Jackson was currently in Meat-n-Greens quieting a sharp appetite, but Nyx hadn’t gone hungry during the journey. Docile bison were testimony to that.

“What are you going to call them?” Meg asked.

“Lunch?” Simon offered.

The female pack gave him a look that made him think running away would be a good idea, if he wasn’t the leader and couldn’t back down.

“Simon? Shouldn’t you and Jackson be heading to the River Road Community to settle the other bison?” Vlad gave the female pack a pointed look. “And shouldn’t the rest of us be getting to work? I know some of you have to review the items Jackson brought from Prairie Gold.”

Ruthie and Theral rode off on bicycles. Meg and Merri Lee drove off in the BOW.

Simon looked at Kowalski, who was usually at work by now.

“Where are you going to put them?” Kowalski asked, nodding at the bison.

“Why?”

“Out of sight, out of mind. If they’re around where the girls see them every day, they’ll end up with names, and I don’t think the girls will forgive you if you put a platter of Fred or Henrietta on the table.”

Jerry nodded. “Oh, yeah. What he said.”

Simon thought this over. The Wolves wouldn’t be serving up their bison on any platters, but some of the meat would be sold at the butcher shop in the Market Square for the humans to buy. How would they know which bison had become a roast? Would it matter?

Humans were no end of trouble even before they did anything.

“Right,” he said. “Don’t name the food.”

“Jackson said males and females remain separate most of the time,” Nyx said. “We can keep the females in the Chambers. It’s fenced.”

It was also off-limits to everyone but the Sanguinati—not the best choice to establish the bison where they couldn’t be hunted. Then again, deer were plentiful, so there was no reason to hunt bison for another year or two, and the land inside the Chambers offered plenty of grazing and fresh water.

“Will Erebus agree to this?” Simon asked. “Bison aren’t dainty when they poop.”

Vlad shrugged. “Deer roam inside the Chambers. I don’t see...” One of the bison lifted its tail and demonstrated not being dainty. “Ah.”

“It will be fine,” Nyx said.

“I’d best be getting back,” Jerry said. “Anything you want me to deliver to Ferryman’s Landing?”

Simon shook his head. “Not today.”

The bison wandered across the road and began to graze.

“Anyone want a lift to the exit?” Jerry asked.

“Sure,” Kowalski replied. “It’s time for me to head out to work.”

“I’ll walk,” Simon said.

Nyx shifted to smoke and flowed in the direction of the Chambers.