WL_50

WACO’S LUMMOX
Waddie Greywolf

Chapter 50

Seeing to his warrior’s needs was just what Lucas needed to take his mind off his meeting with Sam. He was strangely unconcerned about it. He knew his place; he worked hard to become what Lazarus wanted and needed him to be. He had faith in himself. He had faith in his dad. Lucas was convinced Lazarus wouldn’t let any further harm come to him or Caleb. He began to wonder whether he overreacted to Sam’s seeming lack of compassion or understanding. What could Sam have been thinking? Did he think Lucas should ‘come out’ to Sam’s other brothers as their younger brother Caleb? He wasn’t Caleb anymore. He didn’t think of himself as Caleb. Lucas gave that up when he accepted Lazarus’ offer to become his slave and later his son.

Because of Lazarus' strong love and gentle encouragement, he became Lucas Long. He neither thought of himself as a Stamper nor did he ever wish to be thought of or associated by that name again. He knew he wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Lazarus worked with him, encouraged him, nursed him back to health and allowed Lucas to bond with him like no person ever did before. Lazarus urged the boy to lean on him and drink from his well of strength as much as he needed. It was almost like he was born again, but not in any metaphysical sense. He was reborn as Lucas Long. It was difficult for him to think of himself other than Lazarus’ son. He refused to think on himself any other way.

Lucas didn’t mind Sam knowing, but he wasn’t ready for the rest of Sam’s brothers to know. It was as simple as that, and if Sam thought it was selfish or one-sided on his part, so be it. He wasn’t going to be bullied by Sam or made to feel guilty. While Sam might seem sympathetic to Lucas, he never walked a mile in his boots. He had no idea how Caleb and Lucas suffered or how far the two had come since Lazarus saved them. Lucas knew, beyond a doubt, his dad would back him up. He told himself there was nothing to worry about. It was a nice, comfortable, easy feeling to be able to have some sense of security. While the Stamper brothers might harbor a modicum of doubt about being slaves, Lucas never did. He saw his slavery to Lazarus as his security blanket. Nevertheless, Sam’s reaction still bugged him. Lucas wondered if unflappable Sam might be a little jealous. Perhaps it was ungenerous of him, but he hoped that might be the case.

Lucas pampered his big Warrior in the bath and spent an hour or more rubbing him down. Trap Maddragon was in heaven, but so was his young apprentice who came to adore the big Visallian Warrior. By the time Lucas got ready to mount his Warrior’s horse they were both ready. Lucas discovered early in their relationship, if Trap didn’t lock his carapace into its hidden position at the base of his huge cock, it became a springy cushion for his ass. It acted much like the spring on a pogo stick. Lucas could plunge the length of Trap’s big cock with his ass and have his warrior’s carapace-spring return him to the head of his cock.

It made it perfect for riding his warrior. He could put all his strength and energy on his downward stroke and Trap’s carapace would propel him back to his original position with equal force. It was almost like bareback riding an ornery bronc but considerably more pleasurable. It was not only highly arousing for his Warrior, Lucas found it incredibly erotic. He essentially could fuck himself as long and hard as he wanted. He enjoyed taking long rides on Trey’s big horse-cock, building him up and teasing him until Lucas was ready for his master to fill his ass full of his good, hot Warrior cream.

That’s not to say he didn’t enjoy Trap taking over and climbing in Lucas’ saddle. Trap Maddragon was one Hell of a good fuck and once he locked his carapace at the base of his enormous cock, Lucas knew he was in for an excellent fucking. Lucas could swear Trap tried his best to fuck him the way Lucas used his ass while riding his big cock. Trap was not afraid of hurting his smaller human partner. He discovered humans were quiet resilient when it came to hand to hand combat or sex. Trap knew Warriors who would have a difficult time keeping up with Lucas sexually. Lucas never once complained and many times would urge Trap for more. Commander Maddragon fell deeply in love with the young human cowboy. Trap reveled in their love and was proud of Lucas’ accomplishments. After Lucas gave him an exceptionally fine ride, Trap locked his carapace to the base of his cock to allow his partner to enjoy being filled by him as they made love in the afterglow of their coupling.

“That was one of your very best rides, Cowboy,” Trap complimented him, rubbed Lucas’ back, and grabbed his butt cheeks to open them further to make sure every last millimeter was sheathed by his apprentice’s body.

“You say that about all my rides,” Lucas teased him and stole another kiss.

“You gonna’ tell your Warrior-master why his handsome young apprentice was so upset earlier? Did your meeting with your cowboy slave brother not go well?” Trap asked quietly.

“I don’t know what happened. I tried to explain my position: I don’t want Caleb’s other brothers knowing, but he didn’t seem satisfied. I think he thinks I should tell his brothers, but I ain’t gonna’ go along with it. They ain’t my brothers no more anyway. I don’t think on them that way, and my last name ain’t the same as theirs.”

“Somehow, I have the feeling your dad ain’t gonna’ let that happen no matter what your slave brother thinks," Trap became used to using the cowboy vernacular when relating to his young human apprentice.

“I hate to ask him,” Lucas said as he took another ride on his Mad Dragon’s magic pole.

“I don’t think you have to. May I say something to the Admiral?” Trap asked.

“Of course, Trap. You’re my Warrior and Master. Even though Visallian’s don’t believe in slavery, my master’s given you permission to be my master in his stead. You have every right. Besides, I trust you completely,” Lucas replied, and ground his ass around the base of Trap’s big cock not allowing his carapace to push him off.

“If you don’t stop that, you’re gonna’ get a second load of Warrior gizz up there, and you know how loose that makes you during exercises.” Trap grinned.

“If my Warrior-master wants more, he gets more. As your Warrior-apprentice I’ll never say ‘no’ to you, sir. I’ll manage to hold my muscle or I’ll cork my ass with that leather plug you bought me. I’ve noticed several warriors wearing plugs their master’s bought them for that purpose,” Lucas said.

“I never insisted you wear one. I thought it might be embarrassing for you, because it's no secret why a warrior might be wearing one, but if you're comfortable with it, you have my blessing,” Trap said with a smile.

“Good! Take all you want, sir, and I’ll use it today. Embarrassed? Hell no! I look upon your plug as my badge of honor. I'll make sure I bend over a lot just so's they can see I'm wearing it because my Master thought enough of his apprentice to fill his tank so he wouldn't run out of gas during exercises,” Lucas said.

Trap took Lucas at his word and fucked his apprentice for close to an hour. By the time he unloaded in Lucas’ butt they were exhausted and fell asleep locked together. Lucas liked to sleep with Trap’s big Visallian phallus up his butt and Trap liked to wake up with his cock warm, hard, and ready to fuck again. They woke up in the early afternoon and Trap added yet another big Warrior deposit to Lucas’ anal bank. Lucas immediately inserted the small hard brown leather plug Trap bought for him. It was tight but not uncomfortable. He worried it might keep him erect during the exercises, but Trap assured him no one would notice. On board a ship of lusty Visallians, Lucas’ erection would be the norm rather than the exception.

“Are the Coyote Cowboys beginning their training with us this afternoon?” Trap asked as they got ready to go to the gymnasium and workout area.

“Yes, sir. Their ramrod was suppose to tell them this morning,” Lucas replied.

“Is this to be part of their punishment?” Trap smiled.

“No, this was decided before their little prank last night, but I think the Admiral plans to scare the b’jesus out of them by insisting they be shipped off to Tentagle Trine to begin Warrior training in earnest,” Lucas said. They shared a laugh.

“Have they learned the basics of the Tao’mak?” Trap asked as they ritually cleaned their bodies in preparation for the afternoon exercises.

“I’ve taken them through the thirty-two positions and steps. They’ve had a video of Captain Vinceeth and Captain Waco for several weeks going through the exercises. Dad and I drilled them several times, and Captains Waco and Vinceeth have drilled them individually and together. I’m satisfied they know it well enough to make it through the afternoon exercises.”

The ‘Tao'mak’ (Tao-mock) was a sacred Visallian Warrior ritual exercise similar to Tai Chi, Chi Kung or Qi Gong, but it was much more physically demanding like Tae-Bo. There were several levels and various subroutines. Most could be performed by an individual, but there were routines meant for duos, trios, and one even designed for a quartet of warriors. From these exercise routines came the warrior’s athletic ritual folk dances. Every warrior must be a master of the art of ‘Tao’mak’ before he can be certified a complete warrior and that included all the more arcane aspects of the art. From his graduation until his retirement he is expected to submit to a test every five years before a board of Tao’mak masters to prove he can remember and still adequately perform every move and step of the many routines and subroutines. Each routine had a name and a number.

Lucas attached Trap’s brown leather headband around his master's head, which was about an inch and a half wide. In the middle was a round black circle an inch in diameter surrounded by a thin, bright blue ring. The full black circle indicated he was a master of the Tao’mak, but the blue outside ring indicated Trap’s individual color identification. There were an endless variety of solid and alternating external color rings to indicate a particular master’s tribe. It was sort of like a digital form of a tartan plaid. It identified a master and his family of apprentices. In the center of the black circle was another small red circle, a little more than a dot, that indicated Trap had an apprentice who could be identified by a red dot on his corresponding headband. A master could have up to fifteen apprentices. One black circle with identifying ring for each group of three apprentices. Each apprentice would have a different color to indicate he was Master Maddragon’s apprentice. Each would wear a brown headband with the black inner circle surrounded by the bright blue ring indicating they belonged to Master Maddragon. In the middle of their black circle would be their individual color dot. There was an hierarchy of cascading colors which ranked each of a master’s apprentices. The first color was red, the next blue, then yellow and so on until all fifteen recognized colors were used.

Trap attached Lucas’ brown leather headband around his apprentice's head with one large black circle with a bright blue outer-band with one large red dot in the middle. They helped each other with their ‘Boon-doggles,’ a ritual, heavy, terrycloth robe, that stopped just above the knee. Master’s and apprentice’s robes were the color of the outer band of their headband. It tied around the waist with a wide cloth band of the same material but dyed the color of their rank. Black for the Master and Red for his first apprentice. Lucas helped his master don his ‘Toe-boons,’ a pair of ritual hand woven grass sandals for their feet. After he put on his pair, they were ready for the afternoon exercises.

They entered the huge gymnasium and several warriors were already there stretching and practicing small portions of their art. Trap had his usual section reserved next to the captain and his apprentice warriors. Everything the Master and his apprentice did was based on ritual. The apprentice would help his master dress for exercises and then the master would see to his apprentice. When they entered the gym the roles were reversed. The master would first assist his apprentice in fully undressing, and then, his apprentice would see to his Master. These rituals were based on reason and tradition. It was first and foremost an apprentice’s job to see his master was ready for the gym and his master could be assured he was as perfect as he could be to bring himself to the sacred exercises. On the other hand, when they arrived it was the master’s job to disrobe his apprentice to make certain he brought him to the revered exercises in perfect form.

Captain Vinceeth with his three apprentices, Waco, Indigo Blue, and Shane Goodnight, arrived and the captain undressed his first apprentice, Captain Waco, and they ritually bowed to each other. He moved to his second apprentice, Indigo Blue and undressed him. Trey lingered for a brief moment looking at the perfection of the copy of his mate and shook his head with a wicked grin. Trey turned to undress his third apprentice, Shane, and slowly helped him remove his robe. There were a few gasps from those assembled including Lucas and his Warrior-master. No one saw Shane naked recently except his Master, his Ramrod-master, his Warrior-master and his nephew. He was always big and well defined, but in a brief period of time with heavy workouts, his body took on a definition not unlike a Greek statue. His body was near perfection and would rival severak of the Visallians. He was truly an imposing physical presence of male pulchritude. After a moment of silence one of the Warriors started applauding until every man present was stomping their feet and cheering for Shane. He was almost overwhelmed with embarrassment and blushed deeply.

"Stand tall, Apprentice!" Trey ordered quietly and Shane sprung to attention. "Your Warrior-master and his consort are proud of you. So are your fellow Warriors. You've worked hard to improved yourself, and it shows. Enjoy the moment," Trey encouraged and smiled. Waco smiled and nodded his approval to his uncle. With Angus' permission, Shane was allowed to get away on his own from the ranch to be with Waco and Charlie, more frequently. Much to Bill Birdsalls dismay Angus would loan Shane to the Admiral several times a month. During some of those times, Shane would take lessons from Trey, and Waco in the Tao'mak. Lazarus and Charlie would join them when they could. Shane made the ritual bow to his Warrior-master and Trey returned it. Then Shane and Waco helped their Warrior-master disrobe.

Lucas smiled to himself as he saw his dad and Master Charlie with the four Coyote Cowboys lined up in front of them, all naked as the day they were born. Lucas rarely shared exercises with his dad or Master Charlie. He was surprised to see the Admiral wore a Master’s headband with a pure white outer ring. In the center was one red dot. Master Charlie had a similar headband and in his black circle was one red dot. Master Charlie was the Admiral’s apprentice. For some reason, that warmed Lucas’ heart. Of even greater surprise was the old chief and his grandson, Lucas’ bonded brother Little Bear. They each wore headbands with the Admiral’s white ring indicating they were Lazarus’ apprentices. Lucas couldn’t believe how wonderful and fit the old chief looked next to his grandson.

Along with Master Charlie was JR, Gavin, Gavin’s little brother Jerry, Bronc, and Ts'gan, all gloriously naked. Also in observance, sitting in bleachers around the gymnasium, was Master Waco’s slave Ox, Mr. Chambers, and Strom with their three bairns; Officer Brick Armstrong, Timmy, Stan, and Jim Bob. There was also Jack Hall, Buck, Warren Steele, Horse, Sonny Steele, and his adopted son Adam; also, the Venusian Darryl with his omnipresent video camera. They were all naked. No one was allowed to observe the sacred dances with hidden bodies. If someone became aroused, it was considered natural and a compliment to the beauty, art, and skill of the dancers. Brett Jones and Basil were invited to observe for their first time and sat in the bleachers with several critters. Humans and the Venusian guest observers had to be invited by one of the Masters. In the case of critters, they had to be guests of one of the Masters, also.

The Earth dogs were guests of their spacer-dog brothers Larry and Shep who were considered part of the Banshee crew. They held watch just like the rest of the crew. They couldn’t participate in the Tao’mak, but they proudly wore their headbands indicating they were a member of the house of Vinceeth and each had a silver dot indicating they were special members of the Banshee crew. Ping and Pong, and Jack and Jill were guests of the Captain. They also brought along a couple of families of Langerians who were elders of their tribe from the Mars colonies to observe. They were agog at the splendor and magnificence of the Banshee and were looking forward to witnessing the sacred exercises. They asked the captain if it would be inappropriate for them to provide a nice light euphoric scent for their training exercises. Trey was fully aware of their capabilities and told them it wouldn’t be inappropriate at all but to be sure it was light. They swore an oath to him and promised they would not release it until he signaled for them to do so.

Also present for exercises was Commander Hawkins who wore the apprentice headband of Travis’ master, Sergeant Major Sallient Leashman Doggoral. Everyone called the Sergeant Major ‘Dog’ for short. Sergeant Major Dog never heard the word ‘dog’ before meeting humans. They didn’t have dogs on Tentagle Trine, so when he learned the critters he came to love and adore were called ‘dogs’ he was bemused but pleased his human and warrior companions gave him the cognomen. He considered Larry and Shep his close brothers, and they loved him equally. Travis wore the red dot and the Commander wore blue. With them was Sam who wore a headband with the Sergeant Major’s colors with a yellow dot. Lucas and Trap greeted everyone, but Lucas did little more than nod to Sam in acknowledgment. He neither smiled nor frowned. He registered no emotion whatsoever. Lucas learned the cowboy way early and mastered the art of stoicism. Hawkins watched and saw the rather neutral exchange between them. He knew his young cowboy slave mate had not been forthcoming with him about their meeting. Del looked at Sam with a questioning look, but Sam avoided his partner’s glance. The coyote gang didn’t have head bands but wore blank brown leather armbands instead. The armbands signified they were rank beginners, but were being considered for adoption or inclusion within a warrior tribe. When the Captain stood, everyone present including the visiting observers were expected to stand out of respect.

“Musicians, set your pace and grace us with a tune,” ordered the Captain as he clapped his hands for them to begin. The drummers began first and then a single oboe-like instrument began a plaintive wail. It was the beginning of the ritual introit that would be repeated until every man taking part in the sacred exercise was on the floor. “First apprentice!” Captain Vinceeth commanded. He held his hand out to Waco. "Second apprentice!" Trey held out his other hand to Indigo/Blue. "And third apprentice!" Waco held out his hand for Shane. The captain lead them to the floor. Together they performed the first few steps of the introit. The captain clapped his hands together again and commanded, “Captain’s guest!” The Admiral and his group including the coyote kids came forward and began the same steps of the introit. From there on there was no need for Trey to order the line of admission into the exercise routine. It simply went around the gym starting with Commander Trap Maddragon and his apprentice until everyone was doing the basic introit steps. At the end of the first step, Trey stomped his foot loudly, clapped his hands together and ordered, “Begin the sacred Tao’mac.”

Everyone began again from the very beginning of the introit but knew this time they would continue through until all the variations were completed. It took about an hour to complete the entire routine. Brett Jones and Basil were entranced. They marveled at the sheer beauty and physical manly grace of the men stomping around and leaping about with their cock’s flying in the air. It was almost too much for them to witness. Even old straight-as-a-board Sonny Steele, sitting with his five sons, sported a roaring erection that was dripping onto the metal deck. Adam offered to transform himself into a covering for his dad's crotch and absorb his flow if he wished. Sonny hugged the boy to him and smiled. "What and spoil yore' big-old hard-on? Don't be silly. Let's jes' enjoy 'em, Son." Sonny stole a kiss from his boy.

Adam almost glowed. "Sounds good to me, Dad," he said. The boy worshiped his adopted cowboy dad. He was working hard to become a cowboy just like Sonny. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Adam's big brothers laughed at their smallest bro and their dad. They were equally as moved as the rest of the men.

Brett and Basil glanced at each others massive erections several times with lust in their hearts. It was as sexually stimulating as it was entertaining. Jones leaned close to Basil, “How could anything not explicitly meant to be sexual be this stimulating?” Jones asked looking down at his own stretched penis.

“I don’t know, but I’m afraid I’m going to shoot my load at any moment. I’ll be so embarrassed,” Basil said.

“Y’ain’t alone, Cowboy,” Jones assured him, “You think I fucked you good last night?" he whispered, "Hang on to yore’ knickers, mate, y'ain’t seen nothing yet.”

“I’ll bet you randy butt-pirates say that to all the pretty girls,” Basil laughed at him.

“Nope, just the pretty men,” Jones replied with a grin.

Basil sat and watched the warriors exercise with his mouth open most of the time. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He never saw anything so beautiful or meaningful to him. It struck a chord deep within him which was overpowering. All he knew was he had to find a way to become a part of it. What was happening to him? Suddenly, he didn’t seem to be so afraid of his masculinity anymore. He felt something coming over him which wanted to wallow in the excellence of what he was witnessing. He wanted to join the exercise in the worst way. This was what men do. This is what real men should be doing to teach, celebrate, embrace, and appreciate their masculinity. A part of himself he never hoped to cultivate bubbled to the surface as he watched the men exercising. He envisioned a place for himself among these men, not as an androgynous she-male or confused t'weener, but as their equal.

Basil wanted to join with them, to become one of them. He felt like he deserved to be on the floor with the rest of the men, naked as the day he was born, performing an ancient ritual exercise which was, in itself, a self-assertive, blatantly masculine paean to the universe. It was so much more powerful than anything sacred or profane he ever witnessed. The same thought kept circling in his mind, ‘This is what masculinity is all about. This is the way to worship. This is the way to celebrate all that’s revered or sacred about love, life, and the wonders of the universe. This is something bigger than mere men or gods. This is where peace and strength begins as evil falls away and hides its mendacity with a shameful face. This is the way to more clearly define and identify with one's self.'

Basil saw this ritual as the key to teach the man to become father to the boy inside himself. For the first time in his life Basil Troubadour wasn't ashamed of his masculinity. He wasn't the fearful little boy inside a grown man's body. For the first time in his life, he felt glad he was a man. No, more than that, he was proud to be a man. He never understood exactly what it meant to be a man, but now it was all unfolding before him like a great revelation. The very definition of masculinity was being clearly defined for him with each step the dancers took, and he knew in his heart, it was his for the taking. It was an astounding epiphany. Tears of joy came to his eyes. “Brett, I have to learn how to do that. I have to become a part of it. Whatever becoming a warrior means, I have to submit. I have to belong,” Basil said excitedly, “I have never wanted to belong or identify with anything so much in my life," Basil said with passion.

“I agree. We will start immediately. I’ll speak with my Commander to see if we can get an instruction video. I would love for us to be out there doing every move with them. I can’t imagine anything more appealing. I can't imagine anything more bonding. They have to be apart in another world and yet they are united in their purpose,” Jones replied with equal commitment.

The exercise ended and every man came around according to their rank in the dance, bowed, shook the Captain’s hand and thanked him and his apprentice for the wonderful exercise. Then the Captain ordered them into an informal audience. It was a semicircle of all the warriors and their guests. Everyone sat on the floor. Trey was the only man to remain standing. He moved to the center to speak. It took him a moment to get his breath to speak from the diaphoretic effects of the strenuous exercises. Waco marveled at how strong and handsome his mate was even with sweat pouring from his massive body. Waco imagined going to him, kneeling before him, licking every drop of sweat from Trey’s powerfully imposing Warrior body, lovingly kissing his enormous cock, and sucking him off before the Ancients, every man, warrior, and critter present. He looked up and saw Ping and Pong, Ox, Strom, Horse, and several of his brothers grinning at him. He forgot to close off his thoughts. He blushed a dark red color and shook his head. Captain Vinceeth spoke, “Today, our duo exercise will be lead by Commander Maddragon and his apprentice for those wishing to participate in the partner’s exercise.”

“Six couples got up and came forward, one couple at a time. Trap and Lucas started the basic steps and the others joined in one couple at a time. The Captain and his mate, Captain Waco, were next, then the Sargent-Major and Travis, followed by three more couples. The duo exercises were a little more physically complicated, and with each set of variations the apprentice would switch masters until by natural rotation they returned to their original master to complete the final set. There was a great deal of touching, lifting, and holding each other to perform certain athletic movements. It was as equally sexually stimulating as the solo exercises. Brett and Basil were agog. They made a vow to each other to learn the exercise. The duo exercise lasted only about thirty minutes, and the men were exhausted afterward.

Finally, there was only one trio exercise which consisted of Trey Vinceeth, Captain Waco, and Admiral Long. The two Captains allowed the Admiral to shine, and he performed his third of the exercise flawlessly. Everyone was highly impressed with the Admiral’s dexterity, strength, poise, and grace. Lazarus won many hearts with his performance. Captain Vinceeth motioned for the men to stand to applaud for the Admiral. Lazarus grinned real big and bowed graciously. Everyone sat down again except Captain Vinceeth. “Now, last but not least, we have four novices who are seeking to be adopted by a Tribal-master as apprentices. They will stand when their names are called: Arlen Castor Beauregard Long-Jones; Ranger Emanuel Gibbons; Angus Pollux Jubilation Long-Jones; and Charles Cable Gibbons.”

The four Coyotes stood at parade rest with their little chests sticking out proudly. “Gentlemen, assume your positions,” Captain Vinceeth ordered. The boys went to the front of the seated Warriors and their apprentices. Once again the Captain ordered the musicians to begin, “Musicians, set the pace!” The music began and Bo started the introit while the other three boys remained still, standing at parade rest, until the introit began for the second time then Ranger joined Bo in the first steps of the introit. The introit repeated until each coyote performed one full round of the introit exercise.

“Begin the sacred Tao'mac!” Trey commanded. The boys put their all into their exercise. They had plenty of time to warm up with the first exercise and some time to rest between. They were well trained by Captain Waco, Captain Vinceeth, Travis, Lucas, and his Commander, and they were very good. There were smiles on the faces of every man. Their performance went well beyond death by cute. They were terminally adorable. There was a pang in Lazarus’ heart he was going to have to punish them for their prank, but he knew it was necessary. If only there was some miracle, some way he could get out of it. The Coyotes did the basic floor exercise without a flaw. When they finished the complete exercise routine there was a silence. All the men were waiting for Captain Vinceeth’s approval. Trey began clapping slowly and the men joined him rank by rank until they were all standing and applauding for the Coyote Cowboys. “Well done, Gentlemen!” Trey exclaimed. “Is there a master here who will speak to accept these young men as his apprentices.” Trey inquired. Several hands went up. Trap held up his hand. “Thank you, Gentlemen. Commander Maddragon has expressed a desire to be heard, and since he is my second in command, it is his right to be heard first.”

“I hereby express my desire to accept these four men as Apprentice-warriors within my family tribe,” Trap said.

“Commander Maddragon has spoken. Since he was the first to speak and has the right of first choice, I hereby give them to him for inclusion within his family. You men will become apprentices and members of the Maddragon tribe. It is a very great honor to become an apprentice to such a worthy and respected Visallian warrior-house. Do you feel you are worthy to accept the positions of apprentice warriors?” Trey asked. Jubal was elected spokesman for the Coyotes. He held up his hand for a reply. “Speak, Young One,” the Captain addressed him.

“While we consider ourselves greatly honored and proud to be chosen for apprentice-adoption by such a fine and respected house as Commander Maddragon’s, we feel we must decline. We don’t think we’re worthy, Captain. We wish to withdraw our names from consideration to become Warrior-apprentices, sir,” Jubal said. There was a murmur went through the crowd of men. Trey wasn’t quite sure how to handle the situation, but he was in charge, and he would see it to its conclusion. He took a quick glance at the Admiral who slightly nodded his head for Trey to proceed. Trey knew Lazarus would agree to anything he decided. “You can’t withdraw your names without telling why you consider yourselves unworthy, Son. It would be a great dishonor to Commander Maddragon and his family-house,” Trey said like it was a strong demand.

“Last night," Jubal began, "me and my brothers captured and reprogrammed one of our cowboy brother’s robo-cams to hijack its video signal and send it directly to our computers so we could spy on him and our ramrod,” Jubal blurted out like it was true confession time. There were some gasps, some titters, some outright laughs, and one or two guffaws went around the room. Ping’s nose blushed bright red and poor Pong shook his head in despair. Ping sent to Pong she just knew it was her star pupil Ranger who engineered the whole thing. Jack and Jill were holding each other emitting high pitched squeaks of laughter. A couple of the Lummox almost couldn’t contain themselves. Warren Steele and Jack Hall coughed into their hands to keep from laughing.

Trey Vinceeth, himself, could barely keep a straight face but knew what was expected of him. “I’m aware of your indiscretion. Your brother, Captain Waco, shared his discovery with me this morning. We were most disappointed to hear of your actions. It is certainly not acceptable behavior in keeping with Warrior traditions or those of a dedicated cowboy. This is a serious allegation, Gentlemen. There is nothing more sacred to a cowboy or a warrior than his privacy. An invasion of another man’s privacy is tantamount to stealing from him. What did you men witness?” Trey demanded wondering if he just took his life into his own hands, knowing he should never ask a kid a loaded question; they have deadly aim.

“We watched our cowboy brother pleasure our ramrod by riding his big bull-cock like a pro-rodeo cowboy rides a bronc with a burr under his saddle. Hot-damn, was he good! He rode our ramrod’s cock like the finest bull rider bests an ornery beast, sir. We’s down-right proud to call Lucas our brother. Ain’t no man what calls his'self a cowboy's better’n our brother Lucas Long. His ride made every man standing here get the dry heaves, sir,” Jubal said. That did it. Everyone was rolling on the floor laughing at the boys. Even Trey had to turn away. Jack Hall and Warren Steele were holding each other crying tears of laughter. Lazarus put his head down and Charlie tried his best not to laugh. Ping made herself as small as possible. Pong was trying to console her. Jack and Jill were all a’ twitter and the congregation of Langerians were smiling from ear to ear. Ox, Strom, and Horse couldn’t contain themselves any longer and were bellowing forth lummox guffaws which sounded like a cross between a hiccup and a sneeze.

“Do you men feel any remorse? Do you regret what you’ve done?” Trey asked, then immediately thought better of it.

Lazarus cringed at Trey’s question. He feared the worst. He braced himself for the answer. “We shore’ ‘nuff feel remorseful about git’n caught, Captain, but we don’t regret watching our cowboy brother pleasure our ramrod. That was worth double whatever punishment us men might have to endure,” Jubal said and smiled. He was drop-dead cute and he knew it. He also knew he was on a roll. He thought they couldn’t be in any deeper trouble, so they might as well tell the truth and have a little fun doing it. It certainly wasn't the response Trey Vinceeth expected to hear.

Trey groaned and then growled just loud enough it started everyone up again. “All right! Enough! There is something to be said for you men’s forthcoming and honesty; nevertheless, it doesn’t make your prank any less serious. An appropriate punishment will have to be considered, but that will be up to your ramrod and your cowboy brothers to decide. I’m certain your Warrior friends will have some input in their decision. As far as your being unworthy for consideration into a tribe, it will be left to the Master of the tribe if he still wishes to consider you. Commander Maddragon, after hearing these novices' impudence do you still wish to accept these four petitioners into your tribe as your apprentices?” Trey asked.

“Only on a probationary basis, Captain. They will be expected to accept any punishment they are awarded, and they will be expected to complete it with due diligence and sincerity. At the end of their period of punishment, if I’m satisfied they have learned their lesson, their probation will be lifted, and they may become full members of the Maddragon tribe,” Trap said.

“So be it! Commander Maddragon has spoken. You men are awarded to his tribe under his restrictions. Congratulations and good luck!” Trey was eager to put the matter aside. There went up a cheer, but there was more laughter as the coyotes ran to the arms of Trap Maddragon and their cowboy brother, Lucas. They were full of apologies for Lucas and the commander. Then they ran to their Ramrod and apologized to him for their crime. Lazarus was less receptive than Lucas and Trap. Lazarus knew he would have to play the heavy and be the one to come up with a punishment. After their blatant honesty and hilarious explanation, Lazarus knew it would be difficult.

Captain Vinceeth clapped his hands for the men’s attention. “We will now join together to complete the exercise. For observers, the Tao'mak exercises must now be done in reverse order to make them complete. It is the way of the universe. For this half of the exercise we will have the added pleasure of a gift from our Langerian brothers and sisters present. They will provide us with an additional pleasure stimulus. Musicians, set the pace! Charge us with your gracious musical gifts,” Trey ordered and again clapped his hands. The musicians began and Trey took Waco, Indigo/Blue, and Shane's hands and led them to the floor. They began the introit and once again everyone joined in according to place and rank. This time a very faint scent drifted over the men. It was sweet, pungent, and pleasant. It gave them the feeling they were gods and were performing their dance for the watchful eyes of the ancients of the universe. They were joyful in each step they took and each turn they made together like a well synchronized school of fish who were adept in escaping a larger prey.

The dancers weren’t the only one’s affected. Brett Jones and Basil were watching every move the men made like they were watching a sacred rite of passage. They were holding hands and didn’t notice as they begin to rise together until they were sitting in midair several feet above the viewing stands. There they had a much better overview of the exercise. This time it was too sensual for them and they ejaculated into their hands. Strangely enough, their ejaculation didn’t stop their euphoria and it continued even as they carefully lowered themselves to their seats. The Langerians were agog over Brett and Basil. They wondered if their scent caused the reaction, but Ping and Pong assured them they were two humans who were possibly evolving into another species. They were still learning about their new condition and trying to understand their new bodies. It proved to be one of the best, most successful exercise periods anyone could remember.

* * * * * * *
The daily exercises were over. There was a final ritual blessing given by the Sergeant-Major and Captain Vinceeth dismissed the men. They went off to the showers, returned to their cabins for a rest period, then on to whatever activity they had scheduled. Del Hawkins was uncharacteristically quiet with his young companion during their shower and later while walking the long corridors of the huge spaceship. When the men returned to their cabin, Del decided to lie down for a while. Without speaking, he took off his robe and lay naked on the bed. He pulled a soft warm blanket up over him, rolled on his side away from Sam. “May I join you, Commander?” Sam asked quietly.

“Of course,” replied Hawkins noncommittally.

“Are you angry with me, sir?” Sam asked.

“No, not angry. Maybe a little disappointed,” Commander Hawkins replied.

“Because I ain’t said much about how the meeting with my brother went?” Sam asked.

“You made a big to-do with Rollon yesterday about being honest with me and telling me the truth about your little brother. Then, you haven’t so much as mentioned your meeting with Lucas this morning. I know it couldn’t have gone well between you, because when something’s bothering you, you just clam up. You’ve been my safe calm harbor in the troubled seas of my life on several occasions, maybe it’s time you stop trying to be everyone’s Rock of Gibraltar and allow your mentor to listen and stand his ground for a change. After all, isn’t that what a mentor’s for?” Del asked looking the young man in his eyes.

“You’re right, sir, it didn’t go well. My brother sort of dictated to me how it was gonna’ be and left little room for discussion on my part. He don’t want my other brothers knowing. He tried to be nice, but he made it plain he didn’t wanna’ be considered a part of our family no more. I’ve grown to love my brothers, and I feel I have a right to be faithful to them. My little brother, who I thought was lost to me, was found. I was ready to include Caleb, but Lucas don’t want to be included in our family. He doesn't want to be one of my brothers. I guess I don't suffer rejection well,” Sam said.

“Well, you may not want my opinion, but I’m gonna’ give it anyway,” the commander said, “After seeing the photos of your little brother taken before his transformation, I can understand why he might not want to reveal his original identity. He’s come a long way since then, and you’ve said several times he won you and your brothers over to love him as one of your cowboy slave brothers. Why can’t you be satisfied with that? Ain’t it enough?”

“I guess I felt rejected he didn’t want to recognize me and my brothers as his biological brothers. I’ve come to love my brothers and trust in their love for me. I'm proud of my brothers. We've come a long way together. What kind of a brother would I be to hide this from them?” Sam asked.

“The best brother to the memory of your youngest brother, that’s what you would be," the commander said, "It seems to me, while you may consider yourself being true and trustworthy to your Stamper brothers, if you consider doing something so foolish as telling your brothers Lucas’ secret, you run the risk of losing Lucas and Caleb altogether. It could cause an irreparable rift between you. It could damage your relationship with him so badly, Lucas may never trust you again. It could become a political bomb and a personal nightmare for you, Son. It might literally blow up in your face. You might even incur the wrath and disappointment of your ramrod and his boss. Your actions could unwittingly cause bad feelings for our friend Rollon. Lazarus Long has invested heavily in you men and especially Lucas.

"I can guarantee you, Admiral Long considers Lucas his son, and not just his adopted son or his cowboy slave. The only claim your dad had on Lucas Long was one small sperm cell, so small it can only be seen under a microscope. Lazarus bought a rejected, broken, dying lump of human flesh, little more than the clay of the Earth from which all men are said to be formed, and molded it into the son he wanted for himself. Lucas has several quarts of his master's blood coursing through his veins. The minute the Admiral paid for Caleb, he no longer belonged to your dad. Family ain’t always formed or created by the biology of a man and a woman, Son. More often than not, it’s an act of love and acceptance. You told me yourself, since you and your brothers have been enslaved you’ve come together as family and now you love them. You never were that before. It works by your own definition. Your family, as such, weren't even formed until after Caleb was out of the picture.

"From what you’ve told me, Lucas is right. He wasn’t wanted by your family no more. From your own accounting of events, not a one of you men stood up for Caleb with your dad. He was cast out. Discarded. He was thrown away. Seems to me you have little room to speak of rejection. Ramrod Long took a lump of coal and made a diamond out of it. As I see it, your feelings are similar to a lover who dumps his partner, but later learns his partner has found someone else he or she is happy with, but the old lover can’t handle it. He gets angry and upset. While he might not want them anymore, he doesn’t want anyone else to want them either. Remorse mixed with envy. It’s a bitter pill to swallow. It ain’t pretty, Son.

"It was Lazarus’ intent to give Caleb a new life unfettered by the past and his association with your family. It was his right as Lucas' owner. He made Lucas his slave, his son, and gave your little brother a new life and family. He was successful until we discovered their secret by accident. Some doors, once closed, are best left shut, Son. Lucas has worked hard to win Lazarus’ love. He’s proved to Lazarus his love for him. He's won the solid love and trust of the entire Grange. Trust me, I know things you don’t. There are things about Lucas you don’t know yet, wonderful things, and it would be a big mistake to cut yourself off from the rest of him; however, if you continue your current train of thought, it's exactly what you will do.

"Whereas, if you love Caleb enough to agree to keep Lucas’ secret, it will establish a new beachhead of love and trust between you. Seems to me if you were to keep Lucas’ identity a secret it would be a win-win situation for you. You will develop a new and deeper love for Lucas as your brother, a greater connection and appreciation among his cowboy brothers because you share their secret, and yet, you love your brothers enough to protect them from possible fallout from a bad decision. In other words, what they don't know won't hurt them,” the commander finished.

“Maybe you’re right, Commander. Admiral Long has been awfully good to me and my brothers. I never thought about my decision reflecting on them, but from what you said, I can understand how it might happen. My problem is, what if they ultimately find out I’ve known all along and never shared it with them?”

“Now that the files are sealed, I think there’s very little chance of that happening; if it does, I think you should sit down with them and explain you had little choice in the matter. Lucas' feelings, your personal emotions at the time, and the politics of the situation could have become explosive if you betrayed his trust. It weighed heavily upon you to leave things as they were. You were protecting them from any displeasure the Admiral and the rest of the Grange might have felt. I think your brothers would adjust easier to that than they would suffering a major setback because the Stamper men might get the reputation of being self-serving and untrustworthy,” Del Hawkins said.

“Then you see me setting an example for them as well as being a good brother to my youngest brother?” Sam asked with guarded enthusiasm.

“Absolutely. That’s an excellent way to think about it. Are you familiar with the biblical story of Joseph and his brothers, Son?” Hawkins asked.

“Naw, sir, our daddy weren’t never much of a church goer. What us boys learned, we learned from our ma. She told us some bible stories,” Sam replied.

“She ever tell you the story about a young boy who was favored by his father so much, his dad had a beautiful coat of many colors made for him?" Del asked.

“Oh, yeah, I remember that story. His brothers were jealous of him and sold him as a slave to some Egyptians. They told their father he was killed and eaten by a wild beast. He was taken to Egypt. He was real smart and became the Pharaoh’s ramrod. Years later, his brothers came to him for food because their families were starving from a famine.”

“That’s right. I advise you to find yourself a bible and read the story. It might have some things for you to think about in relation to you and Lucas. It seems to me there’s a number of similarities between Joseph and Lucas Long,” Commander Hawkins encouraged Sam.

Later that evening, Sam did a search on his computer and looked up the Hebrew book of Bereshit or Genesis Chapter 37 and began to read the story of Joseph and his brothers. When he finished reading, his heart was soothed, and he was more calm within his spirit as was his usual demeanor. He knew what he had to do. Sam got hung-up on one aspect of his and Lucas’ talk and really hadn’t thought the situation through. Commander Hawkins shed some new light on his conundrum. Sam discussed his decision with his mentor that evening. “If I decided otherwise, would it have made a difference in our relationship, sir?” Sam asked Commander Hawkins.

“In the spirit of honesty, Sam, it quite possibly might have,” he replied.

* * * * * * *
The trip to Venus, at an intermediate speed, took a little over twenty-four hours. The Captain planned it so they wouldn’t arrive until the following morning. Trey arranged to dock at Venus’ space port early as the Venusians began their day. They were also arriving at a propitious time. Venus rotates in the opposite direction from Earth. It’s the only planet in our system that has a retrograde rotation. It’s rotation is very slow compared to Earth’s. It takes two hundred and forty-three Earth days to complete one Venus day or slightly longer than Venus’ year. As a result, the periods of Venus’ rotation and it’s orbit are synchronized such that it always presents the same face toward Earth when the two planets are at their closest approach. Whether this is a resonance effect or merely a coincidence is not known.

The Bladder Whales are the original surfers of the universe. They are always to be found within the twilight boundaries of the Venusian dawn, surfing the strong winds of the temperature inversions from Venusian night to day. Venus has the most nearly circular orbit of all the planets and therefore doesn’t have an equivalent equinox like Earth, but it does have a remarkable period when the Bladder Whales feel more comfortable surfing a little ahead of the dawn and can be appreciated in their full glory. The dawn of the new Venusian day would coincide with the whales’ migration pattern to find them at a particularly long stretch of mostly pure silicon desert with only enough huge outcropping of rocks for them to attach their long pendulous arms to pull them along. The raw sand or silicon was almost a pure food source and a much needed supply of energy for them. It was also their breeding season. As it happened, the arrival of the Banshee was right at the beginning of that period.

The whales were in their full color patterns and the bulls were particularly attractive as they were coming into rut. The females would grow long, lovely multicolored ribbon-like tendrils that would flow down their backs and around them to enhance their beauty. The tendrils had no other purpose than to lemniscate their huge bodies to make them more attractive to the bulls. As a side effect their singing turned to songs of heroism, valor, family, love, and passion. Now and then a bull would break into song to tell of his love for one of the heifers and to proudly proclaim his sexual powers. He would sing long florid passages of her beauty and his yearning for her. If she was interested in mating with him, she would answer his song with one of equal passion and praise. It was a wonderful and joyous time for them when feeding was plentiful and the promise of new life was upon them.

Most of the cowboys could tune into their songs the closer they came to Venus. The closer to the planet the more difficult it became to ignore them. That evening, the Chief and Little Bear were guests at the captain’s table along with his mate Waco, Indigo Blue, Lazarus, Arlen, Bryce, Lucas, Trap, Charlie, JR, Johauk, Officer Jones, Basil, Shane, Gavin, Bronc, Jerry, Ts'gan, and the four coyotes. Waco was startled while he was having dinner with his Captain when Trey complained of a slight headache. “I’ve got some damn melody running through my head, and I can’t seem to get rid of it. It keeps repeating the same ideas, but it varies each time. The strangest thing is, it’s the same tune but intricate variations on the same melody. I can’t quite make out the words, but every now and then I get something lewd, almost obscene. It's so strongly sexual, raw and primal I find myself blushing.”

Several of his guest laughed. The Coyote Cowboys giggled. He looked at them and frowned like he didn’t get the joke. “Forgive us, Captain,” Waco soothed his big Warrior, “We mean no disrespect. We all hear it. Even my dad is beginning to hear them. You’re hearing the love songs of our friends, the Bladder Whales. They’re particularly strong right now because they are in rut. It’s their mating season, and you're right about their songs being sexy to the point of lewd, raw, and primal.”

“How could that be? Why am I hearing them? I haven’t drank Lummox milk except for the small samples you’ve given me,” Trey said to Waco.

“Remember the cow’s milk you drank to help replace the calcium in your bone regrowth when you broke your leg?” Waco asked.

“Yes, I remember. It was good. I liked it. I drank some since,” he replied.

“It was fortified with Lummox milk. It was not given to you surreptitiously. Cable includes it in all the milk served to every patient in our sickbay.” Waco smiled. “I forgot about it until recently. I wondered if it might have some long term effects on you. I think it has. Now we know it works for Visallians, I would think if you drink more you’ll get stronger at hearing and projecting. It might even make your body grow larger. It did us,” Waco motioned to his cowboy brothers.

“Humm,” Trey mused, “Do you concur with that Admiral?” Trey asked.

“Your young swain speaks the truth. Most of us at the table are hearing them, and they’re getting stronger as we get closer to the planet. You’re right, some of their songs are lusty to say the least. Some are downright filthy, but aren’t they wonderful?” Lazarus laughed and was joined by everyone at the table.

“I’ll have to say they’re entertaining and sometimes erotic beyond the pale. I haven’t been able to think about anything lately but bedding my apprentice,” Trey tossed off like it was normal dinner conversation. Everyone laughed. The Coyote Cowboys giggled, but they were on their best behavior.

“Poor Captain Waco,” Lazarus commiserated with slight sarcasm. Everyone laughed.

“Not from the smile on his face,” Charlie said without nuance.

“I will personally have to thank Chuchulack and the others for their songs. They have brought me and my Master some excellent moments of comfort,” Waco said. The men laughed again. The men conversed about many things and agreed this trip to Venus would be a great marking for them in their journey together to escape Earth.

“Have you and your slave brother reached a decision, Son?” Lazarus asked Lucas.

“I’m not sure, Dad. I don’t mean to be coy or evasive, but I think it might take an arbiter to bring us together,” Lucas said.

“Arbitration is my specialty, Son. It’s also easy when you hold all the cards,” Lazarus declared. Everyone at the table but the Coyotes knew what was going on and laughed. “I’ll call for Sam to report to us in my cabin after supper. I have spoken with your Commander and Sam’s Commander. I don’t think you have anything to worry about. I think Sam will come around,” Lazarus said.

“I hope so, Dad. I was sincere when I told him I didn’t mind him knowing as he was the brother I most regretted leaving behind,” Lucas replied.

It suddenly dawned on the Coyote Cowboys Lazarus and Lucas were talking about something they knew nothing about. “Is our brother leaving us?”Jubal asked like he was going to tear up.

“No, not at all. We have enough strong men to fight off Commander Maddragon and his men to keep them from rustling him away from us, at least for the time being,” Lazarus said, as he reassured them without giving them much.

“Is Lucas not our brother?” Bo asked skeptically.

“Bet chore’ cowboy butt he’s yore’ bubba, Son!" Lazarus said forcefully, "He’s as much my boy as you are. If you men grow up to be half the man your brother is, I’ll be pleased,” Lazarus said to the boys and winked at Lucas.

Lucas almost dropped his fork. “Thanks, Dad, I appreciate that.”

“Well, it’s true. I’m proud of you, Boy. I know I don’t tell you nearly enough. I get s’damn busy I sometimes take you for granted, but your love makes it easy to take you for granted – that ain’t right neither – I love you, Lucas. No matter where life takes you, or what paths we travel, you will always be my son. I will never let you go unless I decided to give you away to some swarthy lusty Warrior who can’t seem to keep his hands off of you,” Lazarus said and winked at him. There was much laughter as Trap Maddragon blushed. Several of the men applauded Lazarus’ speech and said, “Hear, hear!” in agreement. “Oh, by the way,” continued Lazarus, “as my slave I don't need your consent, but as my son, I'm asking for your blessing, we have decided to change your last name, along with ours, to be the same as the coyotes. I will make a formal announcement later. Our family will be known as the Long-Jones men.” There was more approval of Lazarus latest announcement.

“Of course you have my blessing, Dad. I will be proud and honored to carry both names, sir,” Lucas said quietly. Arlen beamed at him.

“Why is our big brother your slave, Dad?” Bo asked Lazarus. There was a hush from the men at the table.

“May I take that one, Brother?” Arlen Jones asked.

“Be my guest,” Lazarus sighed with relief, smiled, and nodded.

“Lucas is his dad’s slave primarily for security reasons, and to keep nosy people from asking questions. There’s a certain amount of personal security in being the slave of a good master. Lucas was given a choice, and he chose to be his dad’s slave. He’s been offered his freedom several times and declined. One day he may decided he no longer needs the extra security being his dad’s slave provides and will exercise his option to become a freeman again.”

“Excellent answer, Brother. Don’t know’s I could a’ put it no better,” Lazarus said with relief.

The boys sat dumbfounded, but Lazarus could see the wheels spinning in their heads. Jubal pushed some food around on his plate for a minute. “Does that mean Bo and me will have to become your slaves, Dad?”

“After the little stunt you men pulled on me and your brother, I don’t know if now is the time to be discussing that sort of thing,” Lazarus said sternly.

There were a few grins and a couple of smiles but you could feel everyone holding their breath. The boys were getting worried. “‘At’s what I’s afraid of,” muttered Jubal under his breath. He set his fork down and stopped eating. Lazarus let his words set for a few minutes. No one said a word. You could cut the tension with a dull table knife. Finally, Lazarus broke the silence, "Eat yore’ supper, Boy. It’s consider unmannerly not to partake of the fine food our host graciously set before us,” Lazarus admonished him.

There was another long silence. Lucas looked at Lazarus and grinned. Lazarus read Lucas’ face. He smiled and nodded slightly to his son. “I don’t know what you men are so concerned about. Being a slave should be the least of your worries. You think I live my life everyday thinking, ‘Poor me, I ain't nothing but a worthless slave? I have a terrible life?’ Of course not. I live a very full life, and I’m proud and honored to be our father’s slave. I've worked hard to make myself indispensable to him. Ask yourselves, what would he do without me? What would you men do without me to ride herd on you? Serving him and seeing to his needs gives me a sense of belonging and accomplishment just being his son could never bring me. I’m comfortable in the knowledge he needs me, and I will be his slave as long as he needs me to be.

"I’m in no rush to give up my duties and responsibilities. I have a wonderful, peaceful feeling after I know I’ve done my best for him. I can lay my head down at night and rest with no worries. Many men don’t have that luxury. While it’s true I been offered my freedom several times, the very thought of it scares the crap out of me. For one thing, if I weren’t a slave right now, by Earth laws, I couldn’t be sleeping with my Commander or you wouldn’t have gotten to see me pleasure our dad the other evening. You think you men saw something special? You ain’t seen nothing. You buckaroos picked the wrong night to spy on me. You should see me ride my Warrior-master,” Lucas declared, laughed, and got everyone around the table laughing at the boys. Trap Maddragon roared with laughter.

Lazarus grinned and nodded his approval. “He’s right, Men. You’re brother is one of the finest cowboys you’ll likely meet in your life no matter how many years you live. I dare say there ain’t nothing he can’t ride,” Commander Maddragon added. Once again the men laughed, “I wonder if I’m hearing them Whales,” Trap pondered to himself, then laughed again. Nothing more was said about it that evening, but the men could tell the boys had no clue what punishment Lazarus might have in mind. Neither did Lazarus, for that matter.

* * * * * * *
Lazarus called Sam to his quarters that evening. Sam had no doubt what he wanted and somewhat dreaded going to face him and Lucas. “You’ll do fine, Sam,” Commander Hawkins said, “I have faith in you. I think you’re over what was sticking in your craw. Did your reading the story of Joseph help?” he asked.

“Yes, sir. It made me see a few new things we didn’t discuss. Thanks for the suggestion,” he replied. Sam made his way alone through the corridors of the vast ship until he came to the VIP suite. There was a small conference room with a long table and six comfortable chairs off the main entry to the suite. Lazarus met him at the door and ushered him into the room. Lucas was already sitting in one of the chairs. He stood when his brother walked into the room. He smile and raised his hand in a friendly gesture. Lazarus motioned to a chair, “Have a seat, Son. You know why I’ve called the two of you here,” Lazarus said.

“Yes, sir,” Sam replied.

“Can you tell me what you’ve decided?” Lazarus asked.

“May I ask what my brother told you, sir?” Sam asked cautiously.

“You may. He hasn’t told me anything other than to request any further conversations on the subject should have an arbiter. That’s me, Son,” Lazarus said.

Lucas felt a little sorry for Sam. For a moment he looked like a deer caught in the headlights of a pickup truck full of rednecks loaded with guns and beer. Sam immediately shoved his cornered feelings aside and sat up straight. A calm came over him, and Lucas was impressed how quickly his brother’s demeanor changed. It was almost like Sam changed clothes. He took on the self-assured raiment of a young man who refused to allow himself to be cowed or stymied. He was having none of it.

“Lucas and I discussed the situation, Master, but I was uncomfortable with his attitude and felt like I was being dictated to without consideration for my brothers. I couldn't get pass his rejection of me and my brothers when he revealed to me he neither considered himself as a part of our family any more nor did he every wish to become a part of us in the future. Unfortunately, I hit a bump in the road I seemed to be unable to go over or around. I didn't consider the greater rejection we inflicted upon him as our youngest brother. I’m afraid my immediate reaction, from a lack of empathy, compassion, and understanding, may have caused bad feelings between us, but it wasn’t my intent. I don’t want that. I love my brother, but in my defense, it was a shock to me. I didn’t have time to think things through thoroughly, sir. I couldn’t see the bigger picture because of a couple of small things that stuck in my craw. Since our meeting, I’ve had a chance to discuss it with Commander Hawkins, and he brought up a number of things I didn’t consider. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no further problem. I won’t betray my brother’s trust. I give you both my word as a cowboy and a Warrior-apprentice, I will keep Lucas’ secret.”

“Good! Glad to hear it. Is there anything you want to say, Son?” Lazarus asked Lucas.

Lucas finished drinking a cup of coffee and was playing with his empty cup. “No, sir. I’m pleased with my brother’s decision. I said some things to Sam I’m not particularly proud of, but I hope he’ll find it in his heart to forgive me,” Lucas looked directly at Sam as he spoke.

“Of course I forgive you as I know you’ll forgive me for my insensitivity,” Sam replied.

“Done!” Lucas said as he stood and opened his arms to Sam. Sam went to him, embraced him and they sealed their agreement with a quick kiss. “I love you, Sam, and thanks for understanding,” Lucas said.

“I love you, too, Brother. No thanks necessary, it was the right thing to do,” Sam replied.

Lazarus was satisfied and felt there would be no further problems. He hugged Sam and thanked him for meeting with them. Sam realized he’d done the right thing. He left and returned to Commander Hawkin’s cabin with a full heart. Something that weighed so heavily upon him earlier seemed small and insignificant to him now. He was happy he had someone like Del Hawkins in his life. The big man had been around much longer than Sam and knew the ins and outs of trust and politics. Sam felt very fortunate. He would see to it his commander got lucky that evening.

* * * * * * *
Captain Vinceeth ran his ship in a military manner and out of respect for the captain of the Banshee, his guests were expected to keep military hours. The bosun piped ‘lights out’ a little earlier that evening as reveille would come early with the ship’s arrival at Venus. The next morning they would have just enough time to dress and have breakfast before they came into the gravitational pull of the beautiful yellowish-green planet. Trey tossed and turned most of the night. He held onto Waco, but the mere touch of his young apprentice would get him so horny he would have to roll over. Waco seemed to be sleeping soundly, but in his dreams Chuchulack came to him. The huge creature gently told him to wake up and minister to his mate; Trey had need of him. Waco awoke ready to give himself to his Warrior-master. “Captain?” Waco said quietly, “I know you’re awake,” he insisted.

“Aye, that I am, Cowboy. I have a splitting headache. I can actually hear them now, and while I appreciate their songs I can’t get to sleep,” Trey groaned.

“Will you let me help you?” Waco inquired.

“Help? How?” Trey asked.

“I can link with you and trip the off switch in your brain so you won’t receive static. Later, as you grow stronger, I can show you how to do it for yourself. Once you start to hear others, there’s a lot of static chatter out there you may not want to pay attention to. It can be turned off, otherwise I’m sure it could drive a person crazy. I think that’s what happens to people we label as schizophrenics. Many hear voices and don’t understand they’re tapping into a stream of consciousness. They think they’re going mad. Eventually they do,” Waco explained his theory.

“You have my permission, Son. Anything you can do will be greatly appreciated. I must get some rest. We have a busy day tomorrow,” Trey said.

Waco touched his suitor’s mind for the first time. He was bemused at the Visallian brain. It was so much more ordered than a human mind, but then so was a dog or a horse’s mind. He suddenly understood the draw between the Visallian species and the lummox. Their minds worked in very similar ways. Waco smiled to himself as he compared his warrior-master to a strong animal. << I heard that! >> Waco heard from Trey’s mind. The big Warrior laughed.

<< Sorry, Captain. It was meant as a compliment, >> Waco sent to him.

<< I know. Hearing you in my mind is so different. You get the nuance of feelings with the words. I can feel your love for me, and part of it is extremely sexy – even nasty – when you think about sticking your tongue in places too intimate to mention, >> Trey laughed, then added, << Feel me. See how it arouses me? >> Trey encouraged his mate.

Waco reached down and grabbed a couple of handfuls of engorged warrior cock and chuckled. << Everything arouses you. I was right. You are an animal. >> Waco laughed, << I wouldn’t have you any other way. Now, when I trip your switch you won’t be able to hear me no more until I go in and turn it back on. Are you all right with that? >> he asked.

<< Please, if you have any compassion for me, I need some rest, Little Brother, >> Trey whinged.

Waco did a bit of exploring and ran across a couple of very naughty pictures of himself naked in his captain’s mind before he found the switch. He laughed out loud, but it was too late for Trey to hide them. Waco massaged the area of Trey’s brain to make him stop receiving, and it was done. All nonverbal communication with Trey stopped abruptly.

“Amazing!” he exclaimed, “It’s gone. All is quiet. Sorry about those naughty images you saw, Son,” Trey said.

“I ain’t. I thought they were wonderful,” Waco replied and they shared a laugh. “You know what would really relax you, Master?”

“What’s that, Cowboy?” Trey asked.

“For you to lie back and let your apprentice relieve you of a heavy load.”

“I’d probably fall asleep while you’re trying to please me. I don’t ever want to disappoint you,” Trey said sincerely.

“You let me worry about that, sir. I’ll take my chances,” Waco laughed as he did a pretty good imitation of a swan dive under the covers to attack his captain’s already erect penis. He was not disappointed, but Waco no sooner got his master cleaned up when he heard the soft even breathing of his sleeping warrior. Waco felt good he could help his love and rolled over to give him peace. In his sleep, Trey reached for Waco and pulled him into his massive arms. He didn’t let him go for the rest of the sleep period.

* * * * * * *
Morning came early. It was five o’clock Earth time when the bosun piped reveille. It’s worth noting a similar pipe used on Earth in maritime service also evolved on the maritime ships of the Visallian fleet and was carried over to the space fleet. While the Earth pipe was little more than a penny whistle, the Visallian counterpart was a double reed contraption that sounded like a cross between a bleating sheep and a porcine mating call. It was high pitched and extremely grating on the nerves. It was effective, and it served its purpose well. No one remained asleep for long after several blasts over the ships com system. It had a grating whine just slightly more annoying than fingernails scraped across a blackboard. Waco had his own alarm with him. He wore a watch that contained a sound system which could play complete symphonies. Any music you wanted to be awakened by could be programmed into it.

Waco chose to wake each morning with Bach’s second Brandenburg Concerto. The piccolo-trumpet solo always got his blood flowing faster to help quickly bring him to consciousness. He had the volume lower than usual, because when he was bunking it in with his Warrior-master he didn’t want to disturb him. He would arise about an hour before Trey to take care of several chores which were his responsibility as Trey’s Apprentice-warrior. He would make coffee and lay out a clean fresh uniform for his Warrior-master. If it wasn’t a heavy work day, he would go back to bed for a while to be there when his master awoke. He decided it would be nice that morning to get back into the their warm bed and hold his warrior hunk.

Lucas did much the same with his dad, the Admiral, but he had other chores to see to. He laid out his dad’s clothes and made sure Lazarus’ boots were cleaned and polished. He had to be fully awake by reveille to make certain the coyote kids were up and going. They were like trying to get four unruly zombie mules wound-up and running. They only ran on half a brain for an hour or more or at least until they showered. Lucas would have to get in with them to make sure they bathed properly. They would sometimes fall asleep holding each other under the hot water.

Breakfast was always held in the main mess. There was no separation between the officers and crew, and guests could mingle with the crew. It was more relaxed and less formal than the captain’s mess. There was a separate officer’s mess for lunch and dinner, but most officers took their meals with the crew. Trey rarely used his captain’s mess unless he was carrying guests or there was some special awards dinner to be held for an officer. The mess was lively with conversation and you could tell everyone was looking forward to their arrival at Venus spaceport. Darryl, the Venusian was in his element. Everyone was slapping him on the back and wishing him well with his impending visit. He had become greatly admired, respected, and loved by everyone from those of the colonies to the entire crew of the Banshee. If Darryl wanted anything, he only had to mention and someone would see to his needs. Since he was such an unassuming person no one minded helping him.

The Coyote Cowboys were looking forward to their first glimpse of the Bladder Whales. They saw pictures and heard about them; however, this was their first trip to Venus and they were all a twitter to see some of the largest animals in the solar system. The Cowboys loved to eat in the main mess with the crew. They were being herded by their big brother and asked him and the Admiral’s permission to sit among the crew. They worshiped the huge Warriors, and they were popular with the ruggedly handsome spacers. There was a party-like atmosphere at breakfast. There was much laughter and joking among the crew. Lazarus and Lucas sat with them among a group of the lusty spacers. Conversation was lively. The men teased and joked with the boys about their indiscretion. The Coyotes would rather not talk about it, but they were polite, contrite, and humble about it.

“I heard a rumor the Admiral is thinking about sending you four men back to our home world to enroll you full-time in our Warrior training school,” one of the yeoman crew, Ranny Ruggles, said as he winked at the Admiral. Lazarus winked back, got a twinkle in his eye, and grinned.

“That’s true, Mr. Ruggles. Warrior school on Tentagle Trine would be a great experience for them. It would make fine, honest men out of them; strong, solid Warriors we could trust and of whom we could be proud.”

The boys turned green around the gills, not because they feared Warrior training school, but because they would have to give up being cowboys. There was just something about the cowboy lifestyle they saw as wild and free. Like any kids, they were caught up in the romance of the image, but hadn’t investigated the day to day drudgery and hard work involved in the profession. Most of all, they liked dressing like cowboys. Bo spoke up in response, “I would be proud to become a Warrior, but I had my heart set on becoming a cowboy like my dad and Uncle Charlie,” he said quietly. The other three agreed with him.

“You men will live for a long time. There’s plenty of time for both,” Arlen Jones said. There was little more said about it, but once again it got the boys thinking about their fate.

“We’ll see how you men conduct yourselves on Venus and how generous you are with you big brother. My decision will be based on how mannerly you can be, follow orders, keep out of mischief and give your brother as little grief as possible. By the way, that goes for all you men. Ranger's and Cable’s parents have given me full discretion regarding punishment. What I decide will be shared equally,” stated Lazarus with unquestioned authority. The coyote brothers quickly managed to change the subject.

Everyone gathered on the observation deck for the approach to Venus. Captain Vinceeth liked to keep his bridge as uncluttered as possible. Lazarus said Trey’s decision was based on sound reasoning. A lot of extra folks on the bridge could possibly effect the outcome of an emergency situation. Trey anticipated a flyby to pay homage and respects to their friends the Bladder Whales. He commanded his first mate, Commander Maddragon to instruct the helmsman to signal the whales they would be joining them soon. It was merely a courtesy, because the whales were well aware of the approaching vessel. They had been exchanging greetings for hours with many the guests on board.

There were two separate colonies of whales. One group followed the Venusian dawn and the other the sunset. They were on opposite sides of the planet, yet over the centuries they managed to exchange members from one group to the other which enhanced the genetics through hybridization. The two groups varied in colors and markings, but both groups were repeatedly compared to the Discus fish (Symphysodon aequifasciatus), a popular fresh water aquarium fish from the Amazon river. Instead of one large red eye on each side of their bodies, the whales had the most beautiful sapphire-blue eyes which looked like pools of liquid crystal. To no one’s surprise, the scientists of Venus confirmed liquid crystal was exactly what their eyes were. Like some amphibious reptiles on Earth the whales evolved a clear, hard but flexible silicon covering like a nictating membrane to cover and protect their eyes. The membrane was different because it served two purposes. It not only protected the huge creature’s eyes, it also acted like a pair of magnifying glasses for them to see more clearly during sand storms.

Chuchulack and his handsome son, Chacheellian were the recognized leaders of the sunrise group. Gongorealgun and his son, Gonzoxanthullii, were leaders of the sunset group. Other than good-natured competition of the song-wars there was no animosity between the groups. They recognized each others territory and right to exist. They helped each other when they could, which was difficult because they were always on the move on opposite sides of the planet. They have no natural enemies, but are plagued by parasitic sand mites and boring worms which attack their long rope-like limbs causing them considerable discomfort, but they also attract two warm blooded, carbon based creatures which live symbiotically on their limbs. One is an exo-skeletal sand-crab which hunt out and feed on the boring worms. The second is a primitive anthropoidal primate who feast on the sand mites. They live peacefully together acting as grooms for the huge beasts.

The sand-crabs look like a cross between a large spider and a crab. They can grow to over fifty pounds, but they are harmless to the primates who share their hosts. The crabs have never been known to attack a Venusian unless they feared hostile intentions toward the whales. Since their lives depended on the whales for food, shelter, and transportation, they were very protective. So it was with the ape-like primates who looked very similar to our great apes on Earth with the exception, their bodies were completely covered in wire-like bristles, which from a distance, made them look furry. Up close, they looked more like an Echidna. An unusual feature of the males was an exceptionally long penis which retracted into their body cavity when not being used to urinate or procreate, and during puberty they would begin to develop a male pattern baldness on their heads. The females found that feature particularly sexually attractive.

The whales have to carefully navigate their position within the sunlight. If they get too warm the sand-crabs and the primates leave for cooler climes, and leave the whales to become infested with parasites. Without the sand-crabs and the anthropoids to groom them they would quickly become overrun with parasites, their long, rope-like limbs would fall off and they couldn’t anchor themselves in the strong winds. They would starve to death being blown about the planet unless they were lucky enough to become ensnared by the limbs of another whale and could began to grow their limbs again until they could manage for themselves, only then would they be saved.

Captain Vinceeth gave orders to fly by the sunrise group first and then they would pay their respects to the sunset group afterward. Most never knew about or saw the sunset group. They were somewhat more retiring and shy than the sunrise group, but several folks argued some of their bulls were of equal or superior coloring. Travis was the first to sight the whales as the Banshee carefully maneuvered through the thick cloud cover of the upper atmosphere to come upon the magnificent bull leader of the sunrise group, Chuchulack.

“Ah, the Banshee is here,” he said, “Welcome sons and daughters of the Visallian, Shushonni, Human, Langerians, Evanescent, and Canine races; oh yes, and I’m reminded one fine Venusian male, Darryl, of superior breeding and fine communication talents. Welcome to you all. Welcome to Officer Brett Jones and his traveling companion Mr. Basil Troubadour. We have thrilled at both your singing and hope you will join us in a song. We also welcome our beloved music master Johauk Kodaly. Welcome Admiral Long and Captain Arlen Jones, and their sons, Bryce, Lucas, Bo, and Jubal. Welcome to Ranger Gibbons Junior and Charles Cable Gibbons-Jessup and his older brother Travis. You have good eyes, Travis. A further, special welcome to Captain Vinceeth and his young apprentice and consort Captain Waco Goodnight and his chimera brother, Indigo Blue; Captain Waco's honorable father Master Charlie Goodnight and Mr. Goodnight's younger brother, Shane Goodnight. Welcome to Mr. and Mrs. Sonny Steele and their wonderful new children, Adam and Eve, and their four mature sons, Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John. Welcome! Welcome one and all,” Chuchulack said.

“Wonderful to see and speak with you again, Old Friend," Captain Vinceeth said, "You are looking especially handsome this time of day. Your herd is magnificent. Praise the ancients you seem to be in the peak of health.”

“We are fortunate to be well and looking forward to an eventful and fruitful breeding season,” Chuchulack answered.

“They’re fantastic!” Ranger Junior exclaimed quietly.

“More beautiful than I could imagine,” Young Charlie Cable agreed.

“Unbelievable,” Bo whispered to his brothers.

“All of the above and then some,” Jubal said in quiet reverence.

“Thank you, Young Cowboys. We find your form particularly pleasing in our sight. We can see you through your brother’s eyes. Several hold open channels for us, and it’s like switching cameras from person to person so we may get the best images of you. I believe you should understand my analogy, we understand you’re rather good at manipulating cameras; am I right?” Chuchulack asked with humor in his voice.

“Yes, sir, Father Chuchulack – regrettably,” Jubal said in a doleful tone.

“I’m only jesting with you, Young One. You have much to learn. One mistake does not ruin a life. It takes many mistakes and a lot of compassion to make a good, well-lived life. Let your compassion forgive yourselves as you ask those whom you trespassed against to forgive you and use your mistakes to learn from them,” Chuchulack advised.

“Thank you for your kind words of wisdom, sir. We’ll try,” Bo replied.

“I’m sure you will, and I have no doubt you will be successful. All our love and encouragement are with you. You four men are the hope for the future. Never forget your place in the universe and never let yourselves diminish your own faith in yourselves. Learn from your mistakes, from your cowboy brothers, from your parents, from your elders, and from your beloved associations. They all contain wisdom and lessons for you to learn. Do not become discouraged. Wisdom and truth are not gained in a short period of time. Even the oldest among your elders are still learning. Once begun, it is a never ending journey. They made mistakes when they were young. Some suffered worse embarrassment than you. They survived, and so will you.”

Jubal spoke for the coyotes and graciously thanked the old one for his sage advice and compassion. Trey gave orders to hold position for a while until he gave the order to move on. Everyone who wished to speak with the whales or ask them questions were allowed to speak to Chuchulack. Once in a while, his son, Chacheellian would answer a question. Brett Jones was gobsmacked by the huge animals and marveled at their beauty and intelligence. Basil was so enthralled he couldn’t speak. He held Brett’s hand throughout their visit. Chuchulack asked Johauk if there was a song he, Brett Jones, and Basil remembered they could sing with them?

“I believe we all know the J. S. Bach arrangement of the Martin Luther hymn A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” Johauk replied. Basil and Brett nodded their approval.

“Wonderful. It is our custom for our guests to sing the first verse then we will join in on the repeat of the first verse and continue to the end. Officer Jones, if you will be so kind?” Chuchulack invited.

Johauk pulled out his pipe and softly blew the first note in a key that comfortably suited Officer Jones’ vocal tessitura. Jones began in an assured voice.

“A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal,” sang Jones.

The words magically appeared across the holo-vid screen and everyone was invited to join in. Those who were familiar with the hymn repeated the first verse. It was an incredible sound. The very walls of the ship reverberated from the collected voices of the whales and the passengers of the Banshee singing in perfect harmony. It was a magnificent sound to behold. It was as if the very gates of heaven opened and a band of heavenly host were descending while singing of the greatness of their great spirit father. They pressed on to the second and then the third verse. With each verse there was more and greater layers of harmony and counterpoint added which would have brought J. S. Bach to his knees.

“Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.”

They began the final verse in tutti. The great whales saved their best for last, like an accomplished organist might pull out all the stops on a great cathedral organ to play a florid accompaniment around the melody of the main body of singers. The resulting sound was like nothing anyone ever heard before. It rumbled though the depth’s of every soul on the ship. The singing pups were astounded, but they were not unnerved. They continued to add their voices as if they were an additional but important treble descant. It was a wonderful experience shared only a few times in anyone’s life. It was almost like you could reach out and touch the hearts of the great giant beasts who sang so beautifully with such unbridled passion. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind they were the undisputed master’s of their art.

“That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.”

When the final note was sounded there was only the silence of eternity left to embrace them. It was like having crossed a river of great beauty and tranquility to bring them to a mutual shore of peace and well being. It was like no other feeling anyone ever experienced. It was a deeply moving moment. There wasn’t a dry eye on the ship. “Thank you, Officer Jones,” said Chuchulack, “We have heard your voice on the winds of consciousness and marveled at your talent; to hear you up close and personal was a wonderful treat, but to join you in song was a great honor and pleasure for us. Thank you one and all who joined with us. We will never forget your generosity and graciousness,” said the great Chuchulack.

“The honor and pleasure is mine as well, great Father. I can’t remember ever having so wonderful an experience. We all thank you and your family for singing with us. I look forward to hearing more of your music and listening to your songs. It was truly a wonderful blessing for me and my companion,” Brett Jones replied.

There was more pleasantries exchanged, then Chuchulack announced he received word the Venusian’s were anxious to meet with them. Darryl managed to video the meeting and song. It was transmitted live down to the planet and every person on Venus was tuned into the arrival of the great warship Banshee. Like most societies the Venusians were hungry for any new and special diversion to stimulate conversation within their quotidian lives. The Admiral gave a brief speech, said his formal ‘goodbyes’ to the whales for everyone on board the Banshee, and promised a longer visit on their way back from the planet. Now they would travel to the sunset group, meet with them for a while, then travel down to the surface. The whales began to sing a lilting goodbye lullaby in six-eight time as the ship slowly and carefully departed.

They met with the sunset group. Gongorealgun and Gonzoxanthullii were very formal, somewhat reserved, but polite and gracious. They complimented everyone on the powerful song and said they joined in with their brothers. Some of the final power came from their combined voices and helped lift the piece from the mundane to the ethereal. The Admiral assured them Chuchulack gave them full credit for their generous and stirring participation. They didn’t spend as much time with the sunset group and were on their way to the docking platforms at Venus’ space port. Captain Vinceeth ordered his crew to turn over docking procedures to the Venusian computers, and they expertly guided the ship down through the thick atmosphere, through the giant air-lock gates, onto the docking platform.

Everyone was strapped in tight for the landing, but it went as smooth as a feather landing on eider down. The Captain gave the ‘all clear’ command, and the bosun piped for everyone to unfasten their seat belts as they safely arrived on Venus. There was great activity and excitement as the cowboys helped the critters from their safety straps, and everyone was free to move about. At the Admiral’s suggestion, they began to move to the exit of the great ship. They still had some time before the air-locks were completely closed and the area flooded with breathable air. The air on Venus contained a bit larger percentage of oxygen than Earth, but not enough to cause any problems during a short visit. If humans and Earth critters were to remain on Venus for any length of time it would take some therapy to get used to the enriched atmosphere. It took Darryl a while to adjust to slightly less oxygen on Earth.

They were met by an official welcoming delegation who escorted them to their quarters on Venus. There were video cameras everywhere. Darryl, the albino Venusian, had developed a near cult following among the people. For a race of people who had previously been somewhat xenophobic, now seemed to have thrown the doors wide open to new ideas and experiences. They couldn’t get enough. There was more to it than that, but Lazarus and Trey were not to discover the real reasons for the Venusian’s exclusiveness until later. For the moment, the visitors were here, and it was enough. So far, Darryl was the only Venusian to venture off world and the populace looked upon him as a super hero. Poor Darryl was overwhelmed. He had no idea of his new political clout or popularity. His life became so conjoined with his new friends, he found it somewhat difficult to relate with his old home world. When he contacted his accountant and was told his net worth, he fainted. He became the wealthiest Venusian in the history of their world.

* * * * * * *
The Venusians put up their guests at one of their finest hotels. Since everything was underground, sometimes the buildings reached almost to the ceiling of the vast caves. The men and critters were housed in one of the newest and most elegant. They were seen to night and day and anything they wanted was taken care of immediately. They were treated like visiting royalty, and everywhere they went or whatever they did was televised. The only time they weren’t before the cameras was in private. The Venusians loved the Coyote Cowboys and couldn’t get enough of them. The cowboys, the critters, and Brett Jones were what they most wanted to see. Fortunately, the boys were on their best behavior. That evening, after a huge banquet in their honor and many welcoming speeches they returned to their quarters and collapsed.

Even the smallest of the cowboy’s tongues were hanging out. They didn’t have to be threatened or cajoled to join their big brother and Lazarus in the shower to get them ready for bed. Waco and his Warrior-master retired early. Waco’s Lummox slave was staying in the room adjoining their suite. By the time they crawled into bed they were exhausted. They quickly fell asleep. Waco dreamed of floating above the bed and looked down at himself and his suitor lying together. He dropped down to steal a kiss from his Warrior, but entered his head instead. He found Trey’s switch and massaged it to turn it on. He made a suggestion Trey would only hear him and what he chose to hear. He was free to make the choice.

<< This is different, >> thought Trey in his sleep, << Am I awake or asleep? >>

<< In between, Captain. I’m here with you. If you’re comfortable we can remain asleep. If you’d rather, we could be awake. This way I can take you anywhere I choose, >> Waco smiled at him.

<< Would you believe I get tired of being in charge all the time and sometimes long for someone to take me by the hand and lead me? >> Trey confessed.

<< Yes, sir. I can understand it. Come with me, Captain, >> Waco offered his hand. Trey smiled at him and took it. Waco led him into a beautifully colored valley. It was a riot of colors from all kinds of flowers. It was like something wasn’t there, and then it would be there, like Waco was creating the scenery as they were walking along. Trey had to admit, his apprentice was very good at it. It was a bright and sunny day. Trey could feel the warmth from the sun on his naked body, and it felt like a battery recharging his spirit.

<< Ah, this is wonderful, >> he projected quietly, << just what I needed. >>

They came upon a rise and walked to the top, hand in hand. When they crested the top, Trey looked into the next valley and saw the most incredible creature he ever witnessed. As they came closer, he realized it was his apprentice’s Lummox slave, but Ox was different somehow. He was more human. He still had strong Lummox features, but he had a different appeal to Trey than ever before. Trey could see his normally large male breasts were full to capacity with milk. His mouth began to water at the memory of the taste.

<< Are you putting these thoughts into my head, Cowboy? >> he asked.

<< Only the images, sir, not the thoughts. I thought if I asked Ox to join us you might get a hanker’n for more of his milk. I think if you drink a bit more, and with my guidance, it might do the trick of helping you learn to control your new gift, >> Waco urged him.

<< Why not? What’s in a dream, eh? >> Trey laughed.

They joined Ox as he moved and sat in the shade under a huge Bodhi tree Waco created for the moment. It was a magnificent tree, of which, even a time bandit would be proud. Waco took one hand, Ox took his other, and they pulled him into them. Ox took Trey’s head in his enormous paw and gently pulled him to his right teat. The smell and sexual pheromones were so powerful from Ox’s big Lummox body Trey couldn’t resist, wrapped his lips around the big brown teat and began to suck. Warm, sweet Lummox milk began to flow forth and spill into his mouth. It was the most sensual and complete feeling he experienced since childhood. He couldn’t stop. He didn’t want to.

He engorged himself until he could drink no more. To make matters even more exciting for him, he could feel his apprentice hooked up to Ox’s other teat enjoying the same experience with him. Tits for two or folie ‘a deux? Trey couldn’t be sure, but it didn’t matter. He was more relaxed than he had been in months. For once, life was being given to him freely. All he had to do was enjoy. He ignored the ominous storm clouds gathering in the distance. If he didn’t ask, perhaps they would go away. After all, this was his apprentice’s show. He was only along for the ride.

End Of Chapter 50 ~ Waco’s Lummox
Copyright ~ © ~ 2006 ~ 2017 ~ Waddie Greywolf ~ All Rights Reserved
Mail to: Waddie Greywolf <waddiebear@yahoo.com>
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11/03/2008
02/14/2017