Page 92 of Brandt's Rule
“Oh, it’s been there all along. I just hadn’t admitted it yet,” Tempest said.
~~~
“Alright, that’ll do it,” Brandt said. “We’ll put some of this meat in the freezer at the house I’m giving Kiernan, and some will get put in our freezer and donate it at the food bank in town tomorrow.”
“What about all this?” Tempest asked, gesturing toward the remaining carcass and entrails.
“We would normally leave it for the wildlife, but they shot it with a shotgun, which means buckshot is scattered through it. Animals could ingest that and get lead poisoning, especially birds and the like. It’s gotta be picked up,” Barron said.
“What if I could take out all the buckshot?” Tempest asked.
Barron looked at Brandt. “That’d work, right?”
“Yeah,” Brandt said.
Tempest reached out toward the various haunches of meat and the roast and ribs sitting on the grass away from the inedible remains. Multiple pieces of buckshot lifted up and out of the remains of the boar, floating through the air toward Barron.
He held out his hand and in no time had a small handful of lead pieces. “Well, that makes it easy, doesn’t it?”
Brandt started to answer, but instead pointed toward the river to indicate he heard something.
“Alpha, we’re back. It’s Kiernan,” a voice called.
“Come on into view, Kiernan,” Brandt said.
Kiernan led the way, holding his little boy steady on his hip with one hand, and gripping his mate’s hand in the other. Another female followed closely right behind them. Once he stepped out of the trees he realized that Tempest was there. “Evening, Ma’am.”
“Tempest.”
Kiernan nodded but didn’t repeat her name. It was obvious he was very nervous.
“So, what we’ve decided is that we’ll leave you some of the meat in the house I’m providing you with, the rest will be donated to the food bank in town,” Brandt said.
Kiernan inclined his head.
“Might not seem fair to you, but it doesn’t seem fair to me that this boar is lying here like this. I’ve decided to help you anyway, so the least you can do is help somebody else by default,” Brandt said.
“I got no problem with it,” Kiernan said.
Brandt shifted his attention to Kiernan’s mate. “I’m Brandt. This is my land, my clan. This is my mate, Tempest, and my second in command, Barron.”
The female who appeared to be just a little older than Brandt nodded. She was exhausted, and tired, and dirty. Looked like it’d been a long time since they’d tried living life via societal norms.
“This is Abby. My mate. Our son KJ. And my mate’s sister Addie.”
“Kiernan Jr.?” Tempest asked with a smile.
“Yes, ma’am. Right proud of him.”
“As you should be.”
Abby shifted her weight from one foot to another, clearly uncomfortable standing still for so long.
“Let’s go get y’all settled. We’re off for a couple of days for the holidays, so you’ll have a little time to settle in before you’ll be expected to start work.”
“Appreciate it,” Kiernan said. “If you need me to do some kind of work in the meantime to start earning our keep, I’m able and willing.”
“I think your time would be best served just settling in, helping your family get settled. Making sure your boy has a happy Christmas.”