Nyx drifted toward him. “I heard some of the humans talking. The fuel truck driver will stop now so that the humans can fill their vehicles. Then he’ll continue filling the storage tanks.”

That made sense. After a hunt, Wolves would allow all the members of the pack to eat before caching some of the meat.

A Hawk glided in and landed on the roof of the motel. <Air and Earth played with some humans, making lots of dust and stopping the humans from meeting the big truck.>

He had seen the dust storm when he’d escorted the fuel truck to Prairie Gold. He’d wondered if the Elementals had been involved in preventing humans from stealing the fuel again or harming the driver. He’d never heard of them being involved in shifter concerns until the Elementals in the Lakeside Courtyard became interested in Meg Corbyn.

He was about to ask if the Hawk had seen Tobias and Tolya when the ranch pickup drove past and stopped in front of the general store.

<Jackson?> Joe called.

<Joe.> Jackson sounded relieved. Too relieved?

Joe hurried to Jesse Walker’s store, aware that Nyx had turned to smoke but stayed behind him instead of racing ahead to meet up with Tolya.

He glanced at the pickup. It looked dusty, but no more than usual. “You missed the storm?” he asked when Tobias stepped out of the truck.

“I think at least one vehicle got caught in it, but that dust storm didn’t reach the crossroads,” Tobias replied. “At least, not when we drove by.”

“That’s good.” He studied the human, whose voice sounded odd. “That’s not good?”

Tobias glanced toward Tolya and Jackson, who had gotten out on the other side, then leaned toward Joe. “Is that the way it usually works? I always thought . . . Storms. Lightning strikes and starts a fire. Blizzard sweeps in and you have to wait it out and hope your stock survives. But that’s the land; that’s weather. At least, we always thought it was.”

“Most of the time, it is,” Joe said. “But there are terra indigene who can guide weather, even shape it.” Or turn it into a weapon against an enemy. “When we sent the bison meat to Lakeside, Air and Blizzard made sure it arrived without spoiling. That was a good thing.”

“If we started doing something wrong, you’d tell us, wouldn’t you? Give us a chance to fix things before . . . Well, before weather became something more than weather?”

He smelled fear. “I would tell you.” He looked at Tolya and Jackson, who had joined them, and wondered where Nyx had gone. “Was the train late?”

“No, I wanted to take a look at the town,” Tolya said. “Get an idea of what sort of businesses are there.”

<More like getting an idea of what needed to be maintained if the humans went away,> Jackson told Joe.

<Are they going away?>

<Tolya doesn’t know. Maybe that’s a question for Simon . . . and Meg Corbyn.>

Not a comforting answer. If it wasn’t for the train station, he would steer clear of the town of Bennett—except collecting the payments for the land lease and water rights for the town were the responsibility of the Others living in the Prairie Gold settlement.

He thought about the rancher, that Daniel Black, who also owed the terra indigene for the land and water he used. Somehow he didn’t think that Daniel Black was going to turn over the payment when it came due next month.

“I rented a room at the motel for Jackson,” Tolya said. “Actually, Jesse Walker reserved the room. She had a feeling you would need it.”

Jackson frowned. “I’m here to pick up eleven bison.”

“We’re going to have to herd them,” Tobias said. “Well, first we have to find the ones you want.”

“Yearling calves,” Joe said. “We can ask the Hawkgard and Ravengard to help us look.”

“Nyx and I can help you keep the animals complacent to some extent,” Tolya said, smiling.

Joe thought about the weak-smelling humans who had disembarked at Bennett when Tolya and Nyx arrived. Sanguinati looked like smoke but didn’t smell like smoke in their other form. Would bison see them in the dark? Would they sense any danger when that smoke curled around them and drew blood through the skin?

“You boys going to stand out there all day, or are you going to let our guest come in and have something to drink?” Jesse Walker stepped out of her store. “Tobias, you should fill up that truck while you have a chance.”

“Fuel truck’s not going anywhere for a while,” Tobias said.

<Dominant female?> Jackson asked.

<Yes,> Joe replied. <Tobias is her pup.>

<Ah.>

“Did that package arrive for me?” Jesse asked.

“I’ve got it,” Tobias answered.

“Then bring it in here, since half the items are going on to the Lakeside Courtyard with Mr. Wolfgard and Nyx.”

“They are?” Jackson looked at Joe.

“I’m just helping you with the bison. The rest?” Joe shrugged.

Tobias unloaded the box and brought it into the store. The four terra indigene followed. Joe barely got out of the way before the door opened again and two females entered. He recognized Shelley Bookman but didn’t know the other female.

“Did they come?” Shelley Bookman asked. “We saw Tobias’s truck and wanted to see.”

“The box is exciting?” Nyx asked, eyeing the two women.

“Introductions first,” Jesse said. “This is Shelley Bookman, our town’s librarian. And Abigail Burch is the person experimenting with bison tallow for making soaps and candles.”