It was a minor mutation, like so many that happen every day. The protein without nucleic acid reproduced itself in a slightly different form. A prion was formed. It found a niche in the young steer's nervous system and began to migrate to the brain. Once in this perfect environment, it began to influence other proteins and replicate. It sent clones to find the animal's reproductive organs, but they failed. The steer began to show subtle signs of the invasion within a few weeks as brain structures completed morphosis. Some areas of the brain were stimulated to promote heightened sexual arousal. Other brain areas focused the steer on nearby animals that seemed to have a bond in its' primitive memory. It found itself yearning for company with only certain members of the herd. More often than not, it had an urge to mount, and relieve its gelded penis, which seemed to be engorged most of the time. The new prions would normally never get beyond a single host. When they were sent to market, USDA regulations ensured the separation of brain and spinal materials from the beef processed for human consumption. So the prions would be gone and innumerable permutations would make duplication of this particular mutation very unlikely.
The foreman of the small ranch off Norton Pass Road was ready to load the cattle into the trailer to transport them to the slaughterhouse in Oakton. As was his habit, he was going to cut one out before all had funneled up the loading chute. The frisky steer caught his eye. Recently, he had noticed it was full of energy. He decided to pull it aside and dress it out for his family. Since it was so frisky, it may thrash about in the trailer and injure the other steers. Better to take it and put a bullet in its' brain. He would freeze a quarter and give another quarter to each of his daughters. The fourth he would sell to an acquaintance who was planning a big BBQ. Just as he fired the rifle, the steer's head jerked and the shot proved not to be immediately fatal. The steer ran for a hundred yards before falling and the second shot was clean, finishing the task. Unfortunately, brain fluid mixed with the blood supply and coursed throughout the animal's body and carried with it, millions of prions.
Mark Long loaded the meat into the back of his truck, iced it down and headed to Bayton. He was glad his friend sold him the fresh beef at such a low price. Prime free-range beef was excellent for BBQ. His brother-in-law, Alex Newton, was planning a huge get together for family and was delighted when Mark offered to provide all the meat. Alex and Eileen had invited over fifty people to the party. All of Alex's family, Eileen's, as well as Mark's immediate family was going to be there too. Margie was Alex's sister. She and her second husband, Dick, were flying in with Margie's daughter, Beth, from South Carolina. Margie's other child, Branson, was coming down from Washington. Eileen's parents and siblings would be there as usual. Alex's first wife, Marne, accompanied their two children, Bob and Christy, to California, but stayed away from the house in Bayton. Even Don and Nanette Milner were going to make the trek from Sacramento. They were old friends with Alex's mother, Carrie, as well as godparents to his youngest sister, Jane Long.
