"I'm going to check it out," said Robert.
"Take John with you," said Julia. "I feel better when he's with you."
Robert nodded.
The werewolf entered the barn, and went to John's room, where he saw the older buck talking with Tobias. Tobias was by the door, while John was looking out a crack in the window shutter.
"What do you mean, I can't go out there?" Tobias asked.
"I'm trying to figure out if it's a group of fools that honestly wanted to free the herd, or if it was a group of rustlers that would sell the lot of us on the black marked to someone like Marcus Fang," said John.
"Whose Marcus Fang?" Tobias asked.
John looked at him, catching sight of Robert. "That would be the bloodsucker that killed my mother and father, and has been trying to buy this place for a while. You're going to stay here until one of the Wolfes lets you out." He grabbed his walking stick, and hobbled out of the room, closing the door. He then looked at Robert. "What happened?"
"Rokanowa Raiders," said Robert. "Tried to steal the horses, and they shot James."
"I've heard of that herd," said John. "Will James make it?"
"I'm not contemplating anything less than a recovery," said Robert. "Sounded like the shooting was more of an accident than intentional."
"Good to hear," said John.
"There's a place fifty miles away," said Robert. "I think that's their base."
"Alright," said John. "You planning on fighting, or scouting?"
"Scouting," said Robert.
"Good," said John. "I can provide Decoy, and have a little chat with their leader."
"Really, a little chat?" Robert asked.
"I'm less likely to get my head blown off than you," said John. "Besides, I am sympathetic to the cause of freeing human livestock. One just has to be smart about it."
"So, just what is your overall plan for your Grand Escape?" Robert asked.
John chuckled. "Let's put it this way - I'd make sure that you and your family wouldn't come to any real harm, other than loosing the whole herd."
Robert chuckled. "That's good to know. Now, the doctor's on his way, so we'd best get going."
An hour later, Robert and John were outside of the abandoned farm, overlooking what might have been a pasture. The truck was a mile away, thus they made the approach quietly. There was easily two hundred humans, and several dozen vehicles on the place, including a few buses.
"Explains how they get around," said Robert.
"Probably altered for defense and offence capabilities," said John. "And there's our group of would-be horse thieves."
"How can you tell?" Robert asked.
"Well, they're being yelled at," said John. "I don't think that the theft was something the leader approved of. That, and the fact that the one shot your son has put the whole group in danger."
"Why do you say that?" Robert asked.
"Starts an investigation, with the law looking at abandoned properties, and other likely hiding places," said John. "When I killed someone, I tried to make it look like an accident, or an animal attack, or that one of the other poachers had done the deed. Also, I'd make sure to move the herd, just in case. This group though, if I was the leader, I'd move them tonight."
"Let me guess, are you going to advise them to do just that?" Robert asked John.
"Yes, but I'd tell them to leave the group of horse thieves behind, so that you could determine what to do with them," said John.
"Why would you advise them to do that?" Robert asked.
"You know the law," said John. "A human that kills a werewolf or a vampire gets drained or swallowed, unless they were protecting their Legal Master from an attacker. That includes any members of that human's group that also get caught. Guilt by association."
"I see," said Robert. "You don't want the majority to suffer because of a few."
"That's right," said John. "The overall group might come in handy. From what I've heard, they weren't in the habit of killing unnecessarily, before of course, you capturing me at any rate. I hope that's still true."
"Alright," said Robert. "I'll keep an eye out as you have your chat."
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