Lone Wolf Ranch - 5. Chapter 5

Dakota

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 and 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 older boys in their 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. Grandfather hopes that one of the boys might want to apprentice. All we 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 that you let me 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 when he saw a roping dummy and a cutting dummy in 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 just to 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 until I was eleven. 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. Now he’s mine.”

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 has a horse. Most of the ones under ten 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 other 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, “No, that wouldn’t be right.” He giggled as he added, “Some of the older boys will mansturbate in the showers.”

Dakota smiled and said, “It’s pronounced masturbate, buddy, and it’s natural when you’re older.” 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 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 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 that 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."