Marked In Flesh

CHAPTER 20

Firesday, Juin 15

The Wolves, along with ranch hands on horseback, cut eleven yearling bison from the Prairie Gold herd. Then smoke wrapped around the animals’ necks, and Tolya and Nyx fed on each animal just enough to make it easy for Wolves and men to pen the bison in a makeshift corral that held tubs of water and feed.

After giving the bison time to drink and eat, they headed for Bennett, a pickup filled with supplies leading the way while the men and Wolves kept the bison moving.

Tolya had called the train station to let them know a livestock car would be required for the train going east to Lakeside. Joe hadn’t heard what the human at the station said, but he’d heard Tolya’s reply: if the terra indigene couldn’t reserve a car for livestock, no livestock would be permitted to travel by rail from this part of Thaisia. That meant the ranchers who sent cattle to the slaughterhouses located in cities beyond the Midwest Region would be stuck with animals they couldn’t sell and couldn’t move overland without losing half their herds to the predators who would gather for the feast.

Could he have stopped Tolya from making such a threat? Did it matter? The Sanguinati was far more skilled at dealing with the humans in Bennett than he could be. Besides, Tolya deferred to him whenever decisions involved the Intuits, who were the humans the terra indigene settlement needed to interact with on a regular basis.

They kept the herd moving at a steady pace.

Joe wanted to push on while they still had light, but Tobias argued that there would be nowhere to set up camp for the night once they passed the crossroads. There was nothing but human-controlled ranchland between the crossroads and Bennett, and once they arrived in town, they would have to hold the bison in the stockyard until the train was scheduled to depart. The less time they spent in town, the less time for people to stir up trouble.

Since Tolya agreed with that assessment and Tobias was confident they could reach Bennett in plenty of time to catch the train if they headed out at first light, Joe went along with them. They set up camp within sight of the crossroads—and not that far from the spot where bison had been shot the previous week. No one mentioned the incident, or said anything about the number of carcasses that had been stripped down to bone already, but the Wolves sniffed the area for any sign of intruders, and Tobias and the ranch hands put on their gun belts and checked their revolvers before setting up the watch for the night.

The next day, they started out right after breakfast.

As Joe snapped at a yearling to encourage it to keep up with the other bison, he noticed the trucks parked on the side of the road and the men who stopped working and watched their little herd trotting toward Bennett.

he called to one of the Ravens.

That was sensible. Cattle that strayed off the land used by humans were considered edible, and the Elders who had come down from the hills last week to feed on the dead bison were still prowling the edges of human land. It was their lingering scent, as much as the herding skill of humans and Wolves, that kept the bison from trying to break free. There was also the sound and smell of water as it sloshed in the two barrels loaded in the back of the pickup—and Nyx hand-feeding the bison when the humans stopped to rest, teaching the animals that she was not something they needed to fear.

Joe wondered if the Sanguinati did something similar with humans, lulling them into a trust that allowed vampires to feed without their prey being aware.

And that made him wonder how long Tolya planned to stay around Prairie Gold.

When they finally reached the train station, there were two livestock cars being loaded with cattle. After being told they could load the bison into the third stock car once the cattle were settled, Joe and Jackson took advantage of the wait to shift to human form and pull on clothes.

A human noticed them and the bison, then said something to a couple of men on horseback before walking over to them.

“I’m Stewart Dixon.” He tipped his head to indicate the bison. “You boys need a hand getting them loaded?”

Tobias glanced at Joe, and Joe understood it was his decision. He also understood that Tobias didn’t feel wary of this man the way the Intuit did around that Daniel Black.

“Thank you,” Joe said.

A wave of a hand had the men on horseback approaching slowly, nodding to the men from Prairie Gold.

Tobias eyed the cattle that had been loaded into the two stock cars. “Pardon me for saying, but your cattle look a bit young and underweight to be sent to market.”

The Stewart smiled. “Shows you’ve got a good eye, and you’d be right if they were going to market. But I wanted to reduce my stock, and there were two settlements east of here that were looking to buy some cattle to start their own herds. From what they said, they already have a small herd of dairy cows—enough animals to provide their communities with milk and such—and would like to be able to eat something besides elk when roads and weather make it impossible to drive to a bigger town for supplies.”

“Don’t humans like eating elk?” Joe asked.

“Sure. One of the freezers at my ranch is filled with elk meat every hunting season, but it’s a delicacy for most folks, same as milk and cheese might be for you.”

Joe, Jackson, Tobias, and the Stewart moved out of the way as the men on horseback herded the bison into the empty livestock car.

“If you don’t mind me saying, those bison look a little young if you’re sending them to market,” the Stewart said.

“They aren’t food yet,” Joe replied. “They’re going east to a city on the shores of Lake Etu. Sending smaller bison was sensible.” Besides, Simon wanted everyone in the Lakeside Courtyard to have time to get used to bison living there before they were old enough to breed.

“I’ll help Nyx and Tolya load the box going to Lakeside,” Jackson said. Then he added,

Joe looked at Tobias. “Give him a hand?”

“Sure.”

That left him alone with the Stewart Dixon. “Thank you for your help.”

“Happy to lend a hand.”

“You aren’t connected to the Prairie Gold settlement.”

The Stewart shook his head. “My ranch is several hours north of here, but Bennett is the closest rail line, as well as the largest town when we need supplies or want a night out. It’s a day’s drive in any direction to find another town with a music hall and a movie theater. A different group of terra indigene watch over the land north of Bennett. At least, I’m assuming it’s a different group, because I haven’t seen you around before.”

“It’s a different group,” Joe agreed. Had the Wolves north of the hills felt the presence of the Elders?

The Stewart hesitated. “Look, I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes, or cause trouble between you and the Wolves I usually deal with, but . . .” He took a small pad of paper out of his pocket and a short pencil, wrote on the paper, and handed it to Joe. “That’s the phone number of the ranch house. Like I said, we’re north of Bennett, so I’m not sure what we could do, but if you need help, you call and ask for me.”

Joe studied the number. “Why would you do this?”

“Anyone but a fool can see trouble is on the horizon. My family has never had any problems with your kind, and I don’t want problems now. Your people have been good neighbors. I try to be the same.” The Stewart looked over when someone shouted his name. “I’m needed.”

He held out a hand. After a moment’s consideration, Joe shook hands.

“See you around.” The Stewart walked away.

Joe headed to the platform to say good-bye to Jackson and Nyx.

“Safe travels,” Tobias said as Jackson and Nyx boarded the train.

“They’ll be fine,” Tolya said, joining them. “The train will be watched all the way to Lakeside.”

Joe found that comforting. Jackson was away from his pack, but he wasn’t alone. He glanced at Tobias and wondered if a human felt the same kind of comfort, knowing the residents of the wild country were keeping a closer watch on everything and everyone who traveled through their land.

When the train pulled out of the station, Tolya turned to Tobias. “Mr. Walker, do you and the others want to remain in town for the night? You worked hard bringing the bison here.”

“I was told this town has a music hall and a movie theater,” Joe added. “Having entertainment seemed important to the Stewart Dixon.”

“I had overlooked those two businesses when we drove around the town square the other day,” Tolya said, then added privately to Joe,