Page 14

There was a slight downward slope of open heathland leading to another treeline. To their right, there was an incline up a small ben. Grazing in the partially cleared field was a herd of red deer, with a large stag visible in the middle surrounded by a harem. Steph studied them. Something didn’t seem right.

“They seem very skittish,”

Steph said.

“What do you mean?”

Davey replied.

“Look at the edges. They are constantly moving and jumping as if they have seen something or think something is there. They seem agitated all the time. Is that normal for your herd?”

“I suppose so. I’ve never really thought about it. I guess I have become so used to it that it just seems normal to me. The deer are a good target for predators as they are easier than the moose or the bison.”

Steph didn’t reply but took her binoculars and tilted them to one side. She tried to see if there was anything that could potentially be bothering them or whether there were any patterns to their movements.

“Are the other prey animals that move in herds acting like this?”

she asked.

“In their own way, I suppose,”

Davey shrugged, checking his tranquillizer gun.

“I mean, the bison are a little more assured of themselves when we bring them in.”

“Bring them in?”

Steph put her binoculars down.

“Well, we can’t do everything on-site here,”

Davey explained, checking a can of something attached to his waist.

“Kelvin doesn’t put all his eggs in one basket. He has a breeding facility. That said, I think he hoped that he wouldn’t need them in the long run as the herds would be able to sustain themselves. He wants a ‘natural equilibrium’ here. I’m not sure that’s the same for the prehistoric animals or whether he could breed them in the future. It’s not my place to know, I suppose.”

Steph chewed her tongue, looking at the deer grazing once more.

“How big is the whole area?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, how large is the stretch of land the animals roam in?”

“It’s roughly seventy square miles; reasonably big.”

Steph picked up the binoculars once more.

“I’m not sure it’s big enough; some of the animals that you said you have usually have a territory bigger than that. I mean, a mountain lion can often cover a lot of ground, although I’m uncertain how having its genetics mucked about with alters that. What did you say you have again?”

“Have what?”

“Have here? Animals, the predators?”

“Cave lion, cave bear, three brown bears, a pack of wolves, a couple of lynxes, and then we have foxes, badgers… the usual for here.”

Steph turned to look at Davey who was busy looking down the length of his gun.

“Well,”

she said.

“that is quite the hotpot, isn’t it? No wonder the animals are bloody skittish.”

Davey wasn’t listening to her; he seemed to have his eyes fixed on something. There was a sudden rumbling sound coming from the ground.

Steph looked down to see hooves raining down on the ground as the herd thundered towards a far treeline towards the ben. From the other side, dark grey shapes whipped out, bounding towards the writhing mass of confusion.

“Wolves,”

Davey said.

“Obviously,”

Steph replied, shaking her head but not taking her eyes off the events.

The wolves were quick to home in on a doe that was struggling to keep pace with the others. She was desperately trying to get back to the herd but her back left leg seemed to be out of step with the rest. It was not long before the first wolf had thrown itself at the stricken deer’s haunches, clinging on with clamping jaws. This lowered it further. Then another wolf was pulling down on its flank. And another. And another.

The rest of the herd continued into the treeline at the foot of the small ben, eager to leave one of their number behind in exchange for their own escape.

“Well, that was quick,”

Steph said, breaking the silence.

Davey wasn’t listening. He was still looking down the sight of his gun.

“I suspect it’s not over yet,”

he whispered.

“Of course, it is, look!”

Blood was already visible down the front of one of the wolves. Steph presumed this to be the alpha. It was big. They were all big. Oddly big. Not freakishly big but definitely large.

She decided that she could risk moving a little closer to get a better look at things to see if the pack behaviour of the wolves was normal. She took her first step but felt something grip her arm tightly. She looked back to see Davey looking stern, his large hand wrapped firmly around her wrist.

“Get off! You’re hurting me!”

“I said,”

Davey whispered in a low growl.

“I suspect it is not over yet!”

Steph tried to free her arm. She couldn’t: Davey’s grip was too strong. She was about to lash out but when she looked up, she realised he wasn’t looking at her. She stopped struggling and followed his gaze. She felt the pressure on her wrist release, but a heaviness in her chest took its place.

Strolling purposefully towards the wolves and their fresh kill was the largest bear Steph had ever seen. Larger than a polar bear, the thing must have been the height of a man at the shoulders. Muscle rippled underneath the brown shaggy fur.

In unison, the wolves turned to face the newcomer, hackles raised. However, they were moving backwards, there was no doubt about that. The bear didn’t even acknowledge them as it tucked its head into the carcass. Moments later, it raised it again with blood fresh on its muzzle. It was only then that it seemed to appreciate the proximity of the wolves. It let out a roar which ripped across the open land. The wolves got the picture and slunk off to the edge of the treeline. There they contented themselves with waiting in the hope there would still be something left for them at the end.

“Do they not try to defend their kills?”

Steph asked, still mesmerised by what she was seeing.

“Not anymore; not against him anyway,”

Davey replied, also still looking.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean that when they lost one of their pack trying to, they stopped.”