The next thirty minutes were rough on the Wolfe family, as they awaited the safe return of their husband/father. He was the main breadwinner of the household. While Julia could Control the Herd, the wolfess spent most of the time handling the domestic side of the business, like raising the cubs and such. Robert took care of the physical side, like making sure that crops were planted.
Argyle wondered if John was alive. Whatever else he personally thought about John playing a Long Game for the herd to learn the skills to survive in the Wilds, and preventing unwarranted escape attempts, he kept the herd safe. He'd even killed a few rustlers that had tried to steal younger members of the herd once.
Sally though, her eyes were looking around. She saw the fence, the barn, the house. She also saw the other humans, and noted the Marks on them. The Elders spoke of the Marked ones with a mix of fear and anger - fear that they could cause the werewolves and vampires to come after the herd, and anger when the herds couldn't stop those caught from being Marked. The one that had carried her was Marked. What of the older one that had stayed to fight the bear?
The wait soon ended, when Julia caught sight of a familiar pair of faces - Robert and John. However, the situation brought a certain amount of concern. John's left arm was in a sling. Robert seemed to be restrained, and there was a herd of humans, all armed with the usual spears, clubs, bows and arrows, modified metal blades, and Robert's hunting gun slung over the back of a young buck that heavily resembled John, with an older mare seeming be be in charge.
The mare soon caught sight of Julia, her eyes locked on her. She walked up to the gate. "You got my daughter in there," she said. "Let her go, or I'll kill your mate."
"You wouldn't dare," said Julia.
"She would," said John. "She's just as dangerous as I am, if not more so. Trust me on that one - she put an end to that bear."
The mare looked at John, a look of triumph in her face. "It's good to have you back with the herd." She gave him a kiss. "We have plenty of catching up to do."
John frowned. "Bella, I can't rejoin the herd, not just yet. The Wolfe Farm herd needs me, if I'm to free them. They need to learn the skills to survive."
"How many are we talking about?" Bella asked.
"Over five thousand," said John.
"That would exhaust our resources," said Bella. She looked at the other members of the herd. "We'll send word to others, see who is willing to take on a Marked one or three, or more."
"Are you sure that you can handle it?" John asked.
"Not the first Mass Escape the herd has assisted in," said Bella. "I'm sure you've heard of the Liberty Rebellion a few years back."
"Five thousand strong herd of humans rebelled against their owner, and three thousand cubs were freed by ferals, right?" John asked.
Bella nodded. "We helped host some of the children."
John smiled. "Good to know." He looked at Julia. "We could talk about this over Supper. That bear's a big one - should be plenty of meat for all."
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