Wild Country

by Anne Bishop

  Yuri, Anya, and Nicolai were in positions that made it possible for them to lightly feed on several individuals during the course of the day. Even Stazia at the bank and Isobel at the post office had opportunities to touch humans and draw a little blood through the skin. At least until humans became wary or even afraid of being touched.

  As the leader of the town, he did not have those opportunities. He was Sanguinati, and all of Bennett’s citizens were aware of that. He would need to make some kind of . . . arrangement . . . with some of the humans in order to minimize their fear of his kind because this morning he looked at a simple truth: the terra indigene living in Bennett were seriously outnumbered.

  Most forms of terra indigene had a connection with the land and had no desire to become contaminated by too much human. The ones who were now residing in Bennett were here out of a sense of duty to the rest, in much the same way as the shifters who lived in Courtyards and kept watch over the humans had provided a conduit for the human goods that were wanted by terra indigene who never could look human enough to approach even a trading post—and there were many, many more who had no desire to try to take that form.

  Yuri called.

  Taking the maps, Tolya went to the conference room to meet the town council, as well as Virgil and Jana.

  He laid the regional map on the table.

  Jana leaned over the table, studied the map . . . and winced. “These are the existing towns?”

  “They were,” Tolya replied. “I have not tried to ascertain if they still exist—or if they do, in what form. Perhaps that is something you could do as an officer of human law.”

  “Some of the way stations are empty,” Nicolai said. “The humans working on the trains are concerned about that because there is no one to accept mailbags and supplies. The railroads would be willing to transfer trained workers to those places but only if the terra indigene would be willing to ensure their safety.”

  “From us?” Virgil asked.

  “My impression was they were more concerned about other humans,” Nicolai replied. “Some of the Owlgard have settled around our train station and keep watch at night. They also take turns listening to messages left on the answering machine in case there is an emergency.”

  “There was an emergency,” Tolya guessed.

  Nicolai nodded. “Of sorts. A human . . . held up? . . . the Carter’s Way station yesterday, just before full dark. The male took money from the booth where they sell tickets, as well as a bag of food, water, and medicines that they sell in the little shop. The male had a gun; the workers at the station did not. They gave him what he wanted, but he still fired the gun and wounded one of them before he left.”

  “Where is that way station?” Virgil asked.

  Jana found it on the map and put her finger on the name.

  “Carter’s Way is a stop on a north-south railroad line,” Nicolai said. “If that male is one of the ones who attacked the ranch, then he’s moving south.”

  Virgil bared his teeth. “Toward us.”

  “We’ll deal with it,” Tolya said. “Right now, we have something more urgent to deal with before the next train arrives in Bennett.”

  Nicolai looked at the clock on the wall. “Then there’s not much time.”

  Tolya laid the town map on the table and moved a finger over the red lines he’d drawn. “These are the final boundaries for the town. There will be no further expansion. I will make a copy of this map for the land agents so they know where humans can live and can make a list of what stores and businesses are available for new residents looking for work.”

  Virgil watched Tolya. “The Elders decided?”

  “Yes,” Tolya said. “I was summoned last night. These are the boundaries. Room enough for the humans who are needed for the work that will allow the town to live, but no more. Anyone who wants to settle here either has the credentials to do a specific job or must be willing to apprentice in a particular kind of work and is an acceptable worker to the human who is dominant in that profession.” He looked at Jana. “You will assist the Werners to determine how many residents could be supported by each business or occupation so that we know how many more people we can accept as new residents. You need to figure this out, fast, since people continue to arrive and most don’t have any work papers.”

  She looked stunned—and then he saw the look in her eyes that was the reason Virgil referred to her as a wolverine. He appreciated the attitude needed for a small predator to challenge a larger one.

  Just because he appreciated it didn’t mean he liked that attitude aimed at him.

  “Fast?” Jana growled. “Fast? I arrived a week ago with the rest of the people from Lakeside. We’ve barely had time to find homes and figure out where we’re working. How much faster can we do this?”

  “You were selected and approved by trusted terra indigene before you arrived in Bennett,” Tolya said. “The ones who have been swarming into town the past few days were not.” Did she not understand the difference—and the danger?

  “You object to people like Kenneth and Evan?”

  Virgil growled at her. Tolya pulled back his lips for just a moment, showing Jana his fangs in warning.

  “They have a purpose, and that is the point,” Tolya snapped. “Every human who wants to live here has to fill a position. And when those positions are filled, no more humans will be allowed to settle here. When the houses within the boundaries are filled—and not packed in like families of mice—there can be no more settlers. Humans will look at the houses beyond the boundaries and complain that there is room for them, but there is no room. The houses on the other side of the boundaries can be claimed by the terra indigene or not claimed at all, but they cannot be claimed by humans.”

  “The humans already outnumber those of us they can see,” Virgil said. “If they start causing trouble, the Elders will thin the human herds more vigorously than the last time.”

  Jana shuddered. With effort, she straightened her shoulders, but she looked pale. “What if the Werners and I find some occupations that might be better suited for terra indigene?”

  They all looked at her in surprise.

  Tolya said, “By all means, indicate those, and we’ll do our best to find terra indigene to fill those positions.”

  She nodded. “The picture of the man Melanie Dixon saw at her house yesterday. I think it should be cropped to remove Abigail Burch and then sent to all the train and way stations we can contact.”

  “You can do this cropping?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Then alter the picture and e-mail it to Nicolai. As station master, he will send it on to as many stations and way stations as he can.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Not today.”

  Jana bolted from the room.

  Virgil huffed out a breath. “Yesterday’s fight was her first kill.”

  “Ah.” All the Sanguinati breathed out the sound. First kill wouldn’t have distressed any of them—being able to feed on one’s own was a sign of maturity—but they indicated sympathy because they appreciated Jana’s ability to articulate a human perception of what was needed without displaying aggression.

  Except with Virgil. And now, perhaps with him.

  Tolya rolled up the maps and returned to his office. He had hoped the Elders would have given them all more time for the town and the people to find their balance. Maybe they would have been content to observe if the Dixon ranch hadn’t been attacked, reminding Namid’s teeth and claws that humans were, for the most part, enemies who were not only prey but preyed on their own kind.

  More humans were arriving every day, looking for opportunities—or looking to steal things from the empty houses. Every human who hadn’t already been approved by the terra indigene represented potential danger. The Sanguinati knew that. So did Virgil. He hoped
Jana understood that as well.

  For now, he would do what he could. And the first thing he would do was send Jesse Walker the picture Hope Wolfsong had made so that the residents of Prairie Gold would recognize an enemy if he came among them.

  * * *

  * * *

  “Walker’s General Store, Jesse speaking.”

  “Jesse Walker, this is Tolya Sanguinati.”

  She heard the puppy yapping. Cory was in an enclosed pen and should be safe, but . . . “Is there something I can do for you, Tolya?”

  “I have sent you an e-mail with the picture of a potential enemy. Your people need to be wary of this man and any humans who are with him.”

  “He’s dangerous?”

  “He stole from a ranch, but a human with him tried to forcibly mate with the rancher’s daughter.”

  Feeling her body tighten in response to what Tolya was saying, Jesse looked at the rifle she kept near her desk when she was working in her office area.

  Yap yap yap. I am brave. I am brave. Mom!

  “Tolya, I have to go. I’ll check my e-mail in a few minutes.” She almost hung up, then thought of one last thing. “Did you tell Tobias?”

  “Virgil will tell him.”

  “I’ll call after I look at the picture.” Jesse hung up. She almost grabbed the rifle on her way to the back door but instead snatched the broom that was leaning near the door because she had a feeling that the broom would be enough to drive off whatever was upsetting Cory-Cutie. She pulled up short two steps out the door and shook her head—and wondered again if the pup was too brave or not too bright.

  The biggest of the two male Wolves watched the pup, wearing what Jesse would call a grin on his face as his tail gently wagged. The other Wolf was trying to undo the fasteners that held a mesh covering over the pen she’d put the puppy in a few minutes ago.

  “You boys want something?” They didn’t come to town often, but she recognized Morgan and Chase Wolfgard.

  Chase ignored her and continued working on the fasteners. Morgan shifted to human form and turned to face her.

  “Why is the puppy in a cage?” he demanded, baring his teeth in a snarl.

  “I wanted her to have a little time outside on her own, and I didn’t want her to get snatched by a hawk or eagle,” Jesse replied. Anticipating the next snarled objection, she pointed skyward. “The Hawkgard and Eaglegard are not the only ones riding the thermals looking for a meal. They won’t harm the puppy, but a regular bird of prey might go after Cory.”

  “Cutie,” Morgan corrected. “Rachel said the pup’s name is Cutie.”

  “Cutie will work for a puppy, but would you want to be called Cutie once you reached adulthood?”

  He considered her question and finally said, “Cory is better.”

  Fortunately, the words were similar in sound, and she hoped the pup wouldn’t become confused by having two names.

  Jesse walked over to the pen, flipped a couple of fasteners, and folded back the mesh cover. Handing the broom to Morgan, who finally seemed to notice it, she lifted Cory out of the pen, gave her a quick cuddle, and set her on the ground.

  “Why did you bring a broom outside?” Morgan asked. “Brooms are for sweeping. There is nothing to sweep outside.”

  “Brooms are also good for smacking anyone who upsets the puppy.” Jesse wrapped a hand around the broom handle. Morgan didn’t let go. That either meant she had to win it back or he didn’t trust her not to smack him for making the puppy yap. She released the broom, hoping she conveyed that she was bestowing a favor by letting him keep it. “I have to go to the library and retrieve an urgent e-mail from Tolya Sanguinati. If you could watch Cory for a few minutes? Her piddle spot is over there.” She pointed to the area she’d decided would be the canine toilet.

  “We know.”

  Of course they did. They’d probably recognized the puppy’s scent there and marked that spot themselves.

  Morgan gave Jesse the broom and shifted back to Wolf form, and the three furries began to explore.

  Jesse returned the broom to its spot near the back door before she hurried to the town library, where she could access her e-mail. She gave Shelley Bookman the hand signal that meant “talk to you later” and went to the bank of computers.

  Not much information in the e-mail itself. The man’s name was Dalton Blackstone and he should be considered an enemy. Coming from Tolya, the message was abrupt and lacking in the courtesy she was used to receiving from him.

  She browsed the nearest shelf of books while she waited for the computer to download the picture. Finally . . .

  A handsome young man. She could see the familial similarities between his face and Abigail Burch’s. But by the time she had printed several copies of the picture, she could feel the threat this young man represented.

  She stopped at the checkout desk on her way out of the library, ignoring Shelley’s greeting. “Town meeting, seven o’clock this evening. Spread the word.”

  “What . . . ?”

  She rushed out the door, giving Shelley no time for questions. She wasn’t worried about the puppy—much—but the need to talk to Morgan and Chase outweighed the need to inform her own people.

  It had taken time to download a picture, but she hadn’t thought she’d been gone that long. Even so, she found Cory and the two Wolves sprawled inside the store’s back room, where the floor was cooler than the ground and the room provided shade. The Wolves looked up when she entered. The puppy was down for the count, having played hard enough that she needed a nap.

  Jesse crouched in front of them and held up the picture. “This man is called Dalton Blackstone. He travels with at least one other human who hurts people.”

  Morgan shifted to human form and lay on his belly, propped up on his forearms. “You want us to protect your pack?”

  He sounded reluctant, and she understood why. Except for the nanny, Rachel, and the litter of pups, the rest of the Prairie Gold pack had been slaughtered by the Humans First and Last movement. Morgan and Chase were the only ones strong enough to protect the surviving Wolfgard.

  “No, I want you to protect your pack and your settlement,” Jesse said. “These humans may be smart enough to stay away from terra indigene settlements, but they may gamble that you won’t know them and will give them supplies or let them stay among you, knowing no other humans would hunt them in your territory.”

  “They are dangerous?”

  “Yes.” She said the word, knowing it was a death sentence. As far as the Others were concerned, a dangerous human was a dead human waiting for the fangs and claws that would kill him.

  “Rachel,” Morgan said. “The pack’s nanny is too old to mate and bear young. Rachel is the pack’s dominant female now.”

  Rachel was the only female currently approaching adulthood, and she would accept Morgan or Chase as her mate when she was ready to have pups of her own. “She should be safe here, but if you want her to stay with the pack until these men are found, I will understand.”

  “We will consider your words.”

  “I’ll put one of these pictures in a tube that will be easy to carry. You should take it back to your settlement so that all the terra indigene can see the human’s face.”

  “We will wait for the tube. Then it is time to go.”

  She found a mailing tube, rolled the picture, and stuffed brown paper into both ends to seal up the tube. Morgan and Chase trotted out the door and headed for the settlement in the hills. Jesse tucked Cory in her crate near the desk and tried to focus on paperwork, but more often than not, every time she needed to write something down, she had to force her right hand to release her left wrist.

  * * *

  * * *

  Tobias was a few miles out of Bennett when he spotted the horse and rider in the middle of the road.

  No reaction from the rider, who had
to see the pickup. No attempt to move aside.

  Slowing down, Tobias scanned the land to his left and right but didn’t see anyone trying to approach the pickup. Deciding it wasn’t an attempted holdup, he flashed his lights, not wanting to startle the horse by blowing the horn.

  Still no reaction. Then a fire tornado swirled in the middle of the road. As soon as Tobias hit the brakes and stopped the truck, the tornado changed back to a horse and rider.

  “What the . . . ?” The Elementals had no reason to be coming after him. At least, no reason he knew about.

  That was when he looked in the rearview mirror and saw the Wolf running toward him. Coming fast.

  Had to be Virgil.

  Tobias waited until Virgil was a few yards away before rolling down the window. Reaching the truck, the Wolf stood on his hind legs, thrust his head into the opening, and dropped a mailing tube into Tobias’s lap before shifting to human.

  “Tolya says you need that picture,” Virgil said. “All the humans at your ranch need to see that picture. There is also a copy for the Skye Ranch, and Tolya says you should talk to the other ranches so that they will look at the e-mail he is sending to them and see the picture.”

  Tobias opened the mailing tube and pulled out the copies of a drawing that had been cropped from a larger picture. “I don’t recognize him.”

  “He and other humans attacked Stewart Dixon’s ranch yesterday.”

  “I’d heard about that.” Jana had told him about it over breakfast.

  “I’ll make sure my people know to be on the lookout.” And he’d stress to Ellen Garcia that she shouldn’t open the door to strangers. It wasn’t their way not to be neighborly; there were terra indigene who showed up at the ranch house these days, looking for a drink of water or just wanting to rest in the shade of the ranch house’s big porch. Ellen always took a minute to talk to them, even if they weren’t in a form that could reply.