The night didn't pass badly for me. I rested rather well, but my mind was still concerned for my partner. When the alarm went off the next morning for Molly to get up, I got up with her shortly after Molly yawned and stretched and then got up.
"If you have today off, you don't have to get up, George," Molly spoke when she noticed me putting on a pair of my own clothes to wear.
"And miss breakfast with you?" I quipped, "you'd leave me all lonely..."
"Ha Ha," Molly retorted, "you had a long and very stressful day yesterday, George. Arresting Beauregard may give us some hope for a good future, but it was still a long day."
"You're not going to start mothering me, are you?" I teased.
"No, but I will "wife" you a bit," Molly replied as she buttoned her dress and then turned to give me a hug, "and I'd be a bad one if I didn't take care of my mate."
I nuzzled her with my muzzle and tried to give her a reassuring smile.
"I'm fine, Molly, really," I told her. I wanted to continue, but a rumbling from my stomach cut me off. After a few moments, I gave a weak shrug, "besides, I'll need too eat something to quiet that down before I could go back to sleep."
Molly tilted one ear down and glanced toward my midsection, "are you sure you didn't swallow some woodland creature whole in the night?"
"Very funny," I answered.
"I'm just making sure," Molly answered.
She then made her way out of our bedroom and I slowly followed her. As we went down the stairs, I found myself wondering how Officer Barnes was doing. I hoped he was recovering well and would be able to talk with his brother and family.
"What do you want for the meat portion of breakfast?" Molly asked.
That snapped me out out of what I had been worrying about. I looked over to see Molly placing a carton of eggs on the counter along with the necessary pans and bowls to cook them. I thought for a moment and then answered her inquiry.
"I was thinking about some of the venison you caught last fall," I commented, "I don't think we've touched it yet."
I watched Molly's tail twitch with some excitement at that.
"That would be good," Molly answered, "and part of me likes the idea of venison. The beef, pork, chicken, turkey, and lamb is good... but a good part of me prefers venison."
"Well... deer is the primary prey of the tiger in the wild," I commented as I went into our laundry room where our deep freeze was. I retrieved the meat and returned to the kitchen, "maybe it's an instinctual reaction."
"Maybe," Molly answered while she began scrambling the eggs, "I have the oven warming up. All you need to do is put it in when it beeps."
I nodded and began unwrapping the venison while waiting for the oven to warm up.
"So, what will you do with yourself today, George?" Molly asked from where she was cooking the eggs, "you don't have work and I do. It'll be until this afternoon before you and I can go talk with Uncle Frank."
"I'm sure I can find something to do," I shrugged, "maybe I'll catch up on some of the house work, keep our groceries stocked. Stuff like that."
Molly nodded.
"And I'll come out and wait for you outside the school when your workday is done," I told her as the oven beeped, indicating that the oven was ready to begin cooking the venison.
++++++++++++++++++
Breakfast went well, and the venison Molly had caught the fall before tasted very good. Shortly after breakfast, Molly then made her way out. I saw her out.
"Have a good day!" I called to her as she went down our dirt driveway.
"You too!" Molly called back with a smile.
And while Molly headed to work, I went back inside and started cleaning up after breakfast. I also finished up the last bits of venison that we didn't cook that morning. Yes the meat was raw, but Molly and I had both found that our transformations had turned off any revulsion at it. And tigers didn't cook their food in the wild, so we had figured our transformation had strengthened our digestive tracts. Maybe I was falling to my own instincts and they were getting the better of me, but I didn't think what I was endangering anyone.
After finishing breakfast and cleaning up, I moved onto my next planned agenda item, laundry. I had just started the first load when I could hear the cabin's phone ringing upstairs. I started that load and rushed to answer the phone.
"Hello?" I spoke as I reached the phone.
"Oh, you're home," came Michael York's voice on the other end of the line, "I expected to leave a message on your machine."
"I was given today off after everything that happened yesterday," I answered, "is there something I can do for you?"
"Well, I think I have a bit of a surprise for you," Michael York answered.
"A surprise?" I asked, "You're not giving me anything more are you? You've been far too generous to Molly and I already... I still feel like we stole the cabin from you."
"Nonsense," Michael York answered, "you and Molly have stood up for those of us that have been threated by Beauregard's desire for a monopoly. Besides, the surprise isn't really mine."
"Not yours..." I wondered, now feeling curious.
"Come on down and find out," Michael York said again, "I'm sure you'll be surprised."
I wanted to answer, but the line went dead. And for a few moments, I stood there... but my curiosity got the better of me, and I was soon walking down toward Michael York's home.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
A few moments later I came on Michael York's home. To my surprise there was a truck with a trailer backed up to the portion of the grounds that actually made up Michael York's ranch. The trailer was full of cattle, and all of them were vocalizing some nervousness at my presence... or nervousness at something. A fairly round man was also moving around the tailer with another, younger, man seated in the bed of the truck. I couldn't see Michael York anywhere.
"What is all this?" I asked aloud as I approached to get the attention of the people there.
The round man was the one who turned to face me. His eyes went wide for a moment, but he recovered.
"You're bigger then I expected," the round man commented, "You're George Wayne, right?"
"Yes," I said slowly and then looked to the trailer, "what is all this?"
"This?" the round man glanced to the trailer, "this was all my idea."
I was sure I had a confused look on my face. At that time, Michael York came around from the other side of the truck.
"Oh, George, you're here," Micheal York spoke as he approached, "this is Albert Ames, one of my neighbors, and one of the few ranchers in the area that has family roots in Columbia Falls."
"Pleased to meet you," I told him.
Albert Ames nodded, and then gestured to the younger man in the bed of the truck, "My son, Joshua."
"So, what is all this?" I wondered.
"You remember the ruling the court made against the Smiths for their little attempt to frame you?" Albert asked.
I nodded, "Yes, the city took possession of the property and animals and was to auction them off."
"And I won the cattle at the auction," Albert said with a smile.
"Congratulations," I told him.
"Oh that isn't the best part," Albert answered.
"The best part...?" I asked.
"Ebenezer shot one of his own cattle to frame you and help R.A.M. get rid of you," Albert answered, "and I had the idea that the perfect irony for those people would be to give you the Smith's cattle."
I was speechless at the whole thing.
"You're giving me..."
"Heck of a surprise, ain't it?" Michael York said with a chuckle.
"Mr. Ames, I don't know the first thing about ranching," I spoke, "Having them in my possession would only be a death sentence for them."
"They're destined to be hamburger anyway," Joshua Ames spoke from the bed of the truck, "and ranching ain't that hard. You keep them alive till fall and sell the biggest to slaughter houses. Pretty straight forward."
"They need to be fed, they need to be cared for," I answered, "and at my size, I can't drive a vehicle. My legs and body are too long to fit comfortably."
"I can help you with a lot of that sort of thing," Michael York commented, "and these cattle are healthy. Two bulls and four cows. Not a big herd, but you'd probably make plenty off of them."
"Why are you doing this?" I asked Albert Ames.
"Mostly to piss off Beauregard," Albert admitted, "the man is a greedy pig. He came here from a bigger ranch around Miles City, and began buying up land from the smaller ranchers and using his money to act like he was some successful big-shot..."
"I take it you're not fond of the man?" I questioned.
"Damn straight I'm not," Albert answered, "my family's been in Columbia Falls for generations, just as the Yorks have been. We aren't that big an operation, and none of us make much of a profit... in fact we have all we can do to break even... but Beauregard comes around politicking for some monopoly over our ranching here, forcing people who've been here out or into dependence on him. And that ain't fair to anyone but Beauregard."
I was no inwardly nervous. I didn't like Beauregard. One could even say that I hated him, but I was not interested in getting involved in a feud with anybody.
"I would think that after yesterday, you shouldn't have to worry about Beauregard doing anything," I replied.
"Good," Albert answered, "things will balance out and his money won't threaten the small ranchers out here anymore."
I managed a soft shrug.
"I'm not sure if I can accept this," I said, "it seems like bribery to me."
"This is justice," Albert answered, "and Mike and I never offered you anything to investigate Beauregard... Mike didn't even know I had the idea. You have helped all of us, even the guys that hitched their post to Beauregard, and I see fit to reward you for it."
I glanced over to Michael York after a moment.
"He's right," Michael York nodded, "he showed up with the cattle about an hour ago. It caught me by surprise too, but it might be good for you. I mean, the City Council is sticking with their law that you can't be promoted with the Police, and you can't do that forever... and since you and Molly will inherit my land when I go to the great beyond, it'd give you and Molly a livelihood that will be longer lasting then Police work."
"I'm not so sure," I answered, "Molly and I being tigers... we smell like predators to them... we probably can't handle them."
"Can't handle cattle?" Joshua asked, "they're dumb as bricks. We did lose one to a grizzly a few years back. I was coming out to feed them one summer, and this old and thin bear came out of the trees and seized a yearling. The rest of the herd stood there and watched it. I had to drive the bear off with the tractor I was driving and then herd the rest of 'em away."
"And the bear?" I wondered.
"I guess he came back and ate the cow he seized," Joshua shrugged, "it was the only real altercation our area has had with wildlife... and the bear looked old besides."
"Then what are they all "mooing" about?" I wondered as the cattle in the trailer continued to call out and move about inside it, "they don't sound all that calm."
"Probably just feeling cramped," Albert shrugged, "I won't tell ya it's easy, and while cattle aren't all that smart when it comes to predators, they can still be tough if they put their mind to it."
"And my hands can handle a lot of the extra work while you and Molly learn the basics, or can find someone to do the work full time," Michael York commented.
"I see," I said slowly and then sighed, "very well, Mr. Ames, I suppose I can take them... but I insist that we agree to a price. I mean you bought them at auction. Giving them to me would be at a loss for you."
"But being rid of Beauregard is a gain for everyone," Albert answered, "but I suppose that would be the proper thing to do. Since this is to be a business transaction. How about say... One hundred dollars for the whole herd."
"One hundred dollars?"
"Pretty cheep, for a herd as healthy as these cattle are," Michael York commented.
"Deal," I told him, "I'll need to go back up to Bandhavgarh to get my checkbook, but I can cover it."
"Wonderful," Albert smiled, and then turned to Michael York, "He'll need a brand, Mike... do you have any place we can put them till we can mark these guys as the "tiger's cattle"?"
"Sure," Michael York nodded, and said to me, "if you want to go get your checkbook, go on ahead, George. We'll be a little while, and if we get done before you get back, I can guide them up to your cabin."
I nodded and slowly began making my way up the hill again. Silently I wondered as to whether or not this was the right thing to do, but a part of me also considered the idea of reconciling with Frank Rhoer. With Beauregard gone, the man had no job, and no land worth mentioning. Beauregard's property would sit, likely unused until Beauregard went to trial. What happened after that was anyone's guess. Maybe letting them manage this smaller herd would give them something to do, and they could take whatever the sale of these cattle made as their pay.