meal was on the table, the new arrivals ate with us. I was happy that Deimeta left her friends then to sit in my lap during supper.

"Have you tired of your new friends all ready Deimeta?"

"Oh no, I just didn't want you to have to eat alone Daddy." She said, smiling at me.

"I'm glad, I want to make sure that you have plenty to eat and I can do a better job of it if I feed you."

"I like it too, I feel very special when you feed me. It lets everyone know that you care for me." She said.

"I do care for you Deimeta, very much."

She sighed a little and smiled at me and then opened her mouth for a bite. It was an enjoyable time but all to soon the meal was over. Deimeta went back to her new friends and the rocking horse was quickly pressed back into action.

Raalto and Racaato came over near me and we talked about the mammoth hunt some more. There was a finite list of participants now. One hundred and four people were going along. This included all of my mates except Xailieta, she didn't think it wise to take Baatiea and Beetiea on the journey and she wasn't about to leave them in the care of someone else for several days. I thought that I could make it through the journey with only all my other mates to care for me.

I took Raalto and Racaato back into the practice cave then and helped them acquaint themselves with their.50 caliber rifles. Even though they were now accustomed to using a rifle the big.50s took some getting used to. They fired about a hundred rounds each and soon enough they had a serviceable familiarity with them.

We decided to spend tomorrow getting our packing done and the next day we would leave after breakfast. I spent a little time in the office looking over our intended hunting ground and found a good group of suspects to try for. It was a pretty large bunch with a dominant male, six females with young ones and four mature males that didn't have what it took to displace the head man. If we did took all the mature ones we would have more meat than we could use. It was far better to have too much meat than too little though.

That night I spent a lot more time than usual giving Xailieta a lot of special attention. She returned it in spades and I could tell that she was going to miss me while I was gone. I would miss her too even though I would have the rest of my mates with me. I had a soft spot for all of them now and if one was missing I noticed. It was a little funny to me that I have been mostly a loner in my old life but had become such an old softie here and now. I liked my family here though and I couldn't help it, I didn't want to help it.

We were up early the next morning and after breakfast many people set about the packing while Danlo, Jonoco, Nadlo, Sahto, Talvo and I headed for the horse cave. We hitched all the wagons, stowed their tops underneath and brought them up to park them near the entrances, returning the teams to their cave. With the wagons nearby everyone started packing their things into them.

I was glad that Bigglieo helped with the packing even though he wasn't going on the trip and I made sure that Danlo and Jonoco stayed near him so that they could benefit from his experience. Bigglieo was a master at cramming everything in sight into a wagon.

Daaggo spent the day with some of his best helpers by scrounging together four large huts that we could erect when we got to a good campsite. Even though he had used a considerable fraction of the disassembled huts for the cave entrance closures he still had plenty to work with and he assured me that once he had the traveling huts up we would all have a place to sleep indoors.

We worked at the arranging and packing all day with only a short meal around noon. We finished before sunset and my mates made sure that we all had a good meal on our last night before the hunt. I made sure to pay plenty of attention to Xailieta again that night and just as we snuggled down to sleep she told me that she would need the time apart from me for resting. All of the others told her that they would try to make sure I didn't come back without being thoroughly exercised.

"Don't over do it. That thing is like a muscle, the more you work it the bigger and stronger it seems to get." She said.