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HORSE SENSE: BETTER MAN

A lone man, whom preferred to keep the company of his own kind as far away from him as possible, was cautiously picking his way along a creek. The rather wide waterway itself traveled through a valley that was within territory considered unsafe for men like him. Although the territory itself had long since been declared registered property of the United States of America, the regional Lakota tribes still considered it their own and made their claim very clear to those ignorant enough to wonder near where they still lived. As far as John was concerned, this existing political condition did not apply to him. After enduring a war he did not want to fight, he cared nothing about what land belonged to whom and just wanted to live the same free life as the men many generations before him lived in this country. Thus why once the Civil War was over, he made arrangements to slowly disappear from the likes of civilization and use what his father taught him about survival, to live his own life out west in the wide open wilderness. Had his dad still been alive, things might be different. He would have purchased some land of his own to farm, while settling down with a wife and kids. Perhaps befriend another man on neighboring property, to spend their own social time together hunting. All the normal things expected of a man.

Being among the few men whom had a mother die shortly after their birth, all he had was his father for many years. They couldn't help but grow a lot closer, as his dad didn't fancy being with another woman. He was happy to be there emotionally for the singular most important person in his life as both a boy and a young man. So when he received word of the man's departure from the mortal world during the second year of the war, it was no wonder that he felt like a part of him died inside. He then proceeded to fill that void with a lethal loyalty to the cause of the Union army. The things he did would make many of a woman recoil in either disgust or fear or both. He didn't blame them and quickly gave up on having such a person in his life after returning from the war. Since there was no one to claim the farm in his name after his dad died during the war, the local bank seized the property. Leaving the man with noting to call home. He saw this as an opportunity to start over fresh and spend some time wondering the last bit of untouched American wilderness out West, that he always heard so much about through stories as a boy. So here was, stalking his next meal along the creek, with his hand made fishing two prong spear gripped by his upturned bent arm. Eyes seeing beyond the ripples for the movement that would tell him when and where to strike.

Splash. Got'em. He quickly retracted the spear and pinned the flailing fish down on the nearest rock slab. John unsheathed his Bowie knife and swiftly severed the head, quickly bringing the flopping motion to a stop. He then scooped his hand down into the nearby muddy area and carved a hole a little bigger than the head. The severed body part was tossed into the hole, before the removed dirt was returned and firmly packed back down. John briefly washed his hands and knife clean, before sheathing it and removing the spear from the fish. He then took the strap that was slung diagonally across his chest and slid it off him with the attached wicker satchel. He reached inside and pulled out a small sheathed knife and carefully removed it from it's leather protector, being careful to not graze any skin of his own with it's super sharp edge. John then assumed a squatting position at the rock and proceeded to do the gutting and cleaning of his catch. Once he finished the prep, he unslung the opposite leather satchel and began unpacking eating supplies, wrapped in cloth to make no rattling noise. He then went back over to the mud patch, to bury the tail and fish guts, before returning back to the rock and begun preparing it to become the bottom of a small fire pit, with the addition of some rocks and dry leaves.

Somewhere up one of the embankments and hidden by the brush at the top of it, was another man watching him intently. Unlike John, this man had darker skin complexion and long black hair. He was utterly puzzled why anyone like this stranger would venture so far into his people's territory. Judging from the wind blowing towards him, this stranger at least didn't stink like others of his kind and seemed to be comfortable with wearing as little clothing as possible in the summer. This certainly was someone worth watching and tracking. He needed to know more.

Once John got satisfactory smoldering occurring in the leaves, he began adding dry twigs to encourage the fire to burst forth. Once this was achieved, he proceeded to debone the fish and lay it's two halves in the metal plate he packed, before hanging it by the attached homemade handle and ring on the improvised tree branch tripod over the rock slab. He then added more twigs to get the fire a little bigger and get the fish properly cooked. He retrieved a fork and spoon form the leather satchel and used them to occasionally flip the fish over. Once he was satisfied it was done, he grabbed the nearby tin cup and shuffled over to the creek water running nearby and dipped it in for some drink to go with the meat. John was then content everything was complete and began tearing apart the food prep area, tossing the twigs away and using water to clean off the rock slab. He then picked a soft comfortable spot with a little more sun to sit down cross legged and began eating the fish.

The hidden observer noticed this man was almost as tanned as him and his people. This was also unusual for someone that is supposedly a pale man. However... the stranger's face structure, short facial hair and his curious short wavy light brown hair was a reminder of his actual heritage. The observer simply remained in his hidden spot and watched some more, before finally making a decision about what was to be done about this visitor. The stranger then moved again and walked over to the muddy part of the river bank, before squatting down and using both hands to begin scooping up quite a bit of dirt. This moment also revealed another baffling feature of the visitor. He was literally wearing nothing on himself but a simple leather loin cloth, that appeared to be well made and soft, that flexed with the leg movement. What could have motivated a pale one to essentially abandon everything that defines his people, then come far out into the wilderness and live like the people who had been here for many many generations. He didn't have one of those loud sounding rifles on him. The man obviously only had his knives, hands and mind as tools for living in the wilderness. Fascinating.

John moved his ass over the hole he dug and waited for what his body no longer needed to exit out of him, then shuffled over and moved the nearby pile of dirt back into place. After giving it firm pats, he stood up walked over and out into the shallow creek, before removing his leather loincloth and squatting down into it to clean himself. He thought of his dad again during this moment and of the things the man taught him about proper personal care. Many of them being things that other men were not as keen on doing with themselves and then wondered why they were having embarrassing problems later on. Little things like their foreskin experiencing discomfort from infection, due to them not keeping that part of themselves properly cleaned on a regular basis. This gave him a chuckle as he finished the cleaning of his backside and then made sure his hands were then thoroughly scrubbed clean with a tiny brush he brought with him under the running water, before making sure his own foreskin was cleared of built up smegma. Then just as he straightened back up to his feet and began walking back to the creek bank, he heard some twigs snap nearby and up one of the embankments.

Remembering both what his dad taught him and what he learned in the Army, he remained still and moved his head around, slowly searching for any sign of who or what made the sudden sound. He kept calm and breathed evenly. His eyes then spotted movement just beyond one of the bushes way up one the taller embankments. The figure that emerged was thankfully nothing like a bear or wolf. Depending on how the situation progressed, they could end being just as dangerous. The native people of the land didn't fight like normal men and often required two soldiers to take them down… or a single shot from a pistol or rifle. The figure continued emerging from behind the bush and appeared to be just as cautious and uncertain about the situation themselves. Once they moved completely clear of the bush and began carefully picking their way down the embankment, it became clear that they too were a man and appeared to be alone so far. Perhaps he is a scout for a nearby patrol party. For the moment John simply remained in place and watched the man proficiently descend down the embankment and then stop once he was where it flattened off at the protruding rock ledge that bordered the creek. This native man then did something that was surprising. He asked a question in English.

“Morning. Are you lost?"

“No." Came the hesitant answer. “You speak English."

“I speak it. Not well as you. I learned when was young."

There was few moments in John's past, when he felt so exposed. Not so much because he was naked, but he had nothing on to protect him in a fight. That is if the initial greeting was a trick to lower his defenses before the fight itself. He simply remained where he was in the water and decided to test whether the situation was friendly or dangerous.

“My name is John." He announced.

“My tribe called me Darkhorse."

“That is a unique name."

“Unique?"

“Not many have that name?"

“Ah. No. Not many like it."

“You seem to speak English well enough to me."

“I had much practice when soldiers visit. I learned. Spoke for my tribe."

Of course it was soldiers. The territory was still considered dangerous land for civilians to wander alone, due to the continued tensions between the Lakota and the Army.

“Are you a scout?"

“Scout? Ah. I have not been with my tribe for many moons now."

“Well. That is a new one. Wonder what he did to get exiled form a tribe." John very quietly mumbled to himself.

“Please speak… Mmm…" The Native visitor began.

“Sorry." John interrupted. “I'm just confused by this situation. I am glad we are not fighting and it would seem neither of us want to, but my past experience as a soldier myself tells me this current situation is pretty different."

“Your… situation is strange to me. We talk more while bathing in river?"

John extended an arm and open upturned hand over the rippling water, as a gesture for Darkhorse to feel free to use the river and smiled.

“Thank you." The native replied.

He detached his own loin cloth and hunting knife, hung them on a nearby tree branch, then walked across the rock ledge and into the creek. John then squatted back down into the water and watched the naked man, as he did the initial splashing and rinsing, before using his hands more firmly and began scrubbing select spots on him with his own fingernails. He couldn't help but notice this man's physical form did an impressive job of supporting a common joke passed around by soldiers during the war, when discussing the men of the native people. The common joke being they had cocks like horses, because they often fucked the mares when their women wasn't in the mood. Although John was certain that was not at all true and completely contradicted what his own dad taught him about such gossip and things, he could not deny that the penis on this man seemed unusually large for a man. Even in it's current flaccid and semi erect condition. He then decided best to not seem suspicious, by not staring, then did some splashing and rinsing of his own skin. John was sure he could use it. Especially now that he had company around him.

“Why are you alone soldier John?" Darkhorse asked, after bending over and dipping his head down into the water.

“I don't think much of my own people and think they can be better. Being drafted and fighting in the civil war, did not improve my perception. All it did was show me that many of the people now living over here on this land are just as mean, nasty and selfish as those my grandfather left behind in the other land across the ocean. I have seen my people do so many bad things and justify them as actions being as God intended."

“My people use to not know of God. They kept hearing about him from visiting soldiers and the other ones who called themselves missionaries. Those people. They kept trying to tell us God created our spirits. He created everything we know." Darkhorse couldn't help but immediately chuckle.

John found himself echoing the chuckle, as his own grandfather made religion one of many things that was left behind in the old country.

“You do not believe this?" The native inquired.

“My family just simply lived their life and didn't worry themselves about such things. Working the land together. Provide for each other. That is what was important to us. We didn't need religion."

“This religion is also why you are here?" Darkhorse asked after squatting down and simply let the rippling water run past him, while facing John.

“It is the most important reason why I am here and not with other people like me." John replied while scooping up water and pouring it over his head. “Unlike where I grew up, a place a lot like these woods, I saw people and places being rapidly consumed by religion. I got to see many questionable things being done by so many people because of religion. The war itself was bad enough for me, without being pestered by some priest or missionary when I wasn't fighting. My fellow soldiers didn't think too much of this during the war, but when it was over, they became part of the collective social conversion initiative that is sweeping through this beautiful land. This was not what the first of my people wanted when they came here. People can believe what they want, but they are not suppose to impose it on other people and justify it by saying they are saving them."

John then just stayed in the water with his head hanging down and sighed heavily.

“I know something about this religion. It found my tribe. Ate into their minds. Made them slowly forget the old ways. The Shaman was then forbidden to teach them. He would not stop. They exiled him. My tribe then turned on me and my other. They no longer saw us as twin spirits. Our strong connection to Horse and Bear had no meaning to them. We were told to change or leave. We left to find new tribe. The religion found them too. They were not as understanding and did many terrible things to us. We fled and disappeared into wilderness. Now we live alone here."

John raised his dripping head and saw Darkhorse was looking towards an embankment. He looked the same direction and saw nothing, before looking back at the native. It was obvious the man had become distracted by the obviously painful memory. He felt the man needed some form of comfort.

“My grandfather was friends with someone like you. He learned a lot about what you call the Old Ways. Twin Spirit is like husband and wife. Man and woman. In your case it is Man and Man. Please correct me if maybe I have that wrong. It has been a few years since my own dad taught me this stuff himself."

Darkhorse finally looked at John and smiled.

“You know it… correctly."

“I thought so. My people know of this too. They have so many names for it and most of them are mean names. Names meant to make such people feel like they don't belong or should not even be alive. I have heard many stories about such people actually being killed for being that way. Mind if I ask of the other one's name?"

“He was called Standing Bear."

“Really?"

“His father was on a walk. Thinking what to call his boy. He saw black bear standing like a man. Then saw it walk like a man. He was holding the boy. The boy was a baby. The father saw his son point and smile at the bear. That became the name."

“Huh. Neat. What about you?"

“A black horse saved my family when I was baby. A wolf with mind sickness tried to take me away as food. Horse kicked the wolf and the wolf moved no more. The horse then left and was not seen again. My father was grateful and praised the Great Horse. He honored the moment with my name."

“My name is nothing as special as either of those." John admitted with a chuckle. “My dad gave it to me, because he really liked the great story of Johnny Appleseed. The man that brought the gift of the apple trees from the land across the ocean."

“My people know of him and like those apples." Darkhorse commented with a warm smile.

John was finally feeling a little more relaxed around this man and was sure he felt the same way, after quickly reading his subtle body language.

“I have an idea. A proposition for you." He suggested.

“I am listening." Came the reluctant reply.

“How about we travel together and look out for each other. I would also like to meet this Standing Bear. I need someone that knows this new land better than me and if the changes you speak of get any worse, The two of you could use someone to help defend yourselves properly from other hostile people we might encounter." Darkhorse proceeded to say something and was stopped with a hand raised to face him. “You and I both know the tribes keep in touch with each other. News about you two I'm sure is already known throughout the region. Then once it becomes known you are traveling with someone like me, we become people of great interest. Someone to be weary of, when visiting a town or another tribe. This would be a problem we should not face alone."

“I have done nothing to receive such generosity." Darkhorse admitted.

“This is not generosity. This is practical survival. We will do better together than alone."

“Hmm. I accept your offer then."

John then slowly rose back up out of the rippling water and slowly walked up to Darkhorse, not caring at all that he was displaying himself completely naked in front of a stranger. He was not a prudish man and was taught that modesty was an especially silly thing to come between to grown men. He then stopped and bent over with an outstretched hand towards the one sitting in the water. Darkhorse reached up and clasped past the extended hand at the forearm. The grip was reciprocated, as John shifted his weight and helped pull his new traveling companion to his feet. Both men simply stood and looked into each other's eyes, while smiling and maintaining the arm clasp between them. The close proximity tickled John's sense of smell with a familiar presence, that all of a sudden made him think of horses. It's like he could smell one, but was definitely sure there were none nearby. He then turned his head slightly and maintained eye contact, before grinning.

“Would you happen to have a riding horse nearby?" He inquired.

Darkhorse mirrored the movement, but only smiled.

“I have no horse with me. But have ridden a horse many times. We are told that after a while, the scent of horse stays with you."

“Oh yeah. Your tribe likely rides them bare back."

“They did. That may change as well."

“Well that doesn't sound like much fun." John replied lightheartedly.

“You have ridden a horse like that?"

“Yup. Another thing my grandfather learned from his friend. He then taught my dad and he taught me. Made that part of military life uncomfortable for me. I was always checking on my horse and making sure he was okay with carrying everything."

“You are different John." Darkhorse then brought his other hand down on John's shoulder.

“I will take that as a compliment… friend." John mirrored the gesture.

Both gave each other a comforting pat, before departing form the creek together. John finally noticed that his new friend preferred to go barefoot just like him and even had the same conditioned feet to demonstrate he had been like that for a long time. Maybe his whole life… when the weather provided of course. Once both got John's stuff cleaned and packed, Darkhorse offered to carry one of the satchels and John accepted it. He then picked a direction, after they decided to stay by the creek and out of scouting site. The slow leisure trip along the waterway was accompanied by the men talking more about each other and quickly found out their personal beliefs about life itself was not all that different. This discovery was both entertaining to them and refreshing, within a country going through so many changes that seemed to make the future uncertain.

“Why is Standing Bear not with you?"

“He is searching for food. He eats much meat. I eat none now. This is our way."

“I am confused. Wouldn't it be safer to hunt together?"

“No. We will explain later when you meet him."

“I feel like I am about to be made part of some big secret."

“We have told each other many personal things. You seem like a man that will understand us."

As both men continued up the creek, Darkhorse led a rather lengthy conversation about the specific original beliefs and stories of his tribe. John genuinely found them fascinating and shared similar stories and legends his family brought with them from the other land.

“I am beginning to understand why your family made such great sacrifice and traveled so far to come here. Much of what you told me seems so dark. It lets no light in. Surely the creatures you speak of, could not all be… evil."

“My family was among those that did not share that perspective. This eventually made it too dangerous for us to live in the other land and thus why we came here. After my grandfather saw something as strange and different as a Buffalo, then later understood the animal better, the family began to wonder how much of what we were told about other creatures was possibly wrong as well. There are even stories of family seeing strange creatures similar to the ones in the other land, but not experiencing the ill fate that came with that encounter. Maybe it is because we simply used the approach of not bothering them, if they did not bother us."

“Did any of you get close to one of these creatures?"

“Oh no. Nothing like the amazing encounters you told me about in your stories. I would like to hope that if it ever did happen to me, it would be an equal experience like that."

“Maybe share it."

“That would be great."

The two men came upon a long gentle bend in the creek. As they traveled further and the large embankment on the inside of the curve began to obscure the view ahead less, John noticed the terrain begin to change radically from slopes to jutting rocks. The rocks rapidly became a more cohesive form that manifested into a small bluff flanking one side of the creek. Once they completed the bend, John spotted a cave entrance in the side of the bluff and a single stocky built native man standing just outside of it, dressed just as sparsely as the two of them. Something inside John told him he was being watched rather intently by this new man. He wanted to guess this was likely the Standing Bear person, but just continued walking with Darkhorse right up to him. Once they were within a few paces of the other man, John heard him immediately speak a string of words that was obviously Lakota. The tone was tense and complemented with eyes darting back and forth between him and Darkhorse. John decided to stop where he was, letting the other approach and speak for him, while occasionally looking back and giving him an assuring smile. After standing for a while, he decided to pick a nearby horizontal log and sit on it. A raised facing hand from Standing Bear stopped him in midstep.

“Please. Come closer." The stockier native invited and prompted with a pivoted moving hand. “Darkhorse says you are not like the other white men. After hearing his words, I would agree. You are both brave and naive for coming here."

John then approached until he was standing next to Darkhorse.

“There is nothing for me where I left. Nothing but the ugliness Darkhorse spoke of. I was fine with just living the rest of my life alone. Just me and the trees and the animals." John defended.

“We will let you stay with us. We will have to teach you some new ways. You will help us speak better English. The land is changing and our spirit guides assure us that we will need English to survive those changes. I speak better English, but want to speak it even better. Your kind has a way of using their greater speaking skill against people like me. With your help, this will no longer be a problem."

“I would be honored to help both of you Standing Bear."

Both of them clasped forearms and nodded with a warm smile.

“Have you ate yet?" Standing Bear asked and gestured behind him towards a horizontal thin wood pole with a few prepared fish hanging from in on strings.

“I actually just ate fish myself, before meeting Darkhorse."

“Perhaps room for a little more?" Standing Bear asked with a grin.

“Sure." John replied, then looked to Darkhorse and exchanged a chuckle.

The stockier one then stepped between the other two and gave John a gentle nudge with a hand on the back, to walk with him towards the cooking fish. All three sat at another horizontal log laid near the fire pit under the fish and engaged in conversation to get Standing Bear properly updated about the encounter between the other two men. Although it was observed that Darkhorse didn't bother to eat any of the fish, John just simply shrugged it off and continued talking about his family. After the brief meal and conversation, he was shown the inside of the cave and the changes made to make it more comfortable for a person to use as shelter. It was surprisingly expansive, with the one primary large chamber open to the outside and additional chambers attached to it. One of them was a little distance down a curved passage, that remained cool all year. It was used for food storage. The other two chambers had the look of being more social spaces adapted for sleep and leisure. There was even animal skin barriers installed to keep out the cold during the winter season. The short tunnels that connected them to the main chamber were used like a wind break, with an animal skin barrier at both ends. John was told he could have the second chamber to himself, which he graciously accepted. He liked the fact that unlike other caves he had been inside of before, this one had a spacious feel to the three bigger chambers. One could easily fit four full size grizzly bears inside the primary one and the ones outfitted as social spaces were still half of it's size. He noticed the presence of long claws marks in random spots all over the place and guessed the cave likely belonged to a bear at one time.

By the time the brighter day turned to the more amber ambient lighting of the late evening, John had already taken a trip out away from the cave with Standing Bear. The man wanted to find some more fruit and then show John how to dry it out for long term storage during the winter. Darkhorse remained behind and prepared himself some oatmeal to eat. The oats obviously had to be acquired at some point through trade. It was also quite different to see a native partake in preparing so much for himself or even eat it. But the world was a changing place and these two men were clearly not afraid to change where it was needed of them. It was late twilight when the two had returned and John saw no sign of Darkhorse, The fire pit was now cold and the inside of the immediate cave area had a dull amber glow reflecting off the walls. Standing Bear offered to put up the fruit packed into the wicker satchel and then told John he would soon be going to bed for the night. A hug was then exchanged, as a sign that all three men had become more comfortable with each other as friends, before both parted inside the main cave chamber. As he made his way down the short passage to his social sleeping chamber, the amber glow quickly got brighter and soon revealed the source to be a lit oil lantern hanging on a nearby hook. Another item obviously acquired through trade. On the floor was a couple layers of animal skins, with a folded and rolled blanket on top.

John moved the rolled blanket to one end of animal skin bed, then set his leather satchel down right next to it and unfolded the other blanket. He then took off his loin cloth and dropped it down by the satchel, before walking over and adjusting the lamp illumination to the bare minimum level. The man wanted just enough light to see within his chamber, but also conserve the oil in it's reservoir. John was quickly reminded of just how much walking he did earlier that day, by how quickly he fell asleep after finally laying down and draping the blanket casually across his mid section. He was later woke up at one point with a strong need to go piss. The man sighed with exasperation and got himself up to his feet, before grabbing the lantern and quietly exited the cave, to find a nearby spot to relieve himself. Upon returning to the cave, he now heard muffled sounds coming from inside. He walked to the branching point for both social sleeping chambers and could hear the muffled sound coming from where Darkhorse and Standing Bear were sleeping. Except they didn't seem to be sleeping. Not much was being said and it seemed like random single words being spoken in Lakota. He then heard other sounds that was more familiar to him. Sounds that he himself had not made since it was just him and his dad living by themselves. They were soft moans of pleasure.

John then looked directly down the short passage to their social sleeping space and noticed they had both barriers open. Probably for fresh air ventilation on the recent warmer summer nights. In his half awake state, he spied shadows moving across the passage wall and initially thought one or both of them was coming out and he didn't want to be caught being nosy. But he saw no one appear at the other end of the passage and just shrugged it off as them just changing positions. Then something caught his eye. The outline of the one shadow was unmistakably that of a horses head and ears. The other moving shadow looked too big for a man and had a head that looked funny, with two bumps in the wrong place and a… thick muzzle? At this point John was not sure what he should do. Was he dreaming or was this real. A scent then found it's way to his nose and made him immediately think of the big pancake breakfast his dad would always make for the two of them on Sunday morning. He inhaled deeply and sucked in the enticing maple scent directly into his lungs. These two things didn't really belong together and made him think this was more dream than real. In fact, if he walked into that chamber right now, the place would likely transform right in front of him and there would be his dad, sitting at the morning table and motioning for him to sit down for breakfast.

He liked that idea and breathed in more of the wonderful maple scented air and began to very slowly walk in the direction of it's source. With every breath he took, his mind began to fixate on the sounds being made ahead of him. The combination of both began stirring his flaccid cock, causing it to quickly firm up and bob a little. Out of need to remain hidden, John set the lantern down and continued to inch closer to the entrance of the chamber. The sounds then began to get a little louder, triggering the man's memories of his intimate time with his dad to briefly flash through his mind. It was always just the two of them at night. No one else around for many many miles to pry and judge them, as they exchanged words and bodily fluids of passion between them. John's cock then became hard and started bobbing freely in the open air, as he took the final step and then very slowly moved just his head. He leaned his upper body just a little and used his one hand for support on the passage wall. His line of sight eventually cleared the edge of the entrance and showed him something he would soon very vividly remember. His body then completely froze in position.

Filling up half of the chamber was not the physical presence of two men making love, but the overwhelming physical presence of a large black horse and a grizzly bear. The horse was laying on his back and looking right at the bear, who was in a kneeling sitting position just past his crotch. Both had fully developed arms and hands, instead of forelegs. The back legs looked almost completely like a man's legs, with the exception that the bear had very visible claws on the toes of his visible foot. The same could be said about the bear's hands, that were holding onto the horses calves and keeping the legs held in the air in a comfortable spread position. John remembered his dad often fucking him just like this and then him returning the favor just as often. The man's ears then caught signs of something wetly slapping skin and then saw a hard fully developed equine penis bobbing up and down between the two animistic lovers. The horse was using his hands and sensually rubbing his bear lover's arms and pecs, while the bear was visibly fucking the stallion slowly and very deeply. The bobbing equine shaft was releasing a steady trickle of precum and as more of it came out, the maple scent in the chamber intensified. At this point, John's own cock began dripping precum and started throbbing hard enough to slap his belly.

The horse then said something in Lakota softly again and the bear nodded, before thrusting in one more time and pushed a little further forward. He then stopped and allowed the equine legs to come down to rest at his hips, as he reached forward and began sensually stroking the stallion's cock and belly. The horse then just let his arms rest against the floor under him and spoke softly in English.

“You can come in… if you want."

The bear then looked directly at John and nodded, before looking back at the stallion. Thinking this still had to be a dream and there was no harm in getting a closer look, John slowly walked on into the chamber. The closer he got to the copulating couple, the more his own thoughts started to become hazy and less structured. In fact all logic structure in his mind was rapidly breaking down.

“Let me taste you." The stallion requested and then gestured with an outstretched hand.

John walked on up to the horse's head and kept looking at the grizzly bear, as the hand grazed the skin in between his legs and the fingers sensually stroked past his scrotum. There was something slick and slimy on them, that made his skin warm and tingle a little at their touch. The fingers then applied a little pressure, as they traveled to the cleft of his but cheeks and then pushed in between them. John then lowered his gaze and looked the stallion into the eyes, as a single finger touched and then slowly pushed through his anal entrance. He watched as nothing was said and the black equine muzzle moved to take his cock in right through the side. The man couldn't help but moan, the moment the huge horse tongue wrapped around his throbbing cock and the probing finger slid across his prostate. John reached down with one hand and began caressing the equine muzzle, while reaching back with the other one and sensually stroked the forearm attached to the hand fingering him.

He then felt a huge clawed hand reach for the side of his face and turn his head to face the grizzly bear again, as a brown muzzle moved in very close and parted it's lips. John remained still as their lips made contact and a long dexterous tongue, slick with the same wet slimy stuff, pushed into his mouth and moved everywhere it could inside it. The stuff tasted and smelled just like maple syrup, as his oral cavity soon began to tingle and warm a little itself. John tried to reciprocate as much as possible, but had to relent to just moving his tongue all over the larger one invading his mouth and continued to moan with satisfaction. The same clawed hand then moved from his face and reached for the man's hand behind his back, then moved them both towards a long rigid slick tube of flesh that obviously had to be the stallions throbbing cock. The same maple stuff that was now coating the man's prostate and oral cavity, was all over the equine shaft and swiftly began to affect his stroking hand the same way. The clawed hand stayed over his own hand and helped him stroke the throbbing flesh properly, as they were moved together up and down as far as John's arm would allow them.

The maple scent in the room intensified, as a subtle gurgling sound was soon heard. John briefly glanced down in the direction of the sound and could swear he saw that the stallion's belly was beginning to get bigger. He then felt the horse himself begin to suck on his cock a little harder, while stroking his prostate with a little more force. John's head began to get more fuzzy, as the last of his structured logical thinking collapsed into the pool of powerful lust now flooding his mind. Then the old familiar surge and feeling fired in his sex driven brain, as the pressure built at his prostate and then surged out through his cock. The orgasm itself felt as strong as the very first one he experienced with his father, and threatened to knock his legs out from under him. He closed his eyes and surrendered to the feeling, as he also felt a clawed hand gently make contact with his back and held him in place, just as he began to sway and moan even louder into the muzzle feeding him the slick dexterous tongue. The finger in his ass then began stroking him with more pressure and the equine muzzle sucking him with more force. The stallion wickered with approval, as the biggest load of cum John had ever known kept surging and shooting out of his cock. He then heard the subtle gurgling sound get a little louder and opened his eyes to glance down at the source once more.

The stallion's stomach was now getting visibly more round, just as the man's orgasm finally began to subside and then quickly diminish. His cock was finally let go and the finger reseeded from his ass, before moving to the expanding belly and began rubbing it sensually. The bear then broke the kiss and used his arm to help keep John steady, as he slowly lowered to a side kneeling position right by them both and then leaned against the bear's arm. He watched as the equine belly continued to expand and the gurgling began to subside. The couple said some Lakota things to each other softly, before the stallion then turned his head and laid it sideways. At first John thought the stallion was looking right at him, but then something subtle about the eyes soon told him that they were just staring off into empty space. He then glanced back at the expanding belly and noticed it was now quite round, before the stallion belched a couple times and then left his mouth open. The grizzly bear then began to moan softly, as a subtle gurgling sound could now be heard coming from the open equine mouth. John then saw something wet catch the lantern light, as it dripped past the lips onto the floor.

The maple smell soon became very intense near the stallion and more wetness soon began dribbling out of the mouth. If John still had access to his original logical thinking, he would be wondering if something happened to the stallion and was now somehow injured internally. But there still was no logical thinking man present. Instead, his own cock simply remained hard and throbbed at the sight of seeing the wonderful tasty sex syrup begin to ripple out of the gaping equine mouth. His sex infused thoughts raced through his mind, as it was overwhelmed with the reality of how utterly amazing it must feel to be filled so full by your sex partner, that you just completely surrender your body to him and allow it to be used as nothing more than a cum reservoir. He then watched as the ripple became a slightly stronger surge running from the mouth. Something inside him motivated the man to get on his hands and knees, then crawl over to the gaping mouth and pressed his own open one right against it. He then closed his eyes and moaned, as he reflexively began using his tongue to scoop up the rippling sex syrup and swallow it down like he was starving for it. A clawed hand gently came down on his back and stroked it sensually, as he then moaned and continued to feed on the wonderful warm maple tasting gift from the bear.

At some point the bear stopped moaning and had extracted himself from the stallion's ass and gently pulled John away from the overfilled stallion. No resistance was put up, as the man himself began to feel very dizzy and lost all capacity to form any thoughts beyond just wanting more syrup and sex. The bear then laid down and pulled John close to him, before pulling a nearby blanket over the man and gave him a caressing lick on the cheek. The man soon closed his eyes and rested his head on the thick muscled furry arm and fell asleep. The next thing John knew, he was waking up to a human arm draped over him under a blanket and feeling the presence of someone's large throbbing morning erection pressing into his back. He then heard someone nearby splashing some water around and the other expected familiar ambient sounds that came with a morning in the wilderness. He finally opened his eyes and turned his head to meet the gaze of Darkhorse.

“You are finally awake. Did you sleep well?"

“I think so." John replied. “I feel more rested that I have in a long time."

“I am glad. A man always sleeps better after getting relief."

John then found himself briefly pausing. Darkhorse could see his eyes moving and mentally searching for something.

“Was last night good for you?" The native asked.

“Yes." John replied reluctantly. “That really happened and was not a dream?"

“It was as real as us together right now."

“I have questions, but first need to get up and piss."

“I need to as well. I hear Standing Bear outside washing himself. He must have had a good hunt and full belly." Darkhorse then gave John a pat on the shoulder and pulled the blanket away from both of them. “I see your pleasure stick is still working just fine. It will make for fun aiming."

John glanced down and saw that his morning erection was just as rigid as the one poking his back, before Darkhorse then got up and offered an outstretched hand with a grin. The grin was returned and the hand taken by John, as he then rose to his feet. Both gave each other a pat on the back and walked on down the connecting passage and out of the cave. Both briefly raised a hand, to allow their eyes time for adjustment and saw a naked dripping Standing Bear emerging from the creek.

“Morning. Water feels good. Go on in. Piss washes downstream." He grins and tells both of them, as he walks by and gives John a pat on the shoulder.

John looks back to watch the naked native sit down at the fire pit log, and starts cleaning up what little mess he made preparing whatever he hinted earlier. He then gets a tap on the arm and looks back at the departing ass cheeks of Darkhorse, before the man jogs into the creek and keeps going until he is at the deep part up to his waste, then waves for John to join him. He initially relents and then jogs on towards the creek. The native waits until the man is finally iat arm's length away from him, then reaches out and pulls John into a hug. It is initially returned reluctantly, but quickly excepted.

“You are here with us now. You belong here." Darkhorse whispers into his ear and then grips him by the shoulders, and pushes him back a little. “Will you stay with us? Will you make this and us home now?"

John paused for a moment and looked away into the nearby trees near the creek, then back at Darkhorse and reluctantly smiled.

“Last night was unlike anything I thought was even possible."

“It was good to share that and see you except it without judgment."

“I heard stories while in the military, at night around campfires with other soldiers. Those stories talked of what I saw last night, but they were stories that had a more intimidating and foreboding feeling. These stories were encouraged, to make us weary of never ever allowing ourselves to be caught alone by local natives like you. To do so would mean never coming back alive."

“We know of these stories. As you now know yourself, it is just white man ignorance."

Darkhorse then lowered his hands and continued standing there with John.

“Will what happened last night change me in any way?"

“Not in the way you have heard in other soldier stories. It it will change you and make you a better man. We will help you through this change… as we were helped by another one."

“Where is he now?"

“Somewhere further North. We can see him soon."

“Will all of the change be like last night?"

“No. Much of it will be you finding your spirit guide. Helping you understand them and live with them like family. They will make the change easier."

Standing Bear would occasionally pause at the fire pit and listen more intently, to make sure everything was okay between John and his mate. He would smile to himself and resume, once he heard each encouraging word from the new man.

“I think… I would like more of last night. It was nice to share that with someone again."

Darkhorse and John then slowly pulled each other into a hug and held it. John then felt a rapidly warm presence surround his crotch area and the presence of focused water movement.

“That is you, isn't it?" He accused lightheartedly and snickered.

“It is me and you can do the same."

“Fair enough."

John then let loose his own piss load and kept hugging Darkhorse a little longer.

“By animal law, you now belong to me." The native commented with a sarcastic tone.

“Well… you now belong to me too. Should we ask Standing Bear to join us?"

“No need. He is walking this way now."

John turned his head and saw the other native man plunge into the water with his feet and then slowly walk through it towards them. The man must have been astonishingly strong. He moved through the creek like it wasn't even there. Chances are that Darkhorse was likely just as strong. Once the other one was right next to them, he looked at John directly and grinned, before the surrounding water got warm again with his piss load.

“Now he has marked you too." Darkhorse commented and chuckled.

“Yes. I can feel that." John assured and just grinned right back at Standing Bear.

“The water felt warm. Didn't want to be left out."

The native then walked around and hugged John from behind, effectively pinning him between two men that definitely smelled like a horse and bear at such close proximity. Both then took turns at cradling the man's chin and giving him a quick passionate kiss, before exchanging one with each other and then continued standing in the water, keeping him contently sandwiched between them. John sighed and closed his eyes, as both natives then turned and rested their heads against his own. Although the moment was brief, it felt like a long time. The man missed having moments like this with his dad and was finally having it again with two men that potentially seemed to care just as much for him.

“You are ready for a bear and horse to be in you?" Standing Bear abruptly mentioned.

John turned his head back and looked at the native behind him, seeing the anticipation in those dark eyes and then looked at Darkhorse, to see the same thing in his own.

“I think so. Mind if I ask if you are maybe smaller?" John asks as he then turns between the two men to face Standing Bear directly.

“I am thinner. Not smaller."

“Huh." John ponders briefly. “Does it look the same?"

“It does. He should go first." Darkhorse comments from behind him, before departing and starts walking towards the cave. “We should go back to the cave. More private during day."

“Don't need nosy ignorant white man spoiling the moment." Standing Bear observes and grins.

Both him and John eventually began walking out of the creek and back to the cave, just as Darkhorse completely disappeared from their sight into it's dimmer interior. Once they arrived at the entrance of the main open chamber, John got a tap on the shoulder and turned around. He was immediately greeted with the site of seeing Standing Bear's body beginning to grow and change skin tone, as fur began sprouting all over it's naked form. The finger and toe nails then rapidly tuned black, before reshaping and stretching out into proper claws. He then watched as the man's scrotum gradually became bigger and acquired a more leathery texture to it just like a stallion, while the hard penis rose and became attached to his growing belly. The skin on it quickly got thicker and soon had fur sprouting all over it's length. His height then continued to increase, as the man's head began to grow wider and bigger. The ears then began moving toward the top of the head, while the front of the face quickly distorted and pushed out into a fully formed muzzle. The nose at this point had already changed to a much larger leathery version of that on a dog. Once the change was complete, Standing Bear's head nearly touched the ten foot curved ceiling of the main chamber.

“This is not as big as what I will show you later. It is what works best for me."

“Me as well." John heard from behind him, as two familiar large black hands gently came down on his shoulders.

The man turned around and saw that Darkhorse had already changed into the same black stallion Standing Bear was pleasuring earlier at night. The stallion then put a hand behind the shoulders and nudged the man into walking with him back into their social sleeping chamber. The bear was not far behind them and allowed some of his cock to begin emerging from the sheath, in anticipation of breeding the man and sinking deep inside his guts. As he passed the first animal skin barrier, it was lowered down. The same was done with the second one, as all three entered into the chamber itself. John noticed it was effectively lit up by two hanging oil lanterns and new animal skins had been laid on the floor. Probably a good idea, if the sex syrup itself dried the same way as regular maple syrup. Sticky animal skins would prove to be a quick mood killer.

“So how does men like you go about doing this with a man like me, without rearranging my guts and actually make it an enjoyable experience?" John finally asked with a smirk, when he turned to face the bear and stallion.

“Standing Bear will sit against the wall. He will help you sit down in his lap."

“But if I understand what he said earlier, he is still just as long as you. How do I keep myself from being mortally impaled on his cock?"

“He will hold you over his lap. You will have part of him inside you. Get used to his size."

“Ah. I think I understand. My dad and I did something like that my first time taking him inside me. We used the same position and it helped a lot."

“Then you already know how this will work." Standing Bear assures with a pat on the shoulder.

The bear then walks past John and gets into his sitting position, then scoots his ass a little forward and leans back more, before bringing his spread legs up a little off the floor.

“Support for you." He says and chuckles, while patting his knees. The chuckle is shared.

“My own fur covered pleasure chair." John comments and walks on up to the bear.

Standing Bear immediately reaches out with both hands and helps the man with getting turned around and then lowered towards his dripping cock, that was already half way out of the sheath. Once John was low enough to plant his hands firmly on the huge knees, the bear then placed one hand right between the shoulder blades and moved the other one behind him for support of his mildly reclined sitting position. Darkhorse remained where he was for the moment and started slowly stroking an equine shaft that was already hard and dripping itself, in anticipation of burying himself inside the man after the bear filled him up a little. John released an appreciative moan and closed his eyes, as the blunt head of the bear cock smoothly pushed on inside his ass and glided past his prostate, stimulating his own cock to become completely hard. John then stopped his descent and lifted himself up a little, with the power assistance of the bear's arm muscles pushing back a little. The man then opened his eyes and used his legs muscles to push himself back down, while being assisted once again by the arm.

Both him and Darkhorse looked directly at each other and licked their lips, as John progressively kept lowering a little further, each time the ursine cock sunk a little deeper into him. The sensation of being filled with so much cock and the chemical stimulation of the sex syrup had triggered his throbbing flesh to begin slapping the man's belly. Eventually the up and down motion progressed to the point where John's hips barely left contact with the inside of Standing Bear's thighs, as he began flexing his lower torso muscles and used his ass to massage the cock inside it more thoroughly. The bear let loose a few soft rumbles of approval, as he felt his cock begin to tap the critical inside entrance into the man's guts. The generous amount of sex syrup that was being absorbed by the tissue of John's anal walls, had already begun saturating the lower half of John's body. It was soon filled with a pleasantly and ambiently warm presence that made his cock begin to drip precum liberally and form a gradually growing sticky spot on his belly.

Darkhorse then stepped forward and put a hand right behind John's head, as he edged his hips forward and pushed the dripping head of his equine shaft to the man's lips. The man moved one of his hands to grip the shaft and keep the end inside his mouth, as he began bouncing himself more frequently on the ursine cock buried inside him. The syrup that cascaded down his throat and into his stomach soon got the rest of him wrapped in the same comforting ambient warmth. His mind soon experienced a familiar more relaxed and aroused state that began to take over his thoughts. The syrup flow then increased to a steady ripple and he swallowed harder. All the established logic structure restored to his mind from earlier, once again began melting and collapsing into the rising pool of lust flooding it. John then slightly lifted himself up one last time and came down with a little more force, effectively helping the ursine cock inside him finally push past that inside opening and into his guts. The sensation of being filled so deeply by a throbbing cock at once and feeling it's pulsing presence rub against his prostate in one continuous flowing motion, sent the man over the edge and stimulated an enhanced size load of cum to begin shooting out of him.

John let the horse cock loose from his mouth and fell back against Standing Bear's chest, while letting out a long moan and proceeded to paint his whole front side with a potent mix of his own cum and sex syrup. The bear was attentive with just letting the man collapse against him and moved his one hand back to it's original support position behind him. John was caught off guard by how intensely the orgasm hit him this time and the amount that kept spurting out of his cock.

“What happened? It's so much and why is it so…" He was then at a loss for words as the sensation of persistently cumming triggered him to close his eyes and moan some more through the extended orgasm.

“It gets stronger. It gets longer. It gets better." Standing Bear whispered into his ear.

He then opens his eyes and meets the gaze of Darkhorse, who had already knelt down right in front of him and was moving a hand heavily coated with syrup towards where the ursine cock connected with the man's twitching stretched anal ring. They both nod to each other, as the stallion extends one finger towards the target and slowly pushes it in beside the bear's cock. John raises his head to see what was happening, then returns his eyes back to the stallion's and moans once more.

“Let me know if too much." Darkhorse assures him.

The stallion then continues pushing his finger into the filled anal cavity, until it makes contact with the pulsing prostate inside it and then pushes a little further forward, before dragging his finger back. John maintains the gaze and nods eagerly. His cock begins bobbing in the air and smacks wetly against his coated belly, that soon begins to gurgle and slightly distend. The man then kept letting out short OHs, as the buried finger then proceeded to move back and forth across his pulsing prostate. John then let his head fall back again and closed his eyes, before moving his hands to his belly and rubs it, as it slowly begins to distend a little faster. Everyone could soon smell that the familiar maple scent was beginning to get heavy in the air again. The bear and stallion confident that they soon would no longer have a coherent John to communicate with them. He would become nothing more than a mindless fuck toy, once the stallion replaced the ursine cock with his own and finished the planned filling and breeding of the man.

Darkhorse then proceeded to move his one finger side ways a little, before strategically placing and inserting another finger next to it. He checked the man's face for any signs of distress, as it pushed on inside him. The eyes remained closed and more short OHs came from his mouth, the moment it joined the other finger with the prostate massaging. John then gasped a little as his cock began releasing more cum out of it in a steady trickle. This time, there was no milkiness to be found anywhere in the strong maple scented fluid trailing down the bobbing shaft and past his scrotum. It was completely clear now. Meanwhile, the man's belly had now become noticeably rounder and would soon reach it's capacity. The bear and stallion then nodded to each other again, before the dazed and sexually overstimulated man was carefully moved up a little and the ursine cock begin to retract back into Standing Bear's sheath.

The moment Darkhorse saw the familiar blunt head emerge, he pushed his own dripping cock right up to the used hole, as a lot of sex syrup began surging out through the gaping opening. Not much was spilled and wasted, as he pushed his thicker cock on inside the man and then slowly sunk it on in him. When it's blunt head made contact with the pulsing prostate, John said nothing or moved this time. The stallion looked up, but no focused eyes made any effort to look back at him. They were just staring out into blank space, as the man's mouth then slowly fell open and remained in a gaping state. Darkhorse took this cue and slowly pushed his cock on inside the man, until it pushed past the stretched second opening and his leathery scrotum made contact with Standing Bear's own ball sack. He kept his torso vertical, out of consideration for the belly. He then closed his eyes and hummed a little, before more syrup began spilling into John's guts. This time the flow of it was stronger and quickly made the man's belly completely round, before seeping in and announcing it's presence to a protesting gurgling stomach. This soon subsided, as a couple of maple scented belches escaped the man's gaping mouth.

Inside man's head was very little logically structured thought in his mind. All he was thinking about was to continue cumming and that he wanted more syrup pumped into his belly. There was no more John there anymore. Only a content fuck toy that lived to be used any way the bear and stallion desired of it. John's whole body had now lost all primary muscle control and went completely limp, letting his arms slide to the side and come to rest on the bear's thighs. The legs slowly collapsed and straightened out, the feet sliding across the oil hide of the stallions thighs and then stopping as they hovered in the air just beyond Darkhorse's waste. Standing Bear then turned the man's limp head sideways, just as the maple scented sex syrup began to ripple and flow out of the gaping mouth. He craned his head a little and extended his tongue to lap up a little, before pressing his muzzle forward and burying his tongue into John's mouth. The bear moaned as he began making audible gulping sounds and swallowed everything that came out of the man. Darkhorse then reached up and began sensually stroking the top of both their heads, as he continued releasing and pushing more of the maple scented gift through John's body.

“A moment longer. Then we plug him. Then drain him." The stallion informed the bear.

Standing bear simply maintained the lip lock. Then nodded and pulled his head back.

“Gourd?" Darkhorse inquired with just one word.

Standing Bear reached behind him and presented a small and curiously shaped gourd, with a squat form and rather shallow and wide bottom. The upper part bugled out not quite as far and could be comfortably inserted into John, while also serving it's purpose to hold itself inside him with a little applied pressure from the attached long leather strap. The stallion began to slowly pull his shaft back out of the man and had the gourd ready right next to it's exposed glistening length. He paused just as he felt the edge of his mushroomed head make contact with the inside of the stretched anal ring and saw the connected flaring part. He relaxed a little more and then could feel the head slowly return back to it's original rounded blunt form. Darkhorse then was quick about pulling it out and pushing the small rounded end of the gourd in place of it. He looked up and saw the man make no moves or show any reaction. John was still buried deep inside that head and experiencing a potently charged erotic day dream fueled by the continuous orgasm still trickling out of his cock.

The stallion then shuffled away a little and got his legs into a better folded squatting position under him. Standing Bear helped with getting the long strap around the excessively distended belly, then carefully shifted his weight around under the man and got him into a better position to then be picked up by Darkhorse. Both then worked together with transferring the limp form of the syrup filled man from one to the other. The stallion then slowly lifted himself up to a standing position, then allowed the bear to revert back to human form and lead the way out to the creek. Standing Bear walked out into the open air first and squinted his eyes, before looking all round. He then sniffed the air for any trace of human and then nodded back to the dim cave interior concealing Darkhorse and John. The stallion soon emerged and followed him into the creek and then further out to where him and John were bathing earlier that morning. Both worked together to ease John down into water, that had now been warmed up by the sun directly overhead. Standing Bear remained down in the water and kept John propped up in a sitting position, as Darkhorse then finally reverted back to human form and began washing himself off. Once he finished, they changed places and the other one washed himself.

“I think this was a good breeding." Standing Bear finally said, while looking all around them.

“Look forward to more."

“Want to wager what spirit guide shapes him?"

“I will say horse."

“Of course you would." Standing Bear said and then grinned right at Darkhorse.

“What say you?"

“I would be happy with another bear among us."

“Hunting getting lonely?" Darkhorse teased.

Standing Bear sighed with exasperation and then splashed a little water directly at the other one's head. Darkhorse closed his eyes and laughed a little, causing the slumbering man to finally move a little. Both then looked at each other with a questioning look, then just shrugged and smiled.

“He recovers quickly… like a bear." Standing Bear teases.

“So do horses." Darkhorse countered.

Both then snicker, just as John began to moan and gradually recover use of his arms and legs.

“Let me take care of this." Standing Bear softly told Darkhorse, as he removed the strap and then reached under the water, to slowly extract the gourd from John's ass.

A single long moan escaped the man's mouth, as he raised his hands to his agressively gurgling belly and the water between Standing Bear and him began rapidly bubbling. A strong maple scent escaped into the air and saturated it, as gallons of sex syrup began evacuating from the man's bowels and then flowed downstream from the three individuals sitting in the water.

“So… much." John finally said, as he raised a shaky arm and shielded his eyes with the attached hand, that stayed in place with help from Darkhorse. He then squinted and looked at Standing Bear.

“I will go make soup. You stay here." Standing Bear announced, before giving the other two a kiss on the forehead and then raised out of the water, for his trip to the storage pantry.

Darkhorse took both of John's hands into his own and jointly rubbed the gurgling deflating belly soothingly, as the man moaned some more through each major ejection of the sex syrup inside him. He then chuckles weakly.

“All I can… smell. Is maple... syrup." He then uttered in between breaths.

“Get used to it." Darkhorse recommended

Both remained in the water, as John slowly gained more of his strength back and his sentences became more coherent, as the two of them talked about what he just been through back in the cave. The maple smell soon lost it's dominating presence to that of boiling mushrooms and various spices. John's belly gurgled again in a more familiar food related way, just after it finally returned to it's original flat defined form. He then moved himself, with access to restored strength and mobility, away from Darkhorse and sat upright next to him in the water, before proceeding to wash himself clear of all the sex syrup residue sticking to him all over his body. The washing soon became a two person activity, as both helped get each other's backs clean as well. John then got a tap on the shoulder and looked to where Darkhorse was pointing. Standing Bear was by the fire pit, stirring through a large black hanging kettle and waving to join him. It certainly smelled like the soup was ready to both of them, as they helped each other up out of the water and walked towards the fire pit. Both were immediately handed steaming bowls and spoons, resting on folded thick clothes. Standing Bear then retrieved soup for himself with a large dipping ladle, as both sat down next to him on the log.

“Talk about anything interesting?" He inquired, before dipping his spoon into the soup.

“Darkhorse was explaining the steps of what you two had planned for me next."

“After he goes spice and mushroom hunting with us." Darkhorse added.

All three briefly sat quiet, as they got more spoonfuls of soup inside them and then passed around a drinking bowl filled with water.

“Anything helpful learned?" He asked a question obviously directed towards Darkhorse.

“He most likely will be a horse."

“How so?"

“He is a white man, that kept talking to…" Darkhorse was then at a loss for words.

“He is referring to something that has existed in our culture in many countries for generations now and is now considered nothing more than a growing phase for kids." John added. “They are called imaginary friends. Back where my grandfather came from, there are still people over there that believe the old way before the arrival of churches. According to them, the imaginary friends function as guides to children and help them cope with the difficult world around them. These people saw nothing wrong with a person maintaining contact with these friends throughout their life. My family was among those that secretly carried on that tradition. We could never see each other's imaginary friend, but that was okay. We were told that is just their way."

Both Darkhorse and Standing Bear looked at each other, smiled and chuckled.

“These imaginary friends are called spirit guides by most people like us on this land here." Standing Bear explained. “Your family is a rare find among white men. But it is also good to meet one like you. May we…" he paused and looked right at Darkhorse, who just just shrugged sheepishly while swallowing some soup. “...may I… ask who they are or what animal?"

John paused briefly and looked slightly downward with a focused look on his face.

“He said his name is not important. But he sometimes looks like one of your people and then sometimes he looks like a light brown version of one those famous wild mustangs."

Standing Bear looked directly at Darkhorse and received the same shrug in response again.

“This will make the next thing easier. We will be teaching you some things that will help both you and your spirit guide become closer. This was the first step Darkhorse and I took when younger than you, when being taught by our shaman that the two of us were capable of being something more than just mere men. That teaching eventually lead to us becoming what you now have seen. But this of course can wait until after the hunt for more things that we need."

Standing Bear then collected the empty soup bowls together, before getting up and walking towards the creek to wash them out. Darkhorse then took a drink from the water filled bowl and passed it over to John, while smiling at him and patting his back.

“I look forward to seeing what beautiful stallion you become."

“That was actually a little better English right there." John commented.

“I am learning more… thanks to you being here. Thank you."

The two then leaned in and gave each other a hug, before getting up and walking towards the creek. Darkhorse volunteered to carry the empty kettle. All three of them jointly got everything cleaned out thoroughly and started a new conversation relevant to their next task. John already learned many useful things from his dad, but was eager to learn any new information. He was first shown the target plants hanging and drying in the storage pantry, then shown some other things written down in a book that was kept in it. All three then retrieved their loin clothes and leather satchels, before departing from the area of the cave. Darkhorse and Standing Bear had no problem with John keeping the colt pistol in his satchel and felt it would be useful for hostile white man encounters.

The two native men began opening up more about themselves on the mushroom and spice hunting trip, encouraging John to finally open up some more about himself. Conversation about the more personal things finally entered into their verbal exchange, along their slower more casual way back to the cave with full satchels. John was very relieved to know that the deep intimate relationship, that developed between him and his father, was not looked upon at all as negatively as other people like him he encountered throughout the war. He soon found out that it was a social tradition that used to exist among all the native peoples of the land, before the arrival of the cultural tampering and contamination of ideas that only served to divide them. All three seemed to agree that there was likely something more insidious behind the tampering and were perfectly fine with living their shared style of life as far away from all of it as possible.

By the time they returned to the cave, it was already late evening again. Standing Bear had John follow him into the storage pantry and help with the dried plant preparation, while Darkhorse cleaned the existing animal skins and put fresh ones down in the social sleep chamber. He then grabbed a few more select things from the storage area, while the other two were briefly outside, that was needed for the next planned activity. Once he was satisfied with how he had the stuff setup in the chamber, Darkhorse lit some tiny incense bowls and placed them around the space, to begin properly saturating the air and make it adequate for the ritual. He then unrolled a mat that had an intricate spoked circular design painted on it with symbols scattered inside and outside all round the circle itself. He then placed a polished rounded stone near it, that had a complex geometric glyph etched into it, next to a small deer skin drum. Once he was satisfied everything was in place he walked out of the cave for John. Both him and Standing Bear were just sitting by the creek and casually talking, then looked over their shoulders.

“It is time John." Darkhorse announced and then motioned for the man to follow him.

Once all three were at the mouth of the bigger open chamber, Standing Bear gave him a pat on the shoulder and remained where he was, as the other two continued on inside and then disappeared down the short passage to the prepared chamber. He then turned and walked over to the fire pit and sat on the log, to keep a look out for anyone or anything that may disrupt the sacred ritual. The moment John emerged into the chamber, he swayed a little. The incense he inhaled made his mind slightly hazy. Darkhorse was quick to catch with gentle grip at the shoulders and then helped him keep steady, until they walked around the unrolled mat and sat near the drum together. John was requested to sit cross legged in front of the mat, with one hand touching it and the other holding the polished stone in his hand. He was then offered a tiny stone bowl filled with a very exotic smelling concoction. Darkhorse tilted it for him, when it made contact with his lips and kept slowly tilting until it was empty.

“Whoah. That tastes even more strange than it smells."

“It will push your mind to work a different way. It will help you take a journey guided by your friend. Are you ready to begin now?"

John nodded and immediately found he had to apply effort to remain upright, as Darkhorse then took the drum and put it into his lap. The native then closed his eyes and uttered some words in Lakota, then uttered just as many in English.

“I call out to my spirit guide and those that came before me. Help me guide this man on his journey. Help his guide find the way to make him a better… more complete man."

He then opened his eyes and looked right at John and smiled.

“Lay your head on the mat. Do not let go of the stone. The mat will be your way to him. The stone will be your way back to me."

John did as instructed and then assumed he also had to close his eyes… which was not that hard to do. The exotic substance was quickly making him feel drowsy. Once his eyes were closed, he felt the animal skin under him shift a little. Darkhorse got up on his feet and began walking slowly walking around John and began tapping on the drum and musically chanting something in Lakota. It flowed just like a song and pushed him to rapidly loose consciousness, as the outside world rapidly faded to black on him. He then quickly found himself standing naked in the middle of an expansive prairie, with a gentle breeze blowing over his skin. The lighting was soft and reminded him of the orange tinted moment between evening and twilight. It seemed too bright for there to be no visible sun and he somehow did not care. Then in the distance he saw a single horse running towards him. It soon slowed to a trot and then eventually just walked right up to him. It was light brown and looked to be some variation of a mustang. He then heard a familiar voice speak and could swear it was coming from the horse, but the voice was in his head.

“Welcome to my world John. I'm so glad you are finally here. We have a journey to make and there is much to teach you."

He them saw the horse's form morph until it matched that of Darkhorse when he changed.

“But first, we can spend some much needed social time together." The same voice told him, as it came form the moving lips at the end of the horse's muzzle.

John then also saw very clearly that the familiar looking horse was a stallion. But it wasn't just any stallion either, it was his imaginary friend. He couldn't help but walk up and give the creature a long hug and then took it's offered hand, as they then walked together through the tall prairie grass.

FALL 1867

A single cargo wagon, being pulled by one black stallion and one light brown stallion, was slowly making it's way along a seldom used bumpy dirt path through the deep woods. The driver was a male Lakota native, dressed in appropriate cool weather deer skin clothing and had the same style boots on his feet. Behind him setting in the wagon bed, leaning against the one side, was another man. He was obviously not native, but had a decent tan to go with his black full bearded face. The man wore a black short brimmed shallow cowboy hat on his head and wore the same clothes and boots as the driver. The wagon then finally came to a stop before a rather large and tall cabin, being highlighted by the setting sun filtering through the forest trees behind it. Standing just outside it's only open door was a gray haired native dressed in a his own deer skin attire. He folded his arms and grinned right at the driver, the moment the man dismounted from his bench seat and then was promptly joined by the other man in the black hat.

“About time you got here." The gray haired one announced and then walked up to the wagon, before extending a hand to shake towards the one with the hat.

“This here is our second new member of the family and why we couldn't make it Fall last year." Standing Bear explained and put his arm up on the shoulders of the man beside him, while playfully gripping the brim if the hat and jiggled it a little.

The man lightly slapped the teasing hand away and exchanged a snicker, while accepting the other one's extended hand and shook it.

“My name is Luke. I take it you are the one they simply call Shaman."

“I am indeed. I had a name before that, but left it behind with the tribe that kicked me out." The gray haired one affirmed.

“Yeah. Kind of know what that is like myself. Give so much to the community and then they abruptly decide one day to just get rid of you. I use to be a law man before that happened to me."

“Interesting. We should swap stories sometime."

“I would like that."

The three men were then interrupted with the sound of metal rattling and leather harnesses falling to the ground, along with a distinct organic sound that was familiar only to those that could change their physical form. Shaman then turned around and faced the direction of the two stallions, to greet two naked men in their place instead. Darkhorse walked right up and gave Shaman a hug, before introducing the first addition to the new family.

“This brown wavy haired one was found first."

Shaman extended his hand again.

“The name is John." He greeted and shook the hand.

“A pleasure to finally meet you as well John. Let's all retire inside the cabin. Already got a cozy fire started and food being kept warm over the fire. I knew you were definitely coming, when I spied you guys on the trail at the bottom of the mountain earlier. There may not be any meat, but I'm sure it will set just fine on a bear or wolf's stomach."

“You speak very good English." John observed.

“I have had a lot of time to interact with white man, since being exiled from my tribe. I see your English has improved Darkhorse."

“John and Luke have been very helpful with that."

“This family you have now seems properly balanced. You finally have a horse companion and Standing Bear now has a hunting partner." Shaman commented, as he began to remove his clothes.

“Would have preferred another bear myself, but have grown to like the wolf just as much."

Luke gave Standing Bear a playful jab in the ribs, that elicited a chuckle that was passed around, before both of them began to remove their clothes and fold them up. Everyone then followed Shaman into the cabin, in anticipation of both the food and the social gathering itself afterwards.