There was a long pause, then Meg’s voice came through.  “You did what now?”

“Hi, Meg!  It’s a long story.  I’ll tell you the whole thing when I get back, but we’re going to have a growing grizzly to feed.  If the kids misbehave, tell them I’ll feed them to Fuzzy when I get back!”

“You’re terrible!” Meg sounded amused.  “Sam says you’re gonna make another Outpost?”

“I wasn’t going to, but since he suggested it, I’m thinking about it.   It’s not a bad spot.  But I’d have to make it just a basic one.  I don’t want to spend all our system points on Outposts.  My aim is to claim another Stronghold somewhere in Cheyenne.  Or maybe Laramie if there’s a problem in Cheyenne.”

“Why not both?” Meg snorted.  In the background, Sam called out “Yeah!  Go ahead and grab both!”

Chuckling, Allistor said, “Please pass my congratulations on to Nancy.  And tell her I said please don’t make any mutant chickens or killer bunnies?”

“You got it!  Be safe out there, Allistor.  We need you.”

“10-4… uhm… over and out?”  He switched off the radio and decided he didn’t want coffee after all.  Just checking in with the others had relaxed him quite a bit.  He sat on the sofa near where Fuzzy snored. Pulling up the Outpost interface, he didn’t find an option to designate the ranger station as an Outpost.

“Hmm… what was it that allowed me to take the gun shop?”

Last time he’d tried to establish the gun shop as a Stronghold, and the system had offered him an Outpost instead.   So he tried it again.

This structure does not meet the physical requirements of a Stronghold.  Additionally, this structure is currently occupied by a life form that has a prior claim to your own.  To claim the structure, you must kill the prior occupant, convince it to relinquish its claim or banish it from the vicinity for twelve hours.

“Prior occupant?” Allistor looked around the room, suddenly wary.  He was sure he’d cleared the place.  Still, he got up and searched the rooms again.  Finding nothing, he woke Fuzzy.  “Hey, buddy.  I’m not sure how well you understand me, but I need to know if you smell anybody else here?”

The groggy bear cub tried to roll over and go back to sleep.  Allistor picked him up and set him on his feet.  “C’mon!  Show me what that nose can do.”  When Fuzzy just looked at him, he tried some one-word commands.  “Search!   Um… Seek!  Track!”

Track must have been a command recognized by the system for pets.  Fuzzy’s nose went to the floor and he began to follow it around the house.  He bumped into one of the tables and knocked the lamp off, then tore a rent in a sofa cushion when he jumped up onto it with his sharp claws.  “Right.  Mental note.  Keep Fuzzy off the furniture.” Allistor followed the bear around.