I failed to say before Chapter One that parts of this story were
inspired by a story by Zarek Dragon. Zarek gave me permission to base my story
on his ranch. I highly recommend you read his original at: https://storylover.us/?t=CWYSqpOrp8le9N7e
After writing the story in the setting of
Zarek's ranch, I decided to make changes. Connor and Dakota visited the `Last
Stand Ranch' rather than `Another Chance Ranch'. I changed names, and the
physical location, but I'm sure if you read both, you'll see there are still
similarities.
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story REALLY makes my day, so drop me a line. Hearing that you're not enjoying
it helps me improve it, so drop me a line. Even if you just say `Hey, I'm
reading it.', you really encourage me to keep going, so drop a line to Jst4Fun2nyt@gmail.com !!! Or, if you wish I had
more time to write, go to patreon.com/Justin4Fun
Keep donating to https://donate.nifty.org/!
There isn't likely to be a lot of
sex in this story, but sometimes the mood hits me.
If you like this, you may like my
other story:
Nifty Archive:
adult-youth/new-reality
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After the group that Colt and Matt had sat in on, Dakota had
one more group of boys to give his `Introduction to Saddlery' class. At the end
of each session, he asked those who wanted to continue their education to sign
up on a sheet James had provided. He also said he would be available next
Saturday and Sunday afternoons for those who didn't want more instruction but
simply wanted to complete their belts. When the final group was finished, 19
boys, ranging in age from 6 to 17, wanted to learn more.
Sunday evening, James brought pizza to Dakota's apartment, and they reviewed
the list of boys that had signed up. They discussed each boy and agreed that
all 19 would make good students and would likely use their new skills in their
lives to some degree. When James left the apartment, Dakota had two groups of
boys to meet with daily for the next two weeks. The first ten were aged 6
through 12 and would come to his classroom from 9 am to noon. The other 9, the
teens, would come at 1 pm and leave at 5. Dakota reserved the right to move a
younger boy to the afternoon if he showed the interest and drive to apply
himself to a slightly more advanced course of study.
Dakota spent a few hours listing the skills he wanted the
boys to acquire and a timeframe to achieve those goals. Then he compared the
two classes and decided that if he was going to move any of the younger boys
up, he had to make that choice by Wednesday morning.
Once he had his schedule somewhat settled, he remembered he
needed to update the "Two Guns Tack" webpage, so his customers would know he
was out of town for two weeks. When that was done, he dropped to the floor to
wrestle with his new companion. After several minutes of this play, he decided
to visit his other new companions, so he stood headed for the door with a
bronze furball following his every move.
When he walked up to the stall that housed Sally, she craned
her neck over the gate and lipped his shoulder as he petted her neck. Harry had
squeezed himself under the gate and was nosing around her legs. Dakota stepped
over and looked in the tack locker for the stall, where he found a beautiful
custom-made saddle on the shelf. It was polished black leather with silver
stitching, silver hardware, silver conchos, and `Sally' in raised letters on
the back of the cantle. He thought he recognized the work, and on further
examination, he found he was right. It had been made by a friend who lived in
Missoula.
His curiosity aroused, he looked in the tack locker for
Dusty and found an equally astounding custom saddle in shades of reddish-brown
and sandy tan that perfectly matched Dusty's flaxen chestnut coloring. As
expected, this saddle was also made in Missoula. He couldn't resist spending a
few minutes with the friendly stallion. As he visited Dusty, Harry came over as
if to say, `Yup, this one's ours'.
When he walked away from the stall, Dusty let out a whinny
and stomped the ground, almost demanding that Dakota return. Rather than allow
the horse to take control, Dakota headed for the opposite stalls, where he
could see Fenrir, Maʹiitsoh, and Mac Tíre through their respective gates.
All three refused to come near him regardless of any actions, kind words, or
even bribes. He had found a bucket half full of apples and had tried to offer
them as payment for affection, but they were having none of it. Finally, he
gave up and checked their tack lockers. As expected, he found a custom-made
saddle for Fenrir and Mac Tíre in their respective lockers that perfectly
matched their coats. Fenrir's in shades of sand and caramel, while Mac Tíre's
was a striking example of a monotone silver. Again, the saddles were from his
friend in Missoula.
Thinking about his friend made Dakota homesick, so he
checked that all five horses had fresh water, then turned and left. He was at
the door when he noticed that Harry was running back and forth between Sally
and Dusty but paying absolutely no attention to the other three members of his
`family'. Not bothering to spend much thought on the subject, he called Harry
to follow and headed for his apartment. Once there, he relaxed on the sofa and
called his grandfather.
As they talked, Wamblee could hear the tone of his
grandson's voice and could hear the truth in the many things that were left
unsaid. Dakota had never shared his nature with his grandfather, and it was not
the old man's place to bring the issue up. The Sioux are a people who respect the
individual, and the privacy of one's thoughts is sacred. Without being asked,
you simply don't offer an opinion. Not to a grown man, at least, and that is
what Dakota was. He had passed through the lodge and returned from his vision
quest. He was a man, and regardless of all the teasing Wamblee did about his
name, he greatly respected the young man. They ended their call without ever
discussing the real issue. Wamblee resolved himself to spend the night in wocekiye,
the Sioux call for prayer, in hopes that his beloved grandson could find peace.
Dakota sought the peace of hot water and soon found it.
Rather than a shower, tonight he immersed himself in the whirlpool tub and soon
found himself half-awake as the hot water bubbled around his body, carrying his
concerns to the Great Spirit. He finally pulled himself from the water when his
fingers looked like prunes, and the water was only slightly above room
temperature. Ignoring these slight discomforts, Dakota spent a relaxing twenty
minutes re-braiding his hair into his usual tight braids on each side. That
done, he climbed into bed and, without conscious thought, offered up a prayer
to the gods, asking for their calming winds and guiding lights. He soon fell
asleep, only moving to curl his arms around Harry when he jumped up on the bed.
Dakota's dreams were an odd mix of disconnected images.
Throughout them all, there were two adult wolves, one black, one grey, and
three pups. In one, an Owl swooped in and stole one of the pups, yet in
another, the black wolf leaped up and devoured the owl who was attempting to
steal one of our pups. Our pups? Where did that thought come from? Finally, as
dawn approached, Dakota's dreams revolved around just the two wolves and the pups
that lived in their burrow. Dakota's mind fought this last part. Foxes lived in
burrows, not wolves, or did they? Is there meaning in even the small
inconsistencies of the spirits? His last dreaming thoughts were of the boy he
had only met for an instant. The blue-eyed boy with the black hair and hypnotic
smile that had touched his soul. He reached for the boy, and just before they
touched, Dakota woke. Without even reaching down, he knew what had happened.
After waking during a wet dream, Dakota realized that he was
awake for the day. The sun had just passed the horizon, so he grabbed a quick
shower to rinse his fluids off, then changed the sheets, tossing the soiled
ones in a pile with the towels. He made a mental note to ask Dylan where the
washing machine was, then he opened the back door and let Harry run to explore
the early morning fields. As he fried bacon, he tried to remember the details
of his dreams. Like most of us, he could recall images, but nothing concrete,
and certainly no pattern of thought or substance. He remembered wolves but
wasn't sure of the details. He remembered a boy, but not who, and he remembered
a feeling of loss, followed by an amazing sense of contentment. As he placed
the bacon on a paper towel and fried two eggs, he lifted his thoughts to the
spirits and asked for calm and guidance. Unlike most people, Dakota didn't
treat the Great Spirit like Santa, bringing a shopping list of desired items
and outcomes, rather, he understood that he was simply a small part of the
eternal world, and his role was to fill that place the spirits decided was his.
He could do that. On most days, he could do that happily.
At 8:30, Dakota and Harry headed for the classroom. As the
boys filed in, Harry greeted each with a sniff of their crotch and a wag of his
tail. The boys giggled at the dog's greeting. Then they dug through the box to
find the belt they had started on Sunday. Once everyone was seated, Dakota
demonstrated how to do a few different stamps. He then
had them pick up the scrap leather he had placed at each workstation and
practice. Once they were comfortable with it, they had the choice of adding some
to their belts or not. After working on stamping for an hour, he had them
practice punching holes. As they learned, it sounds simple, but punching a line
of holes without wavering or changing the spacing can be difficult. Most had
typical results, but one of the youngest had mastered every skill quickly and
always returned to working on his belt in the time he had free. As everyone was
heading out for lunch, Dakota asked Jonas to stick around.
Six-year-old Jonas Sampson was at Last Stand because his dad
caught him and his best friend naked in the tent when they were camping in the
backyard. Jonas didn't understand the problem, but his dad mumbled how he
wouldn't allow a son of Satan to live in his home. That Saturday, his dad
packed up some of Jonas' clothes and dropped him off at the ranch. That was
three months ago, and last week, Mr. Custer had explained to Jonas that his
parents had signed away their rights. He was legally an orphan. Now, standing
alone in the classroom, Jonas feared he had done something wrong and was going
to be sent away. He was losing the fight to hold back the tears.
As Dakota approached the boy, he saw the tears and realized
he should have explained why he asked the boy to stay. He put his hand on
Jonas' shoulder as he said, "Jonas, I'm sorry I..."
He didn't get to finish because Jonas threw his arms around Dakota's waist and
sobbed. Through the sobs, Dakota heard, "Please don't make me go away. I
promise I'll learn it. Just let me stay, please?"
Dakota held the boy tight with one arm, rubbing his back
with the other, as he said, "I'm not asking you to go away. And you're learning
everything just fine. In fact, you're learning so well that I wanted to ask you
to join the boys in the older class. Would you like to do that? They'll be
learning a lot more than the younger boys."
Jonas stepped back and wiped his eyes with the heel of his
hand. He was studying the concrete floor as he muttered, "I bet you think I'm a
baby for crying. You probably don't want me to stay now."
Dakota reached out and lifted Jonas into his arms as he
said, "If crying disqualified us from the activities of life, none of us would
do anything. I handled this poorly, and you read into my actions based on your
past experiences. Maybe we both can come out of this having learned something.
I have learned I should explain to someone why I want to speak to them in
private, and you, I hope, have learned that not everyone in your life is going
to mistreat you as some have."
Jonas blushed and nodded, then said, "How do I get back to the home to eat? Mr. Custer already left with the
van."
"Well, I suppose you can ride with me since I'm going there
for lunch," Dakota said, turning for the door. He looked down and said, "Harry,
go visit Sally while we eat." Harry obediently headed for the barn as Dakota
and Jonas drove off for lunch.
The afternoon class had just started punching holes when
there was a crash outside. Everyone rushed to the door to see what was
happening. Dakota could see Mac Tíre and Fenrir in a corral, but he couldn't
make out who was with them. He then saw Maʹiitsoh trotting around the
corral with a boy on his back. When they broke into a gallop, the entire ranch
heard the boy's shouts of joy. After the interruption, it took Dakota a few
minutes to get the boys' minds back on leatherworking, but the rest of the
afternoon went as Dakota expected. The older boys didn't need things explained
twice, and by the end of the afternoon, they had advanced to stitching and
lacing.
After class, Dakota went to Dylan's for supper and learned
that Fenrir, Mac Tíre, and Maʹiitsoh had found a home. When Dakota asked
about Sally and Dusty, Dylan explained that Sally and Dusty showed no interest
in staying with their friends and had gotten quite agitated when they were
pushed. Dakota nodded, knowing that horses could be quite picky about who rode
them. He then asked about adopting Sally and Dusty, and of course, Harry. When
Dylan agreed to the adoption, Dakota brought up the issue of the tack.
"I know that saddle maker, and those saddles are easily
worth $10,000 each. Would you accept a check?"
Dylan shook his head as he said, "Those saddles came with the horses, and they
go with the horses. If you insist on making some form of payment for them, I will
insist on paying you for teaching the boys."
Dakota replied, "I told James when I offered to come here, I won't accept
payment. I'm doing this for the boys. I know Grandfather secretly hopes that
one of the boys might want to apprentice, but all I care about is passing on
the craft."
"And all I care about is finding a good home for horses that have been put in
my care. I think we understand each other, don't we? Or are we going to argue
about saddles that are custom-made to fit those horses?"
Dakota shook his head as he conceded, "OK, I get it. But if
I've adopted those two, I insist I pay boarding fees and care for them the rest
of my time here. At the very least, let me write a check to the widow of their
former owner for the saddles."
Dylan agreed to that arrangement, and when dinner was over,
Dakota walked to the barn, put Dusty's saddle on, and headed out for an evening
ride. James had mentioned a rodeo arena, so he rode over to see if he could run
some barrels. He was pleased to note there was a roping dummy and a cutting
dummy at the arena. He made a mental note to bring a rope next time. He would
need to get the remote for the cutting dummy too. The entire ride, Harry had
scouted ahead, then ran back to make sure his horse and human were OK. While at
the arena, he had rested while Dakota pushed Dusty to his limits on the
barrels, and on the ride home, Harry was content to just follow.
By the end of classes on Tuesday, five of the younger boys,
and four of the older, had lost interest and asked to be excused, so Dakota
decided to merge the classes. He was happy to see the older boys eagerly
helping the younger boys catch up. On Thursday, the boys paired up and measured
each other for a pair of chaps. Dakota explained that the chaps they were
making were called `shotgun chaps' because the legs were fully enclosed and
resembled the barrel of a shotgun.
Thursday evening, Dakota was on Sally, racing around the
barrels once again. He had just finished a run when he heard clapping. Looking
up, he saw Jonas, James, and one of the older boys, Robin Anthony, on horseback
at the end of the arena. He gave Sally a squeeze and trotted over to talk.
"Looks like you've done that before," James said as Dakota
reined to a stop.
Dakota grinned and replied, "I did when I was nine. Taini
got too old to keep up, and I had other priorities."
Jonas turned to James and asked, "Can I try it?"
James nodded, and before he could give any instructions or cautions, Jonas had
spurred his horse to a gallop. James and the older boys couldn't help but
laugh. It was obvious Jonas didn't know exactly what he was doing, but his
heart was certainly in it. He circled each barrel twice, then came galloping
back.
He looked at James and Robin laughing, then turned to Dakota
and asked, "Why are you laughing?"
Dakota smiled as he bent the truth, saying, "We're laughing because it's
obvious you were having a lot of fun. The joy you felt is contagious." Wanting
to avoid more untruths, Dakota asked, "And who is this beauty you're riding? Does
she belong to the home?"
Jonas patted the neck of the black quarter horse mare he was riding as he said,
"Nope! Star's mine. Every boy at the home is given a
horse to care for. If we get adopted, the horse is ours if our new family has
room for it."
Dakota was surprised. He turned to see Robin nodding and saying, "Olaf belonged
to a boy that died of cancer. His parents couldn't bear to keep him, so they
gave him to the rescue."
Dakota turned to James, who explained, "We felt having the
responsibility for, and a connection to, a live animal would be good for the
boys' emotional health. Jonas is one of the few his age that have a horse. Most
of the ones under 10 just share with everyone else, but Star started following
Jonas around the corral the day they met. After that day, she wouldn't let
anyone else ride her, so Dylan decided to give her to him."
The entire ride back to the barns, Jonas was begging James
to let him stay the night with Dakota. After a quick exchange of an inquiring
look and a nod, James agreed, so Jonas and Dakota were soon grooming Sally and
Star and watching James and Robin riding off towards the Boy's Home. When they finished grooming, they headed up
to the apartment.
Dakota just pointed when Jonas asked where the bathroom was.
A few seconds later, a squealing boy came running back out, begging for a bath.
Dakota couldn't hold back his laughter when, after saying yes, Jonas simply
stripped out of his clothes and jumped around, waiting for the tub to fill.
As Jonas was climbing in, he asked, "Aren't you getting in?"
Dakota shook his head and said, "It wouldn't be right."
Jonas rolled his eyes and said, "I live with 99 boys. I know about bad touch
and all that. I didn't ask you to touch my penis; I asked you to take a bath.
Get undressed and get in here, silly."
Dakota was surprised by the response. He thought for a
moment, then slowly undressed and climbed into the tub. Settling into the
corner opposite Jonas, he watched the boy splashing and jumping from one side
of the tub to the other. When Dakota started the whirlpool jets, Jonas froze
and looked around in awe. He then came over and sat down between Dakota's legs.
Dakota's body had the natural reaction to such close, naked
contact, and when he tried to adjust, Jonas just giggled and said, "All the
boys get boners when we take baths together."
Concerned, Dakota asked, "Do they make you do anything with them?"
The boy shook his head, saying, "Lots of the boys were abused before they came
here. We all know not to touch anyone or let them touch us without asking. Some
of the boys will mansturbate in the showers. Some of us younger guys like to
help them, but no one forces anyone."
Dakota smiled and said, "It's pronounced masturbate, buddy,
and it's good that no one forces anyone."
Giggling, Jonas asked, "Do you want me to help you?"
Dakota replied, "Thanks, buddy, but no. I can do it myself later." Wanting to
change the subject, Dakota said, "Stand up so I can get you washed. Hand me the
cloth."
As he was drying Jonas off, Dakota said, "I just realized we
don't have any clean clothes for you, buddy. What are you going to wear
tomorrow? And what are you going to sleep in? Do you wear pajamas?"
"I do when it's cold, but mostly I sleep naked like the big
boys do. Can we watch some TV?"
Dakota laughed at the attention span of the boy, then
grabbed a blanket from the closet shelf and headed for the living room. Dakota
spread the blanket on the couch, then sat down. Jonas cuddled up beside him and
put his head on the older boy's chest. Smiling, he pulled the blanket around
them, and they watched the "Paw Patrol" movie. Long before the movie was finished,
Dakota realized that Jonas was sound asleep.
Carefully, he stood and carried the boy into the smaller
room and tucked him into one of the bunk beds. He brushed the hair from Jonas'
forehead and quietly left the room. After letting Harry out and shutting off
the TV and lights, Dakota undressed and climbed into his own bed. Sometime in
the night, he felt a small naked body climb into his bed and cuddle up beside
him.
Dakota woke in time to see a naked butt running from his
room. He laid back and laughed until he realized that Jonas was talking to
someone. He rushed from his room to find Robin helping Jonas get dressed.
Looking down, he remembered that he was naked and quickly retreated to his
room. When he returned, he found Jonas sitting at the table while Robin was
scrambling eggs.
"I hope you don't mind. I realized that Jonas didn't have
anything clean for today, so I grabbed something for him and brought it down. He
asked me to fix his favorite omelet, and I figured I'd make one for you too."
Robin explained.
Dakota smiled and nodded, saying, "Only if you make one for
yourself while I put some bacon in the oven."
They both laughed at Jonas when he rubbed his belly and eagerly said, "MMMmmmm, bacon!"
As they ate, Dakota learned that Robin had been at the home
for two years, having arrived a month before his sixteenth birthday. When asked
how he ended up here, he tearfully told his story.
"I always knew I was different, but I didn't understand
until puberty started. All my buddies were always talking about Julie's tits or
Jessica's ass." Robin paused and blushed as he looked at Jonas and said, "Sorry
about the language, bro."
Jonas just giggled and said, "I don't like tits either."
After he stopped laughing, Robin continued, "Anyway, I didn't care about those
things. I did care about sneaking peeks at the other boys in the showers after Phys
Ed class. I knew what it meant, being gay. I just never thought about it until
I realized that I was."
Dakota noticed that Jonas had reached over and was now holding Robin's hand as
he went on. "I won't bore you with all the drama of my exploring with a few
buddies or the crushes I went through. I spent a lot of evenings reading erotic
stories online and looking at pictures that I probably shouldn't have been looking
at."
"One Friday night, I had my headphones on while looking at some porn and didn't
hear my mom when she knocked. She came in and caught me, um..." Robin looked at
Jonas and blushed. Jonas giggled, so he went on, "She caught me, you know... jerking
off. The worst part was that she couldn't help but see the naked guys on my
computer screen. She told me to clean up, get dressed, and come to the den,
then she turned and walked out, leaving the door open."
Robins's eyes were wet as he continued, "When I got to the
den, I could tell that Mom had told Dad. He looked disgusted when he asked me
if it was true, if I was one of those degenerates. I nodded, and he sent me to
my room, saying he would deal with this later."
Tears were streaming down his face as Robin continued his tale. "Saturday
morning, Dad took me for a drive. I must have fallen asleep because the last
thing I knew, we were passing through Provo, but when I looked around, we were driving
through desert mountains. I found out later that we were east of Bryce Canyon
at some church camp. Dad didn't tell me anything. He just took me inside,
introduced me to Elder Smith, and left."
Robin gave a brief nod toward Jonas and said, "I won't go
into the ugly details, but it was one of those camps where they try to change
you. Make you not be gay. Luckily, I was only there a week when the place was
raided by the FBI. Some boys who had been there in the past had talked to the
right judge, and he ordered it shut down. Elder Smith is in prison, and every
boy that was in the camp was placed in foster care. Our parents had their
rights removed, so now I'm a ward of the court."
Dakota reached out and took Robin's hand as he said, "I'm
sorry you had to go through all that."
Robin wiped his face as he shrugged and said, "What doesn't kill you makes you
stronger, right?"
Dakota nodded, stood, and said, "Take Jonas in to brush his
teeth. While you're in there, you can wash your face. We need to get to class.
The others will be showing up soon."
As they were headed for the stairs, Robin turned to Dakota
and said, "Thanks for listening to my story. I haven't talked about that
with anyone for over a year."
Dakota stepped forward and hugged the older boy, saying,
"I'm here for you anytime you want, bro. My door is always open."