They sprinted out of the water, back to the sheltered spot nestled in the side of the outcropping, under the trees.

  Tex had a hard-on for the rest of the day.

  That night, when they lay down to sleep, they made beds out of pine boughs. Neesha snuggled up on one side of Tex, and Emi snuggled on the other side.

  Bmimi made a pretty display of settling down in her spot for the night. First, she fussily paced around, stooping her head as she took dainty little sniffs of the air.

  After several minutes, she picked a spot, rather close to Tex. Then she went off into the trees and returned with her arms full of pine boughs.

  Grendel and Zila appeared, carrying branches for themselves.

  “I’ll sure sleep better now, knowing I’m safe!” Grendel said in her little voice as she set up her bed.

  “Good,” Tex murmured, his eyes half-closed. “I’m glad you feel safe.” He reached over his head and touched his rifle.

  Zila waited until Grendel and Bmimi had settled onto their beds before she made up her own. She laid the branches down just feet away from Tex’s bed and kept batting her eyes at him as she did so.

  Then she lay on her side, facing away from him. The skin of her bare thighs and naked back looked beautiful in the twilight.

  She stirred restlessly, and somehow her skirt went up so that her ass and labia were showing.

  Emi got onto her elbow and peered at his face. “You’re staring,” she whispered.

  “Yeah… It’s a nice view.”

  Neesha threw her thigh over Tex’s waist as if to claim him, and Emi put her little hand across his chest.

  A moment later, as Tex was dozing, he heard Utu’s steps crunching the dirt.

  They suddenly stopped.

  “What is this?” she hissed.

  Opening his eyes in surprise, Tex saw the warrior woman striding towards them with an armload of evergreen boughs.

  She marched past Tex and strode towards Zila. The Neanderthal girl pulled her skirt over her bum.

  “You cheeky little slut! Get back!” Utu screeched, whipping Zila with a bough. “All of you, get back!”

  Zila yelped as Utu kept whipping her thighs. Grendel and Bmimi scrambled to their feet and started gathering their beds.

  Zila did the same, but Utu stopped her.

  “No. Leave it. Take these.”

  She shoved her own branches into the Neanderthal’s arms. “If you overstep your bounds again, I will beat you much worse. Do you understand me, cavewoman?”

  “Understand,” Zila said, her face flushing red and her eyes flashing with passion.

  Once the other women had set up their beds some distance away, Utu settled in as if she was a lady in a private boudoir. Slipping off her shoes, she stepped gently onto the bed that Zila had made, sitting down on her heels.

  Then she removed the feathers from her hair, as well as her fang necklace, and carefully laid them aside. She glanced once at Tex, evidently pleased he was watching her.

  But she tossed her head and turned away. Then she gathered her hair up and let it tumble down her back.

  After fussing with her hair for some time, she lay down on her side, much like Zila had done. The curves of her hourglass body looked beautiful when she lay like that.

  And the slip of animal skin looked as though the faintest gust of wind would blow it aside and reveal her sex from the back.

  Neesha moaned in his ear and snuggled even closer, her thigh still lying over his waist.

  Tex squirmed uncomfortably. His clothes were already sticking to his skin, and his hair was wet with sweat.

  He moved to get up, but Neesha pushed him down with her body, and Emi grasped his arm more tightly.

  “Where are you going?” Neesha breathed.

  “I’m taking these jeans off. You’ve no idea how uncomfortable they are.”

  Neesha and Emi immediately relinquished their grasp but watched Tex possessively as he got up.

  It felt much more comfortable with his jeans off. He took his shirt off, too.

  As soon as he lay back down, Neesha’s warm hand wandered down his stomach, and slipped into his underwear.

  Her warm hand needily gripped his cock, making it rapidly turn to steel. At the same time, Emi’s hand hovered over his chest, and she drew in ragged breaths. He felt her trembling hand touch his bare chest. She touched him so softly, so gently. It was as if she was afraid of what would happen.

  Tex was floored.

  What a life!

  If it all ended with him being hanged, drawn, and quartered by Kdar Tol, it would be worth it.

  ***

  Tex awoke with a throbbing cock and heavy balls. Neesha was squirming against him, her wet thigh on his stomach, her hot breath on his cheek. The stars shone above them, and Neesha’s lustrous red hair glowed in the moonlight.

  She panted and rubbed herself against his hip. Caressing the inside of her thigh, he found it dripping wet. Fisting her hair, Tex sunk his teeth into her soft bottom lip. She moaned, but he smothered the sound with his lips.

  She accepted his tongue, and they passionately made out, conscious of all the other women sleeping around them. Neesha quickly turned herself around, pulled her animal skin aside, and wiggled her backside into Tex’s crotch.

  It was so easy now that his jeans were off. Shoving down his underwear, he lined up his throbbing dick with Neesha’s pussy. The elf moaned a little louder than necessary as he thrust into her. Tex couldn’t help grunting as he worked his way deeper into her channel.

  He flicked his tongue over the length of her ear since he knew she liked that, nibbling on the pointy tip.

  The night was quiet, and the river’s relaxing hum did not cover the slick noises of the elf’s wet pussy getting fucked.

  Nor did it hide Neesha and Tex’s increasingly ragged breathing as their carnal struggle became more intense.

  Glancing at the women, Tex saw their dark forms silhouetted in the Moonlight. Some of them were clearly awake.

  The image of Zila’s beautiful, round backside returned into his mind — Her pretty labia wedged between those round ass cheeks.

  His cock pulsed even more intensely, and he felt himself getting closer.

  Dammit, that fucking Neanderthal bitch is turning me on, he thought, hoping she was awake and listening.

  Then he thought about each of the other girls in turn, remembering how they looked when they were washing their hair in the river and the water trickled over their breasts and down their stomachs.

  These thoughts made him thrust deeper and harder, making Neesha moan loudly.

  Tex covered her mouth — afraid that she’d attract predators — and pushed himself in all the way to the hilt, crashing his tip into her cervix and unloading his heavy balls right into her elf womb.

  Afterwards, Neesha settled by his side again, and Emi shyly came back to his other side, taking his arm.

  Suddenly inflamed with passion for the little elf, Tex embraced her. But Emi’s body stiffened, and she breathed nervously.

  She wasn’t ready. The poor little thing had too many feelings of inadequacy.

  If only she knew what a perfect little angel she was.

  “Don’t worry, sweetie,” Tex hummed.

  Gently kissing her forehead and stroking her hair, he lay on his back, and Emi nestled up to him, reaching her hand across his chest.

  ***

  The mood was tense in the morning as everyone washed up and ate their smoked-meat breakfast.

  Grendel, Bmimi, and even Zila Kept a distance from Tex and cast nervous glances at Utu. The warrior woman gave Tex the silent treatment, and she kept looking off into the distance as if she wanted to leave as soon as possible.

  I guess last night was a mistake, Tex thought.

  Utu’s scorn towards the elves was even more open and intense than the day before. Was she jealous? Pissed off that another girl had dibs on his cock? If that was the case, then why did she say didn’t want Tex to be their alpha–-that they would part ways?

  Come on, Tex; when has a woman ever been straightforward?

  Neesha sat beside him with a self-satisfied smirk on her face. She and Emi were at least partly responsible for the rising tensions. Both of them had been determined to keep Tex to themselves, and Neesha had definitely wanted him to fuck her so that all the other women could hear it.

  In truth, if the elves hadn’t hogged his attention, he would have given Utu a lot more of it–-not just flirting but also simply talking and learning from her.

  Maybe that was why he had not immediately become chief, even though the bachelors seemed to take it for granted that would be the case.

  He tried making conversation over breakfast. It was torture.

  “We’re gonna head downriver towards the other end of the canyon.”

  Silence.

  Grendel, Bmimi, and Zila looked at each other awkwardly, waiting for Utu to answer.

  “We’re going the same way,” the warrior woman said indifferently.

  “Looks like we’re traveling together then,” Tex said cheerfully.

  Utu didn’t look up. “Yes.”

  He tried to catch her eye, but she purposefully avoided his gaze.

  Neesha and Emi each sat with one hand on Tex’s thigh and primped their hair with the other. All the while, they gave Utu catty looks.

  Tex sighed. They don’t want me to have other lovers, he thought. Fair enough. I can’t hold that against them.

  When Utu and the other girls got up and started preparing to leave, Tex took the elves aside.

  “Listen. I see that you’re jealous, and I understand. It’s only natural. You two are the best thing that’s ever happened to me; my entire purpose in this world is to help both of you… And be with you forever.”

  “Oh, Tex!”

  The elves threw themselves onto him. Emi looked up, with tears going down her cheeks. “You… You’ll really protect us and… and love us forever?”

  “Yes. Forever.”

  They hugged him tightly.

  “I have a plan… That was why I wanted to become the chief of Utu’s tribe…” Tex explained his intention to unite the bachelor groups to form a bulwark against the Kdar Tol.

  This made an impression on the elves. Neesha frowned at the ground, and a remorseful expression gradually came onto her face.

  “Tex,” she began — but she was interrupted by the sound of rocks tumbling down the outcropping.

  Grendel and Emi screamed.

  Chapter nineteen

  LEAPING UP AND grabbing his rifle, Tex craned his neck and looked at the rocky heights of the outcropping, where Grendel and Emi were pointing.

  Far above, he saw the head of a gargantuan, copper-colored lizard, its reptile arms clinging to the rockface. Its long body snaked over the rockface and disappeared behind jutting pillars. Tex couldn’t see the end of it.

  This giant lizard tilted its head and looked directly at Tex. Although it was high above, it was close enough that Tex could see the shrewd, discerning look in its eye.

  “It’s a dragon!” Emi cried.

  “A dragon?” Tex hissed, his heart hammering against his ribcage. “A fucking dragon? Holy shit, that’s cool! And absolutely terrifying.”

  Well, why not? They’ve got elves and sorcerers here… I should have known there’d be dragons, too!

  “I… I can’t believe it,” Utu whispered. “No one’s ever seen one — not since the days of our ancestors.”

  “Go to the shelter,” Tex rasped. “Slowly.”

  Neesha and Emi immediately obeyed. Bmimi put her arm around Grendel and led her away. The dragon tilted its head, and its eyeball rolled, following the girls.

  Then it returned its gaze to Tex. There was unmistakable intelligence in its eyes, but it was impossible to tell what it was thinking.

  Tex glanced at Utu and Zila.

  “Why are you still here?”

  “We help Tex,” Zila said firmly.

  “Well, get ready to take cover behind a tree.”

  After about 30 seconds of intense stillness, the monster suddenly dashed down the rock face like a high-speed train, going straight towards a small ledge where pillars of rock rose up. Tex aimed his scope, but it was instantly clear that the dragon was entering a chasm in the rocks.

  In the blink of an eye, its entire body had disappeared, and its long tail quickly followed.

  All was still and quiet.

  A breeze sighed through the trees and ruffled Tex’s shirt. He continued aiming through his scope, his finger on the trigger.

  “I think it’s gone,” Utu said. “They live deep in the rocks, underground.”

  “Yes,” Zila said, her unibrow bending into a frown. “Creature of darkness.”

  “It must mean something,” Utu said, staring up at the rock face where the dragon had been. Then she looked at Tex. “The dragon… It kept looking at you.”

  Tex let out a bemused chuckle. “Well, I wouldn’t read too much into it.”

  They hastily packed up their things and set out, eager to put the outcropping behind them.

  ***

  The travelers rambled in silence for some time, still rattled by the sight of the dragon -- which was almost as surprising for the women as it was for Tex.

  But the tension thawed as the morning sun rose in the sky–- for Tex, at least. He felt great physically: brimming with energy and strength. The only problem was that his balls felt painfully full again, and his cock swelled against his too-tight jeans.

  Merely being near all these otherworldly hot women meant he was horny all the time. Not to mention whatever happened at the river — the injection of “abundant masculine power.” He felt that energy swelling and hardening inside him, and the urgent need to fire it off like a cannonball.

  Utu walked about 10 paces behind Tex, always letting him be in the front. Grendel, Bmimi, and Zila walked behind Utu.

  Meanwhile, Neesha and Emi walked wherever they pleased. Sometimes they were behind Tex, but they often walked side-by-side with him.

  At one point, Emi lagged. When Tex looked back several minutes later, he saw the dainty elf walking with Grendel, the dainty human, and Bmimi.

  Grendel and Emi were chattering away. Bmimi watched with her ears perked up, occasionally putting in a word of her own.

  They all had bright faces.

  Awww, they’ve become friends, Tex thought. Cute!

  Utu walked ahead of them, clutching her spear and scanning the trees with an expression that said, “I don’t have time for idle chatter!”

  Zila walked alone. Safely out of Utu’s gaze, she stared at Tex with a wanton expression. The Neanderthal always seemed to have one thing on her mind, and she made sure Tex knew what it was.

  Neesha sidled up beside Tex with a thoughtful expression on her face. Tex had the feeling she wanted to continue the discussion they were having earlier, when he told her about his plan. But Utu was walking behind them within earshot, so Neesha held her tongue.

  Shortly after that, they came to a tough part of the journey through the canyon. The canyon wall jutted out, obliterating the beach for a mile or so.

  A steep switchback trail ascended the rocks and passed through a crevice to the other side.

  Neesha and Tex both looked back at Emi with concern, but she perked up.

  “I’m okay!”

  Smiling, she charged up the trail, but she was soon taking deep, wheezy breaths.

  Tex knew it was a point of pride for her, and it could humiliate her if he insisted on carrying her. So he let her continue up the trail, but he walked just behind her, keeping an eye on her.

  Grendel and Bmimi walked as close to Emi as they could without making Utu angry at them.

  At the top of the first switchback, everyone stopped for a rest. Emi was panting and looked exhausted.

  “Are you okay, Emi?” Grendel said with genuine concern in her voice.

  “I — I… It’s nothing,” Emi breathed, looking at the ground. “Sometimes I… I get a little tired.”

  Bmimi and Grendel gently moved closer to Emi, looking at her with cute, concerned faces.

  “If you need to rest, I don’t mind,” Grendel said in a sweet voice.

  “Me too,” Bmimi purred. “Please don’t feel you have to rush on our account.”

  Neesha rubbed Emi’s back. “Why don’t you let Tex carry you, Sweetie? No one will think any less of you, and Tex doesn’t mind, do you, Tex?”

  “Not all,” Tex said. “I’d feel a lot better if I carried you.”

  “Oh… well… I–I don’t want to be a nuisance…”

  Emi did the same routine as the first time, becoming shy, and having to be talked into letting Tex carry her, even though she secretly wanted it more than anything.

  Bmimi and Grendel both watched with wide eyes, looking at the little elf as if she was the luckiest girl in the world because she got to be babied by Tex.

  As for Utu, she tossed her head and looked back over the terrain, apparently impatient to get on with things.

  When Emi was finally persuaded to let Tex carry her, she let her body go limp and looked up at him with the cutest face. He could see that she felt special and pampered because he was carrying her.

  As they climbed the steep switchbacks, everyone quietly wondered if another dragon would appear. By the time they entered the narrow crevice that led to the other side, they’d gotten rather jumpy.

  Walking into the crevice, Tex immediately saw a monstrous shape in the corner of her eye. With a grunt, he hugged Emi tight against his chest and backed against the rock wall — only to find that it was just a shadow on the rocks, not a dragon.

  The same thing happened to most of the girls, and a scream usually accompanied it.

  After they descended the other side of the pass, the canyon opened up again, and they came to a forest of aspens.

  They decided to stop and rest under the trembling leaves. Tex decided to take Neesha aside and have a chat with her at once, but when looked for her, the elf was already briskly walking towards the river.

  “I’ll spear some fish!” she said over her shoulder. “That way we can make the elk meat last longer!”

  Tex’s stomach grumbled. The idea of fresh fish cooked over a fire made his mouth water.