The Lost Tribe Pt. 03

Jason turned to Carlita and gave her a frustrated glance.

"Well, you told us not to hold anything back."

"Dad, are you really the father of all fourteen girls there?"

Jason, turned back to face Jenny and as he spoke, his eyes connected with those of the girls. "No, I fathered fourteen girls in the valley, that was what I had to do; but I am the Father of only the two of you. There is a big difference. I have an emotional bond with the two of you. I have watched you grow up and mature into young women, I truly love you both. Of the fourteen young women in the valley, I have only seen Summer Rain, once, for only a couple of hours when she was a baby; they are all strangers to me, even Summer Rain. Please always remember that."

They ate the rest of their meal in silence. When they were done, Jason stood, picked up his dishes and placed them in the dishwasher, and went outside to sit on the front steps.

"You were a little harsh on them don't you think." It was Maria; she closed the door behind her and sat down beside him.

"I realize that now. She touched on a raw nerve. I did not mean for it to come out that way, but I had to make them understand that there is a big difference between them and the kids in the valley. Actually, they are not kids anymore, they are nearly eighteen, grown women, especially with how they have to live there. Moreover, someday, maybe sooner than I imagine, I am going to be called back to the valley and the ceremony will happen again. And I'll be reminded of the fact that I don't even know my own children, even Summer Rain."

"Oh, you'll know Summer Rain."

"What are you saying?"

"Never mind."

"I think I'll go upstairs and say good night to the girls."

"Just knock before you enter their rooms. You wouldn't want to embarrass them now would you?"

Chapter 3 - The Call Back to the Valley

The alarm sounded in the valley; the first fissures in the dam that held back the tide of modern civilization appeared. It was shortly after Jason and his family celebrated Jenny's and Becky's sweet sixteen birthdays. It had been Carlita's turn to go up to the valley to see if they needed anything. What she found was Anna, crying in her cave. When she could finally calm Anna down, she exclaimed.

"I'm losing control of the tribe, even my own mother has voted against me."

"What do you mean, what's happened?"

"Two of the girls have been sneaking into the fertility cave."

"Let me guess, one was Angry Sky?"

"Yes; and the other was my own daughter."

"Okay, Anna, it's bad, but not the end of the world."

"It gets worse; one by one they've brought all the other girls in there. Now they're demanding that we hold their ceremony; and council has agreed, even Starry has voted against me."

"Well, after all, they are grown women now."

"They're not even twenty yet. This is too soon. We should let them be children for a few more years. Besides, I do not know if the tribe can survive here with another generation of children. We have only lost one from our generation. There are twelve of us, thirteen of our children, and my mother and her child. That's twenty-seven of us, and only one of them is past the age of having children."

"I see what you mean, the valley could never support that many. What are we going to do?"

"The council has already decided. They want me to bring Jason back to the valley."

"What if he refuses to come back? He's already indicated that he could never be with our girls in that way."

"The choice will not be his to make. The council has spoken, if necessary, they will send a war party down to the valley to get him. I know he will not run away. I have been foretold of his destiny. "

They sat in silence for several minutes, each contemplating the repercussions of her last statement. Finally, it was Anna who broke the silence.

"How is he? Is he healthy enough to survive this; after all, there are now twenty-seven of us?"

"He's slowed down a little, but we've been able to keep him healthy and interested. The fire still burns hot in his hearth, especially for you. It will be hard to let him go, but I know it's truly what he has longed for all these years."

"I miss him so much. That is what made this all the harder. Even as I was arguing against having the ceremony now, inside I longed to be with him again."

"So, how will we do this?"

"I'll give you seven days. A week from tonight I will come for him. That should be enough time for you to say your good byes. I know it will be hardest for the girls to understand why their father is leaving them."

"Our daughters already know all about this. Jason told them that this day would be coming soon. He wanted them to know beforehand so that they would understand why he was leaving and that he loved them and would return as soon as he could. He will be returning to us, right?"

"Of course, the old ways are dead and buried forever. He will return to you; he's still got more to do down there."

"Everything is in progress; but how do you know all this?"

"My High Priestess told me. I don't know how she knew, but I was told that I would be the last one, that the tribe would leave here forever during my lifetime."

"Don't worry, everything will be ready soon."

Both women stood, appraising one another. They were both forty-two years of age; both were physically strong, powerful women. Both were very pleasing to the eye; but upon closer examination, one could tell that Anna had led the harder life. There were age lines at the corners of her eyes; her skin was darker and less supple. Her breasts, though still firm, had begun to sag slightly, the effects of gravity, nursing a baby, and always being unsupported. They hugged one another, as only sisters could, no other words needed to be spoken. Now, Anna had new doubts in her mind, would Jason still find her desirable after being in the arms of both of her sisters?"

_____________

It took Carlita less than an hour to get back home. She found Maria down in the gym and after a quick shower; they joined Jason in his office and closed the door.

"Jason, there's a real problem up in the valley....."

She proceeded to explain all that she had been told.

Maria was the first to speak. "She's known about this all along and yet she has not said a word about it to any of us for all this time. The poor dear, it must have been eating her up inside; knowing that it was going to all end under her watch and not knowing if we were doing what we had to do at our end."

Jason slowly nodded his head as a tear slowly dripped down his cheek.

"I knew this day would be coming sooner rather than later, but I'm still not sure I'm ready for it. I love you both more than I ever thought I could ever love anyone other than Anna. Now I am going to have to leave all of you, to do something I really do not want to do. Nevertheless, I know it has to be done and it has to be me who does it. I just wish everything was already in place and ready for them. They tell me that everything will be done and ready to be occupied in less than a year. You will have to take over for me until I return."

"Do we tell the girls tonight?"

"No, let them get a good night's sleep tonight, tomorrow will be soon enough."

___________________________

However, the atmosphere at the dinner table that night was anything but jovial; and the girls being as smart as they were, knew there was something wrong. Therefore, after dinner, before the table was cleared, Jenny spoke up.

"So, are you going to tell us what's wrong or do we have to guess?"

"We didn't want to tell you until tomorrow, but I guess we couldn't hide it from you. I have to go back to the valley. I don't know when I will be able to come back; but I will come back as soon as I can. Just remember that I will always love you; listen to your mothers, and do your best at school."

"I guess this is the reason why we had our little talk last year. When do you have to leave?"

"At the end of the week; your Aunt Anna is coming to get me."

"That's good, we'll all have time to prepare for your leaving, and we'll finally get to meet Anna. Will Summer Rain be with her?"

"I doubt it. I do not believe any of the young women will be allowed to leave the valley. The less they are exposed to our modern life style the better for everyone concerned."

"I guess we'll just have to wait a little longer before we get to meet our sister."

"It will probably be sooner than you think."

___________________________

For the next six nights, Maria and Carlita alternated sleeping with Jason. The girls, when they were not at school, spent as much of their time as they could with their father, allowing him to help them with their homework and watching television together as a family.

On the seventh evening, they sat together in the living room waiting for the sun to set. About eight o'clock the front doorbell rang and the girls jumped up and ran to the door.

When they opened the door, a sight that they weren't really expecting greeted them. A tall woman, dressed in jeans and a long sleeved cotton shirt and wearing hiking boots stood before them; her long red hair hung down past her shoulders and she greeted them by name.

"Hello, you must be Jenny & Becky, although I'm sorry, I don't know who is who. I am your Aunt Anna. Can I come in?"

"Of course, they're in the living room, follow me," said Becky, as Jenny stayed behind to close the door. Just before she shut the door, she spotted several figures looming in the darkness in front of the house.

As she entered the living room, Anna greeted her sisters with a hug and a kiss. "Thank you for the clothes; they fit really well. You can take them back the next time you come to the valley."

Then she turned to Jason; there was an obvious awkwardness between them.

"You're looking well Jason; obviously my sisters have been taking good care of you."

A snicker came from the other side of the room where the girls were standing, but was ignored by the adults.

"We should be going; I was given an armed escort by the council. I am sure they are beginning to get a little antsy out there. I told them that I would only be in here a short time. I'm afraid that if we don't emerge soon, we'll have them pounding on your door."

Jason moved to each of the four women, gave each of them a reassuring hug, a kiss on the cheek and whispered, "I'll be back as soon as I can. Remember what I told you, I love you all very much."

Turning back to Anna he said, "I'm ready, let's go."

The two walked quickly across the desert landscape down to the hiking trail escorted by four of Anna's generation of the tribe. They were dressed in their normal manner, loincloth, hunting knife in its sheath at their waist, and moccasins on their feet. Jason greeted them in their native language, looking into each face, trying to find a familiar face; he could not. He was just about to turn back to Anna, when he spied one of the escorts break into a wide grin and drop her hand to her loincloth. The hand looked like it was grasping something and then began to move slightly from side to side, as if aiming what she was holding.

That's when the memory of a long ago forgotten incident in the toilet came back to Jason, and he began to blush. Seeing his embarrassment, she, too, began to blush and turned away from him.

Even though it was only the end of September, the night air was already turning cool and he noticed the obvious effects it was having on their exposed nipples; which, in turn, began to have an obvious effect on his member as well. It had been a long time since he had walked among the tribe and experienced, on a daily basis, the sight of so many beautiful, athletically built, nearly naked women.

"I see we still excite you, that is good; I just hope that you will find the sight of my body pleasing as well," she whispered into his ear as they began the slow trek up the trail towards the spring.

"We can speak freely in English if you wish; none of the others speak your language."

"Anna, how bad is it?"

"It's really bad; they are a rebellious group of young women. They are very opinionated and do not respect the authority of their elders; including our daughter, I might add."

"Speaking of Summer Rain; how is she? Will we be living together, the three of us in your cave?"

"She is well. She has grown into a beautiful young woman; but I am afraid her longtime friendship with Angry Sky has made her like all of the others. She won't listen to anything I say; she only takes my advice when it advances her own goals. As to our sleep arrangements, I felt it was best that she stay with Starry for as long as you are here with us."

As they walked, Jason could feel their many years of separation melting away. He could not believe how quickly his long suppressed feelings for her were bubbling to the surface.

They moved as one tight unit along the trail. One of the escorts leading in front, one on either side of Anna and Jason and the last protecting their backs. A lone coyote issued a howl off in the distance ahead of them, followed a short time later by a single response, seemingly from the other side of trail off in the distance.

"All is well." Anna said matter of factly. "We shouldn't run into any problems."

It took less than two hours for them to complete the journey to the valley. Jason noticed the looks of envy that they received from their escorts as he and Anna entered her cave.

Upon entering, Jason spied that there were now two beds in the room. He stood next to what he assumed was Summer Rain's bed and began to get undressed. He had just removed his jeans and was placing them in a pile next to the bed, when he heard Anna's voice.

"Don't even think about sleeping over there. I've waited nearly twenty years for this night; I won't wait a second longer."

Jason turned to face her. She was already naked, standing next to her bed, displaying her forty-two year old body for his appraisal. As he dropped his shorts to the ground and stepped out of them, his arousal was already becoming evident.

"You are still as beautiful as you were back then. I've never stopped thinking about you." He said as he closed the distance between them.

"You look stronger than you were back then; I guess Carlita has been pushing you hard in the gym. It looks good on you."

They embraced, their arms wrapped tightly around each other as if saying they were never going to be separated again, but each knowing that this was only a temporary situation at best.

They made love twice that first night. The first time was with a sense of urgency, until they had momentarily quenched their thirst for each other. The second time took place much later, and was a slow passionate loving experience that lasted into the early hours of the next day; they greeted the morning sun together still locked in a tender embrace.

"We should probably go over to the bath and clean up and take care of business before the rest of the tribe gets up. This time, I will make sure the toilet cave is empty. I noticed that little display last night; we wouldn't want any repeats of that incident now would we." She said teasingly. "Besides, now she knows what to do with it."

___________________________

Refreshed and ready for the day, they walked together to get their breakfast. The dining area was more crowded than Jason remembered. All conversations ceased as they took their places in line. He was aware that he was the reason why, so it didn't bother him. Glancing around the area, he did notice that there appeared to be two distinct groups, each sitting apart from the other.

"Is it always like this?" Jason asked Anna. "They almost seem hostile towards each other."

"I wouldn't call it hostile, so much as, indifferent towards each other. The young ones are just showing their independence from their mothers. They feel they are adults and want to be treated as such."

Jason nodded his understanding as his gaze was drawn towards two women from the younger group as they stood and began walking towards them. It was then that he noticed the streaks of red in the long straight hair of the taller of the two.

"Hello mother, I assume this is Jason." She said in her native language as she gave him a visual inspection. Her companion was also appraising him, but her eyes were filled with contempt.

"He's so old; I thought he'd be younger." She said disapprovingly.

"Jason, this is my daughter Summer Rain and her friend Angry Sky, she's Starry Sky's daughter."

Jason, wishing to please the two of them, greeted the young women in their native language. "I'm very pleased to meet the two of you." He was amused as he watched the look of surprise and embarrassment come over their faces.

"Mother, you never told me he speaks our language."

"Sorry, the topic never came up."

Jason and Anna turned, picked up their bowls and spoons, as the young women returned to the seats.

"Jason, it's good to see you again." Starry said in a loud voice. "You look well; I hope you had a good night," she added in a more hushed tone.

"Hello Starry, It's good to see you again as well. And yes we had a very enjoyable night."

"Well, don't tire yourself out; there are a lot more of us now and we are all looking forward to being with you again."

Chapter 4 -- The Ceremony Begins Again

After breakfast, on the walk back to their cave, Anna said,

"You know, she's right. You should rest as much as possible; you're not the young stud that was here the last time."

"Are you calling me old?" Jason retorted.

"Of course not; it's just that there are now twenty-seven of us. In addition, based upon our conversation with Starry, all of them are going to want at least one time with you. That means that on some of the nights you are going to have to do at least two of the younger ones."

"Speaking of that, we had better get over to the fertility cave and plan this out."

They walked across the valley, lit the torch, and entered the cave. As Jason glanced around the walls of the cave, he was reminded of the first time he had entered this cave and had become a participant in the ceremony. After several moments lost in his own thoughts, he felt a tug on his arm as Anna pulled him towards the entrance to the smaller waiting area, which held the ancient calculator.

The stones were still placed just where he had placed them the last time he was here. Jason looked to Anna for her input; the day she last began to bleed would be their new starting point.

"Let's see; I started to bleed about ten days after the full moon. I'm not exactly sure, it could have been nine or eleven; I wasn't really keeping track because I wasn't planning the holding the ceremony again this soon."

"That's okay; it's close enough. We can get more exact next time. I'm assuming you all start to bleed on the same day; is that still correct?"

"It seems so, judging by the atmosphere around here during the times that I start."

"Alright, let's place the stones into the correct holes." Jason said as she placed the first stone in the hole situated under the drawing of the last quarter moon. He then placed each of the stones in their proper place, and then stood contemplating just how they should proceed.

"What phase of the moon are we in right now. I was not really paying much attention last night on the walk up here. I know there was a moon because there was light on the trail."

Walking over to the wall, she studied the symbols and the holes and pointed to the first quarter moon as she stated. "We're here now."

"Oh my; if you're right, we have to start tonight; so much for getting any rest."

"Jason, why don't I skip my turn this time around? You'll have one less night that you have to do two."