The rest of the school day went quietly. We returned Peter to the Middle School and then returned to the High School. Officer Barnes and I found things to be quiet there and we settled into what had been our normal routine. There were serious things to be focused on, but they were things that Officer Barnes and I could do nothing about. Things related to the election and the reporters and so forth.
The schools had decided not to allow interviews with students during school hours after the attack on Amy and Marcella, but the reporters were still around. Over the past several days, as I was confronted by a Black Bear roaming around my cabin and Dave's vineyard, and catching a Middle Schooler with Marijuana, the reporters tried their best to get their interviews with those most affected by the election and other related subjects. They had managed to catch Amy and Marcella once on the street, and from what Molly and I saw on the news later, they continued to back Tabby's campaign, despite being High School seniors... but we also saw that they were a bit annoyed by having to deal with all the questions.
None of these reporters were yet to make journey to Bandhavgarh Cabin. I didn't know if that was because they didn't know where the cabin was, or because they were afraid of Molly and myself and didn't want to show it. Or despite the fact that Molly's presence in the school was the central part of the campaign, maybe Molly's comments on the campaign were not viewed as a "big" enough story for the reporters to cover. I didn't know their reasoning for that, and there was nothing I could really do. These things were the big things that I was sure that everyone in Columbia Falls was following, as the school board election had become a big thing locally, but there wasn't much that those not directly involved in the campaign could do.
As the work day ended, and I began my walk home, I did feel thankful however, that in terms of the campaign, things were still going well. Hireman's last real attack had failed when Amy made her statement, and despite the guilt that I felt for Amy getting attacked because of it... the statement did make sure that the games Hireman had been playing since the race began couldn't continue. Hireman did make a few desperate attacks in the press, discrediting Tabby's ability to do the job as it would divide her attention between the school and the Vineyard that Dave ran, and almost made the charge that Tabby would use it as an opportunity to get the kids drunk. From what I had been able to follow in the paper, that attack was practically ignored. Probably because so many of Hireman's other attacks had either failed utterly or at least proved unable to produce the desired results.
With a more "normal" end to the day, I was able to meet up with Molly on my way home. That always constituted a good day in my book.
"Hey, George," Molly spoke first when we got close enough to talk to one another in a volume that wouldn't let the neighborhood we were in know what we were talking about.
"Hey," I replied and nuzzled her and then began to walk along quietly back toward our cabin, "Have a good day?"
Molly nodded, "things are about the same as they always have been though..."
"Still a jungle gym?" I chuckled.
Molly nodded and we walked along.
"How about you, did you have a good day?" she asked after a moment.
"Yeah," I nodded, "things went well. The Middle Schooler who had the drugs had his hearing today. That was the only real "excitement" that Officer Barnes and I had."
"You're not bored, are you?" Molly teased.
"Oh, no," I shook my head, "believe me... having things being quiet is a good thing."
"I'm just making sure," Molly gave a smirk and nuzzled me again.
We continued on our way. I mostly asked Molly about things she had her class doing, and what, if any interactions she had with students that had been in Mrs. Fitzpatrick's/her class from the year before. They did occasionally come to see her at recess, as did Megan Jenkins. That then lead to the report that the young cub's favorite game was trying to pounce on Molly's tail.
"See what I told you? Jungle gym," I gave a chuckle.
"You know that she'll try to pounce on your tail too if given the opportunity," Molly answered, "and both our tails will be our own cubs' playthings."
"I know," I nodded, "I'm just enjoying something I can chuckle at while it lasts."
"Why..." Molly spoke and began to initiate what would look like a wrestling match between us when a different sound echoed down the mountain.
"GGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"What was that?" Molly turned to where the sound had come from.
"It wasn't me," I answered. A "stupid" comment probably, but I didn't know what it was. Molly still glared at me for it.
"I know it wasn't you," Molly answered, "that came from around our cabin!"
She was right there. By that point we had made it to the dirt road and were going past Michael York's old home, now the residence of Frank Rhoer and Molly's cousins, Meredeth and Nessie. Our cabin wasn't too far away and Molly and I could easily hear the growl. It did not sound like any growl or roar Molly or I could make or had heard before. Something also echoed in the back of my mind that whatever had made this noise sounded desperate.
"Maybe the bear came back and got caught in the trap," I commented as I heard the growl again come from the direction of the cabin Molly and I shared.
"The bear?" Molly gasped.
"Yeah, it's growl sounds more desperate then aggressive to me," I commented.
"What if it's lose?" Molly asked.
"If it is, it'll probably flee the moment it knows we're there," I commented, "I'm about the same size as the average Black Bear and your big enough to give them reason to think things over."
In the end, the prospect of a fight was at zero percent. Molly and I arrived at the cabin to find Frank Rhoer and Meredeth looking at a yearling Black Bear, probably just independent of its mother gnawing on the bars at the front of the live trap it was in.
"You heard it too?" Molly asked as we got closer.
"Couldn't help it," Frank Rhoer replied, "Meredeth and I were just in the main pasture over there checking fences... as an Elk busted some during the hunting season. Thankfully, it wasn't in a pasture we had any cattle in at the time. The bear's been bawling like this since the trapdoor slid down behind it."
The bear growled again. This time sounding more fearful as it noticed Molly and I there. I guessed it was probably a growl that the Black Bear only used when it ran into a Grizzly, as the Grizzly was the only animal the Black Bear would run into that was bigger then it was. I didn't think the Black Bear ranged far enough north to overlap with the Polar Bear, though if it did, the Polar Bear was also bigger then the Black Bear. Every other predator in North America was smaller then the Black Bear. According to some research Molly and I had done when we first found the Bear tracks, a male Black Bear could be up to 550 pounds. By comparison, the typical Mountain Lion only reached a maximum weight of 220 pounds, while the Grey Wolf usually reached 120 pounds and depended on pack cooperation to bring down large prey. Molly and I, far larger then the animals this bear instinctively knew about had to be intimidating to it.
"It does look kinda cute," Meredeth commented as she looked into the door of the trap from a safe distance.
"Cute or not," Molly answered, "I'd prefer not to have it near where George and I plan to raise cubs."
"You're pregnant?!" Meredeth gasped.
"Not at the present time... my mating season isn't until closer to George and my wedding anniversary, but still, if we do conceive cubs then... this bear would emerge from hibernation in this area while our cubs would be newborns," Molly answered, "I don't want a potential threat in the area."
"Oh."
"Typically we won't want it around the ranch, either," Frank Rhoer commented, "he'll eventually be big enough to consider going after the cattle, and unlike a Mountain Lion which could hurdle the fence, or Wolves that would just crawl under, any Bear would just knock the fence over."
I nodded and moved closer toward the live trap to check the bear's scent. Sure enough, it was the same bear that had visited our cabin before. Once, I had identified it, I stood back and sighed, "best to call the Game Warden, let him know the trap has caught the bear."
The bear gave a frightened growl again.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Again, I had the time to change out of my uniform and into something more comfortable before the Game Warden arrived to survey the trap that held the Black Bear. Molly and Frank Rhoer continued to watch the bear while I changed and were still there when I came back out. The Game Warden arrived a few moments later.
"And so the prodigal bear returns," the Game Warden gave a chuckle and took a closer look at the bear.
He spent a few moments analyzing the animal, sighed and stood back up.
"Yeah... that's a young bear," the game warden commented, "Just independent and looking for a territory."
"He doesn't look too bad," Frank Rhoer commented.
"Thankfully," the Game Warden nodded, "which means we can move him further away from town and release him there. And he should be looking for a den to hibernate in pretty soon."
"And it was the same bear that was here before," Molly spoke up, "the exact same bear."
The Game Warden then looked up at Molly and I.
"We recognize his scent," I explained.
The Game Warden then looked like he found out he'd been wearing a "kick-me" sign all day.
"What an air-headed moment to have," the Game Warden chuckled when he got over his embarrassment and then realized something, "say... I don't suppose you could check something up at that guy's vineyard for me, could you?"
"See if this bear was the same one that was up there?" I asked.
"Yeah," the Game Warden nodded, "if it is the same bear, I can take the traps I set up there back to my station. If not... I may need to reset this trap here. If they were different bears, the other one, or ones, may come down here when they realize this guy is no longer in the area either."
I glanced to Molly while the Game Warden began to back his truck up to the hitch to the trap that the bear was in. It was fairly silent now and was huddled in the back end of the trap.
"I suppose I could," I told him, "I'd have to ride in the bed of your truck since you don't have a backseat, but year, I can try to check the scents up there... at least if you have any knowledge about where the bear was up there."
"Trust me, we'll know where the bear was," the Game Warden replied, "hop in."
He then latched the live trap the bear was in to the tow-ball of his truck while I climbed into the bed of the vehicle. I sat down in one corner to use the sides of the truck as the back of a chair and stretched my legs out across the bed. Molly stayed at the cabin.
"I'll stay here," Molly spoke, "I don't think you'd need both of us."
The game warden nodded and made his way back to the cab of his truck.
"I don't think this will be too long," I said to Molly as the Game Warden began to drive forward.
The ride in the Game Warden's truck wasn't too bad. It was better then the time Molly and I rode in the bed of Frank Rhoer's truck, but truck beds were not designed to carry passengers and I still felt every bump on the dirt road that was being traveled on. His arrival at Dave's vineyard was met with some surprise.
Dave was out among the vines and making sure they were ready for the winter. Temperatures had so far been very mild, but the heat of the summer was clearly gone and temperatures were dropping a bit. Winter and snow couldn't be too far off. And that meant that Dave had to make sure his grape vines were ready for the winter and all of the grapes were picked. Trailing him, and still in her school clothes was Veronica.
"You joining animal control, George?" Dave teased as I hopped out.
"No," I gave a chuckle, "the bear that came to Bandhavgarh before has been caught and the Game Warden here wants to see if that bear was the same as the one that damaged your vines. And since a mundane dog can not say yes or no to such a question, he asked me to check the scents where the bear had been."
"Oh," Dave answered, "well, I have no problem with that... and it'd actually be good to know."
I nodded and began to stand up when a small figure leaped at me and hugged me, hanging from the back of my neck as I stood up.
"Well, hello Veronica," I said to the girl and softly nuzzled her nose with the pick triangle that was my nose. She giggled as my whiskers ended up tickling her face.
"Is the bear in there?" Veronica wondered.
"Yes it is," I nodded and turned to give Veronica a look into the live trap, though I stayed far enough back that she couldn't touch the trap or risk being attacked by the bear.
"He looks sad," Veronica stated.
"Probably at being caught in the trap," the Game Warden commented as he came around his truck, "but he'll do well when he's released."
"And where will that be?" Veronica asked him.
"Far away where he can be a bear without interfering with your dad's grapes or the Waynes' meat," the Game Warden answered.
"OK," Veronica answered simply as I set her down.
The Game Warden then lead me around the area where Dave's vines were and headed up toward the edge of Dave's property. Once there, we approached one of two live traps that the Game Warden had set up.
"I set the traps out by where the bear's tracks had been," the Game Warden explained, "and since we haven't had any rain, the scent should still be there."
I nodded and moved around to the front of the trap. It was in an area where there were some areas of open dirt as well as piles of pine and spruce needles on the ground. I dropped onto all fours and sniffed at the areas where the bear's tracks had been visible. Now, cats were never known for tracking things by scent the way dogs did, and tigers were no exception to that rule. But my nose was still good enough to identify things, and in identifying the identity of the bear that had come onto Dave's vineyard, there was some good luck.
"It's the same bear," I spoke after a moment, "the same bear that came here for the grapes went down to my cabin where it inevitably got caught."
"That is good news," the Game Warden replied, "very good news. And for now it'll mean the bear problem in this area is over."
And to that, I nodded.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I returned to Bandhavgarh to find things quiet. Frank Rhoer and Meredeth had likely returned to their work and Molly had obviously gone inside. I waved to the Game Warden as he drove off with the live trap that had the bear in it being pulled behind his truck. This would allow things to quiet down at home after the fear of having to deal with a bear that would either compete with Molly and I for food, or would threaten our future cubs. And it would be a fairly happy solution to both sides. Molly and I would be able to keep our territory, and the bear would get its chance to be free farther away from where "man" would interfere with it.
I went into the cabin to be greeted to the scent of steaks beginning to be cooked. Molly had started dinner, which of course wasn't a surprise. Even though we cooked our steaks rare, it still took awhile to cook all the meat that we ate. Mostly because the surfaces we had to cook with weren't big enough to cook all of the meat at once.
"I'm back, and I have some good news," I spoke as I shut the door behind me.
"The bear had been up at Dave's too?" Molly called back from the kitchen.
I made my way into the room and stopped just inside the doorway.
"Yeah," I told her, "the bear that had come here was the same bear that had been up at Dave's vineyard."
Molly turned and I could see that she had a fairly relieved smile on her face.
"So, this will mean our bear worries are over," she said.
"For the moment," I replied, "remember that there are other bears out there."
Molly nodded, "that's all that will matter. I don't want a bear around when we have cubs to protect."
"I know," I told her and pulled her into a hug.
"Do you know where they will be releasing the bear?" Molly asked after a moment.
"The Game Warden didn't say," I shrugged, "all I know is that it will be further away and won't be in a spot where it'd be interacting with humans or Animal-People."
"Hopefully it stays out there in the wild," Molly answered.
I nodded to that as I had no real argument. Molly then returned to her cooking while I hung around to see if she needed my help with anything.
"No, thank you, George, I can handle things," she told me, "Though if you want to hang around and talk, I don't mind."
I nodded, "Is there something on your mind?"
"Nothing really on my mind... but I do have some other news for you," Molly answered, "new we didn't get to earlier."
"News?" I asked curiously. Maybe someone had told her something at the school that related to the election somehow.
"You know that Halloween is coming, right?" Molly asked me.
"Yes..."
"Well, what would you say to a Halloween Party?" Molly asked again.
I blinked in surprise.
"The Elementary School is throwing a Halloween Party for all the rural kids and their families, as well as for staff and any in town students that want to come," Molly explained, "It essentially allows all the rural kids to get the experience of trick or treating."
"And they've asked you to supervise it?" I asked her.
"The whole school staff is there to supervise it," Molly answered, "and to a certain extent it is also used as a way to have a bit of a costume party."
"I see," I nodded.
"I want you to come with me," Molly then spoke.
"Me?"
"Yeah, the "invitation" is a "and one"," Molly gave a smile, "I figured it'd be nice to do something like that. It'd be better then just staying here with no trick or treaters."
"Okay," I sighed, "so what are we going to do for costumes?" I asked, "I doubt we could have clothing made to fit us in time for this party."
"Oh, I have some ideas," Molly said with a smirk.
I gulped nervously.