Horace Trifelter's cabin in Montana was relatively quiet as the group sat around the living room after Akia and Vita's successful hunt. Tierra was still quite impressed by how successful the two Hyena Animalians were as a team and ultimately how even a massive bull Moose couldn't escape or win. Of course, to an uplifted Bobcat Animalian, the only social animals she ran into that might also be predators were Wolves and while she knew that given sufficient numbers, Wolves could bring down Moose, she had also observed that like lone Mountain Lions, Wolves might let a Bull Moose of the size that Akia and Vita killed go.
In this, she had no knowledge of the continent of Africa and its wildlife and how the Spotted Hyena, while it at least partially filled the niche of an active predator and had to be bigger to deal with animals potentially bigger than Moose and competing predators that could be very dangerous. Large crocodiles in the rivers and large social cats. Hearing about that was all a learning experience to Tierra. Of course for Rick and Clara and their guests, meeting her was a bit of a learning experience too. After all, Horace had been single and battling cancer when Rick and Clara last visited. They didn't expect to meet her.
"I like what you've done with the place," Rick said off hand as he looked around the room and noted that some things looked sharper and more "decorated" than where they were the last time he and Clara visited.
"That's again more Tierra's work," Horace answered, "It's actually quite surprising all that she picked up..."
"Really?" Vita wondered, "I mean... from what I've found, most uplifted Animalians tend to be rather simplistic over design... function over form. Possibly something that would relate to nature... and in way, I think they've also made it work quite well."
"We can learn as we experience new things," Clara commented.
"Not trying to come off as critical... shoot... my place before I decided to come to Animalia to be with Akia wasn't all that ornate either. My salary wasn't high enough to afford those sorts of things."
"But she is right," Tierra spoke up as she leaned against Horace, "I did learn a few things... even before I was uplifted."
"That's the part that puzzles me a bit..." Clara commented, "Generally Bobcats don't need a large territory, because the number of small animals that they hunt are such that they don't need a large territory."
"Well... I was something of a transient," Tierra commented, "just independent of my mother and an adult... but with no established territory and had some issues with finding one, as my mother wouldn't let me stay in the area and some of the other remote areas were near wolf dens and the wolves would not let me stay near where they raised their pups. So I was left to wander, and I found out some things from a couple of the other ranchers from looking in their windows... though they didn't seem to like me either..."
"And that's where I ended up finding her," Horace commented and then began to go in detail on finding and rescuing Tierra.
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Horace generally didn't leave his cabin too much. He was doing well enough with his cancer treatments that he wasn't at risk of being killed off by the disease. However, a lot of that had come at the cost of his cattle and often selling them off at rates that normally most ranchers wouldn't even consider. It was something that often left him concerned on joining Animalia, given the news reports that he did see on its ability to cure other diseases, though in his spot in Montana, he wondered as how easy that would be. His doctors in Helena didn't really want him leaving the state, so they could treat him, and the state legislature had some strict regulations what would be allowed for conversions in the state.
They wouldn't block him from going to Horizon in Nevada and converting there, but unless he was joining someone who was already an Animalian, they wouldn't allow a conversion IN the state. It was something that struck him as old fashioned and borderline hateful/fearful, but there wasn't much he could do except walk and think over his options. And much of his land wasn't so out of the way that it couldn't be easily walked. There were some inclines, and rocky ledges here and there and there was always the potential for run ins with wildlife, but Horace remained careful and respectful, just as he'd done plenty of times before. However, as he made his way along the fence that along the northern portion of his land, he heard a loud yowling, like an animal in pain and it sounded rather cat-like.
"That don't sound right..." Horace thought to himself and moved his way forward toward the sound.
They grew louder as he got closer and he soon saw a spot among some rocks where the grass seemed to bent low. He could see some slight movement there, but at the moment he could see precisely what was there. He did hear a pained "awwwwrrrrrr" groan out of that spot in the grass. As he got closer, he found that it was a Bobcat. It was largely a tannish-gray-brown color with darker spots on its legs and face. Some spots were semi-visible, but a lot of that looked more like they faded into the background, and that puzzled Horace a bit. He'd occasionally seen Bobcats before, but they weren't a threat to cattle and they generally didn't let humans approach them or yowl a lot in the day.
It was only then that he spotted the reason why, the poor animal's foreleg was caught in a large trap. It looked like a double spring leg hold trap that the Bobcat had stumbled onto. By what Horace could tell, when the trap was sprung, it practically crushed the cat's leg, likely as the trap used was one designed to hold bears. In this, the Bobcat was caught tight and had exhausted itself trying to get free, but couldn't. Horace set his gun down, which the Bobcat caught sight off. It gave a hiss for a moment, but the pain of its broken leg, still caught in the trap, put an end to any hostile actions.
"Don't worry... I'll see to it that you're cared for," Horace spoke as soothingly as possible.
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"And I wished I could have gotten Tierra out sooner... but I'd stumbled onto what had to be a poaching operation... as while a fair number of bird game hunters don't like the Bobcat, none of those birds are that common in this part of Montana and given my friendship with Rick's parents... I've sorta set aside this land for predatory Animalians to come up during the hunting season," Horace commented, "they still have to buy a license and take an on online hunter-safety course... much of which is designed to make sure no one is taking animals out of season..."
Rick and Clara nodded, remembering some of the hoops they went through when they came up.
"So even if the game birds were common in this area..." Vita said slowly.
"Human hunters wouldn't be allowed on MY land," Horace answered, "and it's helped in ways that went beyond just ranch. And with the leg hold trap used... the trap was designed for bears, not Bobcats... and from what I'd heard from the game wardens when they arrived, the trap in question was one that was discontinued and professional trappers don't use it."
"Which saved my life and my leg," Tierra finished, "I was sent to a sanctuary from there... but Horace was apparently willing to pay to have me uplifted. It apparently cost him some credit and a bit of a loan... but it did heal my leg and when I learned just how much he'd given up... I had to make it up to him..."
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"There must be something I could do for you," Tierra spoke a few days after her uplifting as she stood on Horace's front porch, "I may not know much about Human or Animalian society... but I... I just feel like I owe you something. Some random stranger came across yours or your neighbor's land to trap me... and used something that would be overkill on a Bobcat..."
"I've seen a fair number of things that have made me rethink many old beliefs," Horace answered, "while many animals may need to be raised for food... but that doesn't mean animals doing no harm ought to be killed for their fur or whatever that poacher might have wanted to kill you for. And with the fear that the damage done to your leg... that you wouldn't walk again..."
"And helping me has left me thankful and grateful for ALL that you've done for me," Tierra spoke, "more that what I would have expected from humans growing up... My mom was protective and secretive that way."
"Mothers are always protective," Horace commented, "I have friends that are Mountain Lion Animalians. They have pretty young cubs... they have to be at least two by now and I'd imagine that they would do all they can to protect their children."
"But my mom is a mundane Bobcat, living out her life, and by now likely has a new litter to look after," Tierra responded, "I was uplifted.... and got a chance to walk again and even interact with people in ways that I couldn't before. I wouldn't have got that if it weren't for you..."
"It was nothing, really," Horace said modestly, looking down to his feet while kicking at a pebble.
"Please..." Tierra answered.
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"And I couldn't quite say no to that," Horace gave a chuckle, "and while Tierra attended one of the "alternative schools" to get a GED, she's also helped around the cabin and helped me with some of the other things around town. And over time... I began having fewer objections to things... I mean it's strange. I was well past my prime and it felt like I was in love with someone in her twenties..."
"Given the natural lifespan of a Bobcat, you'd technically be right," Rick commented, "but then the Animalia virus does allow for a sort of rebirth..."
"Yes... and with Tierra here, I was able to meet the state law regarding in state conversions," Horace nodded, "we have to stay vaccinated, of course, but that makes sense."
Clara nodded, "are you happy though? That's the important thing."
Horace nuzzled his muzzle to Tierra's and said simply, "Yes."