Tamer_King of Dinosaurs 3

by Michael-Scott Earle

  “I understand,” Sheela said. “You will do what is right. I trust your judgement.”

  “Thanks,” I replied as we walked back to Bob to grab the last two empty jugs. The beautiful woman smiled at me, and we kissed each other briefly after we’d tied the second pair of filled jugs on Bob’s saddle. The taste of her lips, and the soft purr she made when we kissed made my body heat up to a boiling point. I thought about making love to her again by the river, but I knew we had too much to do tonight, so I broke off our kiss, grabbed the last two jugs, and then turned back to my troop of dinos drinking in the river.

  “What are your impressions of our new recruits?” I asked.

  “I like them both,” Sheela said.

  “Why?” I asked.

  “They are hard workers,” the cheetah-woman replied with a shrug. “They have made no complaints so far today.”

  “Liahpa doesn’t seem to like me,” I chuckled as I lifted my filled jug out of the water.

  “Neither did Trel at first,” she replied. “Or Kacerie. Once they see the goodness in you, they will come to love you.”

  “Ha,” I laughed. “I don’t know how much more love I can handle. I’ll settle for just being trustworthy.”

  “I do not think you will have to worry,” Sheela said.

  “Okay,” I said. “How can we use their abilities?”

  “Liahpa can make the gate heavier,” Sheela replied. “That will help with defense. Perhaps Emerald can use her clone to scout, but she will not be able to communicate information efficiently. I am not as creative as you or Trel, but I trust that you will find a way to use their abilities.”

  “Yeah,” I said as we attached the last jugs to the saddle. “I’ll figure it out. I think the dinos are done. Let’s go back, get the other trikes their drink, and then we can get to work on the next project.”

  We rode back to the camp, dropped off our water, and switched out the guard crew so that the other trikes followed Bob back to the river. Just as before, Sheela and I watched the shore for any movement before we let the dinos go down. I realized I was starting to get a bit paranoid when I looked up into the branches of the redwoods for potential threats, but I figured that I’d rather be paranoid than dead.

  After Sheela and I returned from our second trip, we regrouped with everyone around the cook fires. Trel had expanded the whole set up, and there were now twelve fires slowly smoking deer meat, roasting dinosaur organs, and heating four jugs of water. We actually had enough food to feed four times our number of people, and I felt an incredible sense of gratitude fill my chest. Food hadn’t been much of a problem since we had arrived, but the sight and smell of the roasting meat made me realize how fortunate we were to have been set down in this location of the planet. I didn’t know the width or breadth of terrain types on Dinosaurland, but the aliens could have dropped me off in the middle of a tundra or desert, and I wouldn’t have lasted an hour.

  “We got a lot done today,” I said to everyone as Galmine passed me a plate of smoked venison. “The sun will set in fifteen minutes, and we need to review what we are going to do for the next few hours.”

  “Water filtration,” Trel said before anyone else could open their mouths.

  “Yeah,” I replied. “That’s top on the list, along with digging the trench, building the platforms, crafting more weapons, making a garden, and--”

  “There is a lot to do,” Liahpa said as she cleared her throat. “We get it.”

  “Do not interrupt Victor when he is speaking,” Trel growled at the silver-haired woman.

  “We’ve just been over this before,” Liahpa said as she raised her hands.

  “Yeah,” I said. “I know I’m repeating all of this a bit, but we need to make sure we are all on task and spending our time on the right projects. Trel is correct, water is our priority now. I already said that we are going to make a trip to the beach tomorrow and grab some sand. We are also going to get clay. We have a lot of baskets, but we need to make more tonight, and we are going to need a saddle for Tom since we’ll be taking him.”

  “Why Tom?” Kacerie asked.

  “He’s got the most space on his back,” I said with a shrug. “I hate to leave with him, but we’ll put the gate doors back in place, and Nicole and Katie should be able to protect you all if something attacks. The beach is too far away to make daily trips in safety, so I only want to do this once. If Trel and I can get a lot of sand and a bunch of clay, we’ll be set for a few weeks.”

  “What about the soap?” Kacerie said. I noticed that all the women’s hands were clean, but their clothes were still covered in dried blood.

  “Will you be able to figure it out tonight?” I asked her.

  “I don’t think so,” she admitted with a frown. “I did get some fat from the dinos we just butchered. I wanted to start playing around with it.”

  “You’d rather do that instead of making baskets?” I asked.

  “Yes,” she said, and I saw her bite her upper lip as she waited for my response.

  “We need baskets,” Trel said. “Then we can bring more clay back. Kacerie is our second best basket maker.”

  “Second best?” the pink-haired woman asked as she shot Trel an exasperated look.

  “You are not quite as good as I am.” Trel grinned. “The soap can wait.”

  After Trel said the words, she turned to me for confirmation. All the women actually turned to me, and the realization of how far I had come as a leader kind of punched me lightly in the stomach. When Sheela had first saved me and brought me to Galmine and Trel, I’d been probably the least useful member of their group. Now I was the unquestioned leader, and both Liahpa and Emerald would do what I said just because the other women did what I said. The next group of people that I saved would follow my direction with even less coercion. They would just conform to the group norm.

  And the group norm was to do whatever I told them to do.

  “Kacerie is the only one who has any clue about how to make soap,” I said. “I want her on the project. If she has free time to help with the basket she can, but we really need soap. Trel, you are a great teacher, and I’m sure you can show Emerald and Liahpa how to make baskets tonight. Sheela, Galmine, and I will help, and we should get a bunch done before we go to bed. Tomorrow you can work with Kacerie to build Tom’s saddle. The sooner you both get it done, the sooner we leave to get sand.”

  “I suppose that is the best decision,” Trel said as she smiled at me.

  “Thanks, Victor,” Kacerie said, and then she turned to Galmine. “Do we have any extra clay pots I can use? I just need two.”

  “We have exactly two that I can spare,” the rock-skinned woman said. “I will go get them for you.”

  Kacerie took the two pots and filled them with river water. In one she stirred gray and white ash from the fire, and in the other, she put a chunk of fat she had carved from one of the dinos. She set both pots near the fire to warm, and then she kept an eye on them while she worked on twisting the fern leaves together for baskets.

  While we all worked on baskets, we chatted about our home worlds. I had heard a bunch about what life was like on Trel, Sheela, and Galmine’s world, but Kacerie opened up a bit about her past. Her society sounded very close to a typical United States type culture. Everyone had jobs, earned money to buy stuff, and focused on a career. But when we began to talk about her career as a hair stylist, I learned that our species were pretty different.

  “Your occupation is decided at birth,” Kacerie said when Sheela asked her if she enjoyed being a hairstylist.

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “What do you mean, what do you mean?” She smirked at me.

  “Who decides, and how do you even know when you are born what you are going to do?” I clarified.

  “Our controllers determine what jobs will need to be done when you come of age based on population and needs. Then you are assigned that job based on the traits and class of your parents.”

/>   “Class?” I asked as I felt a chill enter my stomach.

  “Yes,” she said. “Don’t you have social classes on your world?”

  “Uhh, well yeah, but they aren’t really etched in stone. They are kind of fluid depending on how much money you make and how good looking you are.” I laughed as I spoke and realized how dumb my words sounded.

  “Yep,” Kacerie said. “Sounds like we have the same thing. My parents were considered top tier with physical beauty and were ranked a ten, but they were only ranked a seven for work capabilities. The controllers decided that I should be a hairstylist since the job requires that I understand beauty, and can work harder than average.”

  “That’s crazy,” I said. “So, you trained to it your whole life?”

  “Yep,” she shrugged. “It is the only job I have ever known.”

  “But do you like it?” I asked. “What if you wanted to do something else?”

  “Like make baskets?” she laughed as she raised the cluster of leaves she held in her fingers. “The controllers are almost always right, but sometimes there are re-assignments. I never thought about it. I liked being a hairdresser. I was the best in my city, I had my own salon, and I was servicing the elite class every day when I worked. The men I was dating were all good looking and rich.” Her blue eyes turned away from me and then stared into the low flames coming from the ground. “I was at the peak of my career and life. Now I’m here. Covered in blood, mixing fat so I can try to make soap, weaving leaves together, and trying not to get eaten by a dinosaur.”

  “I’m sorry,” Galmine said as she rested her hand on Kacerie’s shoulder.

  “Not your fault,” the pink-haired woman replied as she sniffed. “If it weren’t for Victor, I would have died in a few minutes. He saved my life, and then you all took me in. I know I was a bit of a bitch when I first got here, but I guess I still haven’t accepted that this isn’t some sort of nightmare. I keep thinking I’m going to wake up and be in my comfy bed in my apartment.”

  “Yeah,” Liahpa sighed. “I know the feeling.”

  “What about these controllers?” I asked Kacerie. “Who are they? What do they do on your world?”

  “Hmmm,” she sighed as she blinked her light blue eyes. “They are our rulers. They keep our people moving forward toward prosperity.”

  “Are they elected?” I asked.

  “Elected?” She looked at me with confusion.

  “Yeah,” I said. “On my world, we have a bunch of different countries with different government structures. Some have a democracy where the people vote for the laws. Some have a republic where the people vote for the people that vote for the laws. Some have a monarchy or dictatorship where the rulers’ law is absolute and everyone does what they say. Did your people elect these controllers?”

  “Oh,” Kacerie laughed. “No, uhhh. They are… machines. Computers? I’m not sure the word is translating to you correctly.”

  “Yeah,” I replied as I nodded. “That’s interesting. So, you have computers that rule over the living and breathing people of your planet?”

  “Yep,” she said. “I never thought of another form of government. We don’t even discuss such things.”

  “How about war or fighting?” I asked. “Do the same controllers rule over your entire world?”

  “Yes,” she said. “My people don’t really have fights amongst themselves. It would obviously be over quickly.”

  “Why would it be over quickly?” Liahpa asked with interest.

  “All of my kind have Lance,” Kacerie said with a shrug. “It eliminates the other person instantly.”

  “Really?” The floating woman’s red eyes opened wide.

  “Yes.”

  “How about you, Liahpa?” I asked. “How was your world set up? What kind of government?”

  “We have five countries on my planet,” she answered. “They are all democratic but separated by nuanced personal beliefs of each citizen. That way, the women of my world can live in the type of society they wish to live in. There have been no wars since we eliminated the men. We play lift ball to get out whatever aggressions we might have. I’ve oversimplified it; you wouldn’t appreciate or understand the nuances, so I don’t care to explain them.”

  “Fair enough,” I said with a shrug.

  “And all of you have men on your worlds?” Liahpa asked the other women cautiously. They all nodded, even Emerald, who had turned out to be very adept at weaving baskets, and was putting them together almost as quickly as Trel.

  “The men on my world are different from Victor,” Sheela said as she gestured to me. “They are not as nice, or attentive, or caring. They are strong, arrogant, and capable of overpowering most women.”

  “That sounds awful,” Liahpa hissed.

  “Yes, and no,” Sheela said with a shrug. “Women are expected to serve men. That could be the reason they are like that.”

  “Men on my world are idiots,” Trel scoffed. “They are nothing like Victor. Except in looks.”

  “Looks?” I asked.

  “Yes,” Trel replied. “Not as handsome of course.”

  “But what do you mean by ‘looks?’” I asked.

  “Hmmm.” Trel’s lips moved around as if she was tasting wine in her mouth. “They look like you. They lack the female legs and web manipulators.” Trel held out her fingers and her spider legs tapped on the grass.

  “Wait, the males on your planet don’t have legs coming out of their backs and they have hands that look like mine?”

  “Yes. Oh! I see.” Trel laughed lightly. “You thought the men looked like me. No, my dear Victor. Only the women of my world have these. The men look like you, save that they have the black eyes and fangs. No one on my planet would give you a second glance if you walked down the street.”

  “I see.” I felt my stomach drop a bit when I realized why Trel had been confident I would get her pregnant. For her, I wasn’t much different than the males on her world. The realization made my head spin, and I again wondered about the plans that our captors had for us. Did they intend for us to populate this world with our cross-species offspring?

  The thought was another rabbit hole that I had been avoiding thinking about. The women and men all seemed somewhat humanoid in appearance. Trel looked human besides her spider legs, black eyes, and long claw-like chitin fingers. Sheela looked human except for her thin layer of fur and cat-like eyes. Both Galmine and Liahpa looked like humans with gray and silver body paint on, Emerald looked like some hot girl doing a lizard-woman cosplay design, and Kacerie looked as if she was human. Only her pink hair and light blue eyes made her seem unnatural, but people on Earth would have just thought she had dyed her hair, and they would have told her that she should have been a mascara model because of her gorgeous face and striking eye color.

  The women had also turned out to be sexually compatible. Trel, Sheela, and Galmine had vaginas that looked like a human woman’s. They got lubricated naturally when I slid my penis into them, and they had orgasms. I might have been looking too much into it, but it seemed like our captors had some sort of design with this world and its captives. I didn’t have the full picture yet, but I didn’t think it was a coincidence that we were all here and could have sex with each other.

  Trel had also hypothesized that our captors were only taking the most powerful representation of our races.

  “We are running out of leaves,” Kacerie said as she reached back to the stack. “We can only make one more.”

  “We did good work,” I said as I glanced at the stack of ten leaf baskets we had made. “If we can find a good spot for clay, we’d be able to bring back enough for all of Trel’s planned projects.”

  “Yeah,” Trel agreed. “And a bathtub.”

  “Ahh! Bathtub!” Galmine exclaimed, and we all turned to the gray-skinned rock woman as she stood and slowly moved to the other side of the fire. “We have plenty of water, so I set these jugs to the side so they can warm. Ahh.”

  Galm
ine pulled one of the water jugs away from the spot near the cooking meat and then pushed a finger inside. “It is a bit warm, I have heated six of them. We do not have soap, but I figured that some of you might want to use the water to wash the blood off before we all retired for the night.”

  “Ohhh, Galmine,” Trel purred as she stepped toward one of the jugs. “You are so thoughtful. This will almost be as good as a bath. The dark-haired woman reached to her tight silk bra and peeled it up and over her shoulders with a single smooth movement. My eyes were drawn to her freed nipples like iron to powerful earth magnets, and I felt my mouth start to water as she reached down to shimmy out of her tight boy shorts.

  Sheela got up and began to remove her own bra, and then Kacerie cleared her throat. Sheela, Trel, and Galmine all turned to her, and the pink-haired woman nodded to me.

  “Uhh, Victor?” Kacerie smirked.

  “Ohhh, uhhh, yeah,” I said as I felt my face turn red.

  “What is wrong?” Trel asked.

  “I’m not going to undress in front of a man,” Liahpa seethed, and I turned to see the woman’s red eyes regard me with the burning intensity of twin magma pools.

  “Pfft,” Trel hissed. “He will not be looking at you. Don’t you see how impressive my body is?” she ran her fingers down the sides of her hips and legs, and I felt all the blood leave my brain and go somewhere else.

  “It’s okay,” I said as I let out a long sigh. “You all can uhhh, clean up, or whatever. I’m pretty tired. I’ll just go into the hut and crash. Sheela, can you organize the watch for tonight?”

  “Yes, Victor,” she replied as she removed her bra and panties. Her naked body was as delicious looking as Trel’s, and hunger for her spread through my body.

  I got up quickly from my spot on the grass and spun around so that they didn’t see my erection. Then I walked around the wall, under the doggie-door gate, and into the hut. I felt something brush my feet while I walked, and I looked down to see Jinx weaving in and out of my legs as I stepped.