Mallory's Bears(3)

“Grab that one over there.” She pointed at an even smaller heifer. Maybe it wasn’t totally fair, but using the scrawniest cows gave the video more impact than using a large, healthy brute of an animal. As far as she was concerned, she had to fight fire with fire, making the most of her videos to reach a consumer that, if given the choice, would choose their fast-food burger over the humane treatment of a cow any day.

Kid gave her a salute—a gesture he knew irritated her—and moved into the herd, his hand outstretched as he cooed at the animal.



* * * *



“Aw, hell, do you see that?” Rick Northman pushed his cowboy hat higher onto his forehead and stared at the scene below him. “Damn it all to hell.”

“Fuck.” Gunner followed the curse with several more. His brother was usually the easier going one, but after finding yet another mutilated cow, even his mood had shifted to the dark side.

Rick and Gunner owned the ranch their father had started. They’d spent their entire life running cattle and horses, but lately a problem had come up that wasn’t, unfortunately, all that uncommon. Someone or something had killed almost a half dozen of their herd along with one of their horses. They’d also lost several of their chickens one night, although they’d been locked in the coop. Other ranchers, werebear and werewolf alike, were having the same problem.

“Do you think they’re the ones?”

Rick squinted from the vantage point they’d taken on top of the small rise. The two people, one small woman and a very large man, hadn’t notice them yet. He tugged his binoculars out of the pack tied behind the saddle and peered at them. “Naw. They don’t have knives or any other weapons.”

“Then what’s the girl holding?”

“It looks like a video camera.”

“What’s she doing with that?”

Rick scowled as he read what was painted on the cow’s side. “I think they’re filming that heifer. They painted something across its hide, but I can’t make out what it says.”

“You’re shitting me.”

“Nope.” Rick handed the binoculars to his brothers. “Take a look for yourself. Can you read it?”

“No, but I’m willing to bet it’s not Sally Was Here. Maybe it’s Tip Me Over?”

“You’re just a regular laugh riot.”

Still, the joke was pretty funny even though it reminded him of the trouble they’d had last year when a group of college students had driven out to the ranch and had tried to tip a cow over onto its side. Cow tipping was a myth he wished he could wipe out of existence. Although cows sometimes dozed while standing up, they laid down to sleep. Even if the kids could’ve tipped the cow over, it would’ve been able to get back on its feet. Their prank, however, could’ve injured the cow.

All their prank had done was frighten the animal. One of the kids had gotten a well-deserved kick in the leg for his participation. They’d heard the boy’s wails and had come running. Yet instead of helping the injured student, they’d changed into their bear forms and had run the group off their land, insuring that they’d never come back.

They’d caught hell from the rest of the clan for letting humans see them in their animal forms. Bears weren’t common running around in pastures among cattle and their stunt could’ve brought unwanted attention to other werebears. Still, it had achieved their goal and given them one hell of a good laugh to see the kids run like the devil himself was chasing them.

“That big one looks like he could kill a calf with one hand tied behind his back.”

Gunner was right. The man was large enough to grab a cow by the neck, yank its head up, and slide a knife along its throat with little effort. But that wasn’t the way the killings had gone down. “That’s the point. A man would only need one stroke to kill a cow. Naw, our animals looked like they’d gone through an oversized deli meat cutter.”

They’d discussed the killings often and had talked to other ranchers in the area. From what they could gather, whoever or whatever was slaughtering the animals was doing it for fun or malice. No meat had been eaten or cut out and taken away. Instead, the multiple slash wounds and the way the animals had been gutted spoke of an attacker that was filled with rage. The killings were deliberate and cruel acts.

“Let’s check this out before it becomes a YouVideo sensation.”

Gunner scoffed. “It’ll never happen. No one wants to watch a cow chewing its cud compared to watching cute kittens or puppies romp and play.”

“Unless there’s something funny or outlandish written on its hide.” Rick tugged his hat into place. “Besides, they’re trespassing.”