Previous Brennan file.

Narrator:
Brennan almost flinches at Maia's cry, but catches himself in time and continues as if he didn't hear. He doesn't want to leave Maia there, but...

Brennan: [chanting to himself]
I am doing the right thing! I am doing the right thing! ...

Maia will live, Blackbird will live, but Beauty might not have. All it'd take is one confused guard with a crossbow. Besides, now I don't have to be there for the _real_ cat fight... I couldn't have stopped 'em anyhow!

I need to explain to you what people are like.

Narrator:
They arrive at the sleeping trees, and Brennan continues to talk while filling the bowl with milk.

Brennan:
Most people are not like Maia and me. They'd be afraid of you and try to hurt you.

Beauty: [with scorn]
They couldn't hurt me! I'm too smart, fast and strong!

Brennan:
Yes, you are very smart, fast and strong, and they know that. That's why they're scared of you. And I'm sure that if they tried to hurt you, you would probably hurt many of them before they stopped you. But they _would_ stop you because there are so many of them, and some of them can bite hard without even being close to you!

Narrator:
Beauty looks confused (and therefore annoyed) at this. Brennan refills the bowl and starts re-packing for a quick hunting jaunt with his longbow.

Brennan:
I'm going to show you how people can bite animals that are far away. Then you will see that you have to leave most people alone. Come on!

Narrator:
Brennan strikes out in the direction they originally came from, far enough from the camp that there's no chance of guards. There was fairly fresh spoor where they crossed a game trail.

Beauty runs with Brennan for a few moments, and then drops back to a walk, so Brennan slows down also.

Beauty:
I smell something!

Narrator:
It takes Brennan a few more minutes of tracking to get close enough to pick up the scent that Beauty has, but he soon recognizes it as deer.

Brennan:
Yes. And it's something good to eat too! Now let me show you how people can bite...

Narrator:
Brennan begins to move silently down the game trail with Beauty on his heels. After a few minutes he sees motion up ahead and shifts his position to see a young buck at the top of a rise. Beauty starts to move around him, but Brennan holds her back and whispers "Watch!" He draws an arrow, nocks it, and sights for a few seconds before letting it fly. It's a good hit, and the buck staggers and then stumbles down the other side of the rise out of sight. Beauty can no longer be restrained and races ahead of Brennan, who follows at a trot.

By the time Brennan gets there, the buck is down and Beauty is tearing at its neck. Brennan waits quietly for a few minutes while Beauty eats and calms down.

Brennan:
I get half.

Beauty: [looking up]
You can eat that much?!

Brennan:
No, I want to take it back to the camp and give it to the people for the meat you ate.

Narrator:
Beauty doesn't move, or appear to mind as Brennan comes over and removes his arrow. He then takes out his knife removes a few choice organs as well as a haunch. He wraps the meat in some skins that he brought along for that purpose, and then sits back and waits while Beauty fills herself.

Brennan:
Now you know how people can bite from far away.

Beauty: [snorts]
Yes. This wasn't much fun. It was down when I got to it. [sniffs at the wound left by the arrow] Not a big bite, but deep!

Brennan:
So you will stay away from people other than Maia and I now?

Beauty:
If I find just one people alone, can I hunt it?!

Brennan:
No. If you hunt one, then all of them will come to hunt you!

You have to stay away from people other than Maia and I. That'll be easy for you because they smell so strongly that you'll know they're coming a long time before they see you.

Beauty: [wrinkles her nose]
It did smell very bad with them! Ok. They weren't much fun anyhow.

Brennan:
And when you're with us while other people around, stay close! Watch how my dogs behave. People can be near them, and still they won't jump up or chase or play with the people. They won't even take food that people give them, because they have learned that people food is not good for dogs... or cats.

Narrator:
They sit for a few more minutes while Beauty cleans herself. Brennan removes the undamaged portion of the hide, and a few more chunks of meat and then cleans himself and his tools at a nearby stream.

Brennan can see that Beauty's starting to slow down, and will soon want to do nothing but sleep, so they walk back to the sleeping trees. Beauty curls up in a warm sunny spot while Brennan goes back to the encampment.