World of Ranicke Bk. 02 Ch. 01

To be honest everyone was beat and it was late and everyone was hungry as well. Eventually he did get in a shower and relaxed in the hot water though he didn't take too long and after getting dressed again slowly walked to his tent and after making sure his feet were clean enough walked in. Sheeha came over with a cup of something warm and a large plate of food.

"Here you go Jim and relax. Most of the kits are in bed and taken care of." She had long since decided that in addition to teaching Alon she was going to simply serve Jim as best possible. When her heat had come the first time she had quietly talked to Sorrel about it and quietly requested that Jim take care of it though she didn't want any cubs from it. It was simply the drive to mate and nothing else. He was nice enough and good looking but she wanted a Puma mate and not a human or other species.

Jim groaned slightly as he settled down and rubbed his shoulder. "Thank you Sheeha. This is just what I need." He checked the temp of the drink which was sort of like a tea and slurped about half of it down before falling on the food with vigor. "Thanks for helping with the kids and everything today. That was a horrible mess and man I feel sorry for that poor couple. If the rains hadn't started early this season they would have been ready for it."

She had to shake her head. "They definitely did come early and dragging things through the mud was a horrible pain in the butt." The power stones had been used to dry out the areas the tents were going to be placed but the last day of travel had been horrible. "It was nice to see the tribe though before the storms hit." She noticed him rubbing his shoulder in started giving his shoulders a good massage which usually helped. "Nasha has her bed all ready for you and the pups are asleep already."

"Thank god. I am not sure I could deal with much else this evening." Right about then Farion, the young man he had drug with, came in tail dragging. "Go and get him some food and something warm as well please. I am sure he is going to sleep like a rock."

Farion simply yawned at Jim and gave Sheeha a shy smile. She was a good looking woman but he was too young to do much other than crush on her. "If you don't mind I would really appreciate it." He collapsed in a chair and groaned. "Do I really want to grow up? That was really hard work." Farion knew he would get something from it which would make it worth it but he was still beat. "Lady, even my tail is tired."

Eventually they were done eating and Farion tucked himself into his bed and was snoring even before his head hit the bed. That was part of the reason Jim had taken him out was to ensure he slept the night through.

Jim walked into the small tent that belonged to Alon and leaned over and gave both of his children with her a peck before sitting on the edge of the bed and stretching. He wasn't really sore from the work but his right shoulder was bothering him some and Nasha figured as much.

She settled down behind him and started massaging his shoulders and upper back which usually helped. "Man you are tense this evening. Must have been a long day for you." She knew that trying to fix drainage ditches in the rainy season could be really difficult and it was late in the evening. As she worked on him he tried not to groan but she could feel the tension and used a bit of warming oil to loosen up the muscles as she worked.

"Needed to be done and not really that long though it was a struggle we did get something temporary done till tomorrow when we will finish it. Hopefully next rainy season will give us time to firm up the foundations of the ditches so we don't have to worry about them washing away." Now that was one thing he hadn't had to worry about though they did have to expand the extent of the ditches around their caravan.

"I remember both helping to build this caravan and expanding the territory around it so we would stay mostly dry. What feels weird is if I did end up going back to my world for some reason I would end up freezing my butt off instead of sweating it off." As she was working on him he tried not to tense up and or groan but it felt so good. All three of his ladies were very good with their hands when it came to working the knots out of his right shoulder. The only drawback was it tended to put him to sleep and if one or the other wanted a bit of fun it wouldn't be till he woke up later. As late as it was he knew he was going to sleep the night through.

She finished working on him and wiped the traces of oil off. "Lay down and go to sleep Yim and I will take care of the babies if they wake." She had delivered their children about two months ago. "Come lay down and curl up next to me and let's sleep." She urged him down and curled up next to him and pulled the light cover over him and snuggled close to him. "Good night love."

He had to smile as she urged him down. "Good night my love as well." He curled an arm around her and worked his fingers into the fur on her back and sighed. "How did I manage to get three such lovely women in my life?" Jim yawned. "Not to mention some totally wonderful if sometimes aggravating children? I am so blessed by all of you." That was a mumble as he fell asleep next to her warmth.

~~~

As he was falling asleep the memories of his interview with the masters and elders invaded. They were neither good nor bad but sort of a mix of both. Alon's questions from earlier had sort of stirred them up and he was sort of reliving them. One of his greatest fears, other than being pulled back to his world had been being denied acceptance to the tribe.

He showed up at the tent as requested and watched as the various masters involved and several elders showed up and walked into the caravan. Chief Moran greeted each as they arrived and waved them into the caravan. Moments later several tribes' women carried several trays of drinks and snacks into the caravan and then silently left. Once everyone was inside he waved Jim in and followed.

Jim had been in here before but today it was vastly different. The bed and other items had been folded up against the wall and all there was on the floor was some chairs and a table with the food. He had to smile slightly since he was going to be standing. He had a feeling that was going to be the case till Thomas came in with a chair for him.

"Sit James. We know you have been badly injured and you don't need the added stress." That was one of the elders and actually startled him. "Chief Moran has passed your request on to us and we have contemplated it and have some questions for you. It might take some time so relax."

Jim bowed slightly at the elder since he couldn't do much more than that at the moment. "Thank you elder." He carefully sat down and adjusted his right arm a bit in the sling and then nodded at Moran. "I am ready to answer any questions you have. As I told Chief Moran some answers I might not be able to make since they wouldn't make sense to you since I am from a different world."

Moran nodded to the warrior master to start the questioning and he did speak. "James what all training do you have in protecting the tribe." All knew what he had done but didn't really know what he had been trained as.

"Master once I finished my education I ended up in the military of my country." He looked at the others. "It is sort of like being a warrior of your tribe only on a larger scale." Jim turned back to the warrior master. "I was trained in how to survive off the land, organize people to resist oppressive leaders, how to kill, and that it was better to have a dead warrior than one that might come after me. I have been trained to be a killer."

That got a gasp from several till Moran waved a hand at them.

"What do you mean by killer James?" The warrior master asked.

"To protect innocents as best possible. If I kill the people who are causing problems the innocents can hopefully go back to their lives and continue their lives. That is why I fought the bear and even the bandits that attacked. It protected the innocents of the tribes. Chief Piquel called me James the Protector and that is how I see myself. I am to protect those that can't protect themselves."

The warrior master nodded and then looked at Master Eldon. "I am satisfied with his answer now it is for you to ask questions." The warrior master really wanted to keep Jim in the tribe since he had a great deal to teach them.

Eldon smiled. "So Jim what do you want out of being in the tribe?" That wasn't a question anyone had really expected and most obviously James.

He looked more than a bit startled. "What do I want?" He sighed and placed one hand on the table and contemplated it. "I want to just be a tribe member. I don't want to be James the bear slayer, Jim strong arm, or anything else. I want to be a warrior, court the ladies in my life, and just another member of the tribe. I have asked Chief Moran if I can pay court to his daughter as well as Nasha and Nora. I know this is sort of odd but I love all three. I have also asked to be able to act as loco parentis for the orphans that I have been playing music with."

He finally looked up at Eldon. "I am tired of being James the killer and simply want to be Jim the tribe member. I want to be someone who will help the tribe by singing, playing various instruments, and loving the ladies in my life."

One of the elders looked at him. "So what education have you had? I have talked to Moran and it sounds like you have had some additional education. What was it and how might it help the tribe?"

Jim looked at him as he was lightly rubbing his shoulder. "I was educated in cultures and sociology." He took a drink of some sweet water. "What that means is that I was trained to look at a culture and try to figure out how the culture came about and how the social structure was created. I couldn't find a job related to that and joined the military." He grinned slightly at Moran.

"For example in your tribe nudity in the bathing area is normal and not even blinked at even if you have a little with you. In my world, well my country we normally usually showered alone unless we are with one we are intimate with. Another example is the bed swapping that is very common in your culture since most of the females only come into heat twice a year. In my world our females are fertile year around so bed hopping isn't nearly as common."

The other elder wasn't quite as pleasant though after hearing about how Jim had treated a former elder he wasn't nearly as unpleasant. "So why do you want to join the tribe?" He wanted a good solid answer before he gave his opinion.

James looked at him and sat as straight as he could. "Elder I want to join the tribe for the reasons I have mentioned. I want to pay court to Chief Moran's daughter as well as Nasha and Nora. I love them deeply though how that happened I am not sure. I want to protect the tribe to the best of my abilities and possibly teach some of what I know to the other warriors so they can protect the tribe as best possible. I am guardian for Alon and have petitioned to become at least loco parentis for the orphans I have been teaching and learning from."

"I am tired of who I was and want to be someone new. Call me Jim the protector, Jim whatever, or even just Jim. I want a new life where I can settle down, love the ladies in my life and maybe have a few children of my own. That is what I want." His face showed how he felt about what he was saying. "This tribe will be the saving of me. You might think I have saved some kits and pups but to be honest Sorrel and the other ladies have been the saving of me."

The questioning went on for several more hours before Jim was asked to leave as the deliberated on if they wanted him in the tribe. As he was walking out Piquel walked up and with a nod walked into the caravan. Jim walked over to the tent and settled down on the bed and sort of curled up and hoped he would be allowed to join.

~~~

The next morning he woke and grumbled since it was still raining and they needed to finish the repairs to the trenches they had worked on the night before. "Oh man, just shoot me now. I really don't have any urge to do this in the rain." As it was he rolled out of bed after giving her a good kiss and pulled on his clothing. "I will hit the tents for food and something warm to drink and will see you later." Nasha had rolled on her back and he kissed her and then lightly licked her nose since that a sort of inu kiss. "One of my loves and one of my lives."

"And my love and my life as well. Take care Yim and I will take care of our pups." She licked his nose as well and watched him get dressed before heading to the pups tent. It was for the older pups that looked to Yim. He was almost too good for them.

He slung the axe and nudged the boy. "Time to get up so we can finish the trenching. See you at the food tent and make sure you eat a goodly amount since I am sure the chief will have more for us to do."

The boy grumbled but managed to get up and stretched. "God yesterday was a mess and we have more of it?" Man his back hurt from the work they had been doing.

"I will have one of the mammas massage your back later. If you had mentioned it I would have had one of them take care of you last night." The boy lowered his ears in embarrassment when Jim said that. All four of the women were good looking and he wasn't sure what to do about it. He was close enough to his majority that he was really starting to notice girls.

Jim took a moment to give the boy a quick massage of his shoulders and upper back though he wasn't anywhere as good as the ladies. "That should do till you loosen up a bit and we will make sure you get a good massage later." He lightly nudged the young man. "Should I have Sheeha do it for you?" The young man was just shy of his majority and Jim wasn't stupid enough to think he hadn't noticed her.

Farioun blushed slightly. "If you wish poppe Jim. It would feel good whoever massages my back." He stretched again and it did feel better. He grabbed his rain cape and followed Jim to the food tents. One nice thing about coming with Jim was they tended to get a bit more food and he took advantage of it and chowed down. Over the last few years he had grown several inches and was actually taller than Jim though not as muscled. He had a sort of scrawny look as his body tried to catch up with the growth spurt.

Jim had to grin at the boy as he was eating. Watching him eat was almost daunting since there was a sort of determination that he didn't apply to much else other than his music. He was an apprentice to one of the other song smiths and was doing very well. He would probably make it from apprentice to junior journey man when he hit his majority. "At least try to chew the food before you swallow Farion. I would hate to have you choke to death one of these days.

Farion grumbled at him and kept eating. Eventually they were done and he followed Jim as they gathered up the crew from the day before and went back to the tents that needed the work. "Morning and hope you slept somewhat dryly." He greeted the young couple with a grin.

The woman smiled. "Thanks for all the help and I have some hot tea for everyone as well." Her mate was outside and was working on the trench around the tent. Inside was relatively dry which he was glad for since they had worked their asses off. "It was nice not to wake up to a damp rug or wondering of your cloths were going to be dry."

Jim grinned and accepted the tea and slurped it down since it was cool enough. "I still miss coffee darn it though you have no idea what it is." He would almost kill for a cup of it. It could be instant coffee and he would knife someone for it. "Well men let's get to work and the sooner we get to work the sooner we can either find out what else there is or go and get dry and warm." He headed out and was followed by the men. "Okay, half of you go and find rocks we can use. The other half we are going to finish the trenching."

It took a good four hours for them to finish the trenching and then lining with the small rocks that had been brought in. Once done he dismissed them. "Same as yesterday though you might want to wait for this evening to shower." They all had some more of the tea and were given the bracelets that seemed to be the way of saying thanks. Jim's was nicer but not so much that it called attention to him. As of now he had a few dozen of the silly things.

The males thanked her for them and the warm tea and left to do other things. Jim headed back towards the tent and stopped at Moran's tent. "Afternoon Moran. Got the trenching done and they were dry last night. Any other lovely jobs you have for me?" He settled in a chair and smiled when one of Moran's other kids brought him something warm to drink. "I think I am slowly getting used to your definition of warm and cold. If I ended up back in my world and snow I would freeze my man bits off."

Moran shook his head. "The idea of solid water still bothers me except on the top of the mountains." He took a sip and smiled at his son when he brought the pot over. "Actually right now there isn't a great deal to do. You took care of the ditch and my other children have taken care of the other issues." He sipped on the tea and leaned back a bit. "I have to say that I am glad we accepted you Jim. You have been very good for the tribe and even better for your ladies and the children."

Moran smiled at him. "I have to admit that I didn't expect to be a grandfather at my age but the child you had with Sorrel is just darling. Nasha's pups are lovely as well and I consider them my grand kids as well." He was staring out at the encampment and the rain. "I have been around for more years than you can imagine and still hate the rain." He frowned and muttered a bit. "I know you have been here for several years but I am very glad that you requested to join the tribe and the tribe has greatly been inspired by you."

Jim snorted. "Considering that your oldest girl is over 80 turns you should be a grandfather by now." He contemplated the comment and what the White Lady had told him. He was going to live longer, much longer than he normally would. Something like 400 turns if he didn't die from general stupidity. "I love all my kids even if they aren't mine. Your accepting me in the tribe has given me a new life and more than I ever expected. Thanks for allowing me to both court and mate with your little girl." His memories flashed back again. For some reason this rainy season was really making him think back to the week or so after he had asked to join the tribe.

Moran had come over that evening and settled down in one of the chairs they had and sighed. "Well Jim you are going to be accepted into both tribes. We are going to have a ceremony in two days to accept you. Tonight we are going to honor the warriors that fell defending the tribes. We would like you to start the fires that will free their spirits so they can be reborn in the future."

Jim looked at him and started slightly. "Why me? I just did what was needed. It didn't matter if it was a Puma tribe member or one of ours I would have done the same." God he hated this, coming to this world it seemed that all he had been doing was either killing or healing and he hated it. He wanted a different life and possibly joining the tribe and mating with Sorrel and the others was giving him that chance.

"I would be honored to start the fires Chief. I hate the idea that warriors died but that is life." He took a sip of his drink and smiled when Tonya crawled onto his lap and snuggled close. "I want to thank you and whoever for being willing to accept me into the tribe. I am growing to love this life and what I have been doing." He stroked Tonya's ears and hair as he was talking. "Thank you for giving me a chance to be someone different." He smiled as the little girl relaxed and enjoyed the petting.