Beast Tamer's Rebirth National Treasure Edition novel Chapter 76

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Chapter 76

Chapter 76

The team had a clear division of labor. Ethan’s car led the way, heading in the direction the white yak said.

They drove more than 60 miles. A faint stench of rotting flesh hung in the air, making it feel almost sticky.

Eagles and vultures were skimming low near the weathered rocks, less than about 300 yards from the car.

Sierra could see the birds clutching bloody chunks of meat in their beaks.

It was from a Kaelenridge Sheep.

Sierra grabbed the walkie-talkie and said, “We’ve found the Kaelenridge Sheep. Bring the car around to three o’clock”

With a crackle of static, Ethan replied, “Copy that

The terrain of Mount Kaelenridge was incredibly complex. If it weren’t for Quinn, none of them would have dared to

venture in.

The weathered rocks ahead towered several dozen feet high, their bizarre shapes reminiscent of ancient round earthen

towers.

Nests built by jerboas dotted the surface of these rocks.

As the car engine roared, the jerboas poked their heads out, chattered nervously, and in no time at all, every jerboa had darted back into its nest, too spooked to come out and see what was happening.

A few of the braver jerboas whispered among themselves. One said, “Are humans coming to hunt the Kaelenridge Sheep again? Poor Kaclenridge Sheep. If humans keep this up, will there be any Kaelenridge Sheep left in our mountains?”

“Still, there aren’t many humans here, and I don’t catch any scent of Kaelenridge Sheep coming from their car,” another jerboa added.

Right as they were talking, the jerboas spotted a girl in a red jacket getting out of the car, and she was looking straight at them.

Two of the little jerboas freaked out, squeaking and scrambling back to their nests as fast as they could.

Two little jerboas poked their fuzzy heads out. One said, “If these humans aren’t here for the Kaelenridge Sheep, are they after us? No way, right?”

The two little jerboas felt absolutely doomed.

They never thought that just minding their own business and watching the drama could land them in such deep trouble.

Just then, Sierra walked over.

The two jerboas froze in place, staring blankly at Sierra, their wide, glistening eyes brimming with terror.

But they just couldn’t help it. They wanted to sneak a few more glances at Sierra.

“We’re doomed. Humans are way too OP that I can’t even move,” one jerboa squeaked.

“Same. Is human tech really this wild now? Just seeing a cute human makes my little mouse heart go thump-thump-thump!” the other jerboa added.

Sierra used to think animals were geniuses, but seeing these two silly little jerboas, she figured she might have to take back ~ what she’d said before.

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Chapter 76

“I’m not here to huft you,” Sierra said.

She crouched down, but didn’t try to touch the two little jerboas.

The jerboas flicked their big ears back, hugged their skinny arms to their chests, and just stared blankly at Sierra, looking totally lost.

After a long pause, one of the jerboas suddenly jumped up, shrieking, “This is insane! Did that cute human just talk to us?”

With that, the two little jerboas huddled together, eyes squeezed shut, way too freaked out to even peek.

Sierra said, “I’m not a ghost or anything, I just happen to understand what you guys are saying.”

One of the jerboas cracked one eye open, giving Sierra a once-over. It said, “R-Really? So that means you’re one of the good humans, huh? Are you guys here looking for the Kaelenridge Sheep?”

Sierra nodded.

The jerboa pointed the way and said, “See where all those vultures are circling? That’s where the Kaelenridge Sheep were. But you guys showed up too late. They’re all gone now.

“Still, a few of the mama sheep managed to have some lambs right before they died. Those little ones might still be hanging in there.”

Sierra shot to her feet the moment she heard that.

She and the others made their way to the weathered rocks, and sure enough, the ground was littered with the bodies of hundreds of Kaelenridge Sheep, packed so tightly together it was hard to tell where one ended and another began.

The stench of decay was overwhelming, and the blood had turned the yellow dirt a deep, rusty red.

Sophie’s face went ghostly pale. She squeezed her eyes shut, unable to bear the sight of the piled-up remains.

Sierra, after a moment of shock, walked resolutely toward the center of the carnage.

Then, among the many Kaelenridge Sheep carcasses, she found three lambs huddled together, their bodies crawling with flies.

These little lambs hadn’t had a single drop of milk since the moment they were born. It was already a miracle they’d made it this far.

But now, things were looking really bad for them.

Flies buzzed thick around them, and the vultures nearby were staring them down, just waiting for the lambs to stop breathing so they could move in for the feast.

Sierra took off her jacket, wrapped the only surviving lamb in it, and headed straight back to the center of the wildlife rescue

team.

“Alex, make some formula with warm water and let the lamb drink it,” Sierra called out.

As soon as Sierra returned, the wildlife rescue team crowded around her, all their eyes glued to the tiny lamb in her arms.

The little thing looked so fragile, like it could slip away at any moment.

Alex wasn’t much of a talker, but when it came to getting things done, he was all action.

He didn’t say a word. He just went straight to the car, pulled out some formula he’d stashed in the trunk, mixed it up warm water, and got to work feeding the lambs.

with

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Chapter 76

13 55 vouchers

Sierra checked the Tittle ones over. They were just wiped out from not having any milk since birth, but otherwise seemed alright. After a little milk, the lambs perked up a little.

One of the lambs blinked its big eyes, black markings circling them, making it look heartbreakingly sad.

The little one gazed up at Sierra, dazed and confused, then bleated out, “Mommy, are you my mommy?”

The lamb was so overwhelmed that it burst into tears as soon as it finished speaking.

Death had been lurking around it these past days, and it couldn’t even figure out what it had done to deserve all this.

Ever since it was born, its Kaelenridge Sheep mom had died in pain, so it never even got the chance to know who its mother

was.

It gazed up at Sierra. Even though they didn’t look anything alike, there was a soft, soothing white glow around Sierra. Whenever it got close, it felt safe and warm, like all its worries just melted away.

The lamb thought, ‘Someone like this has to be my mom, right? I’m sure of it.’

The lamb bleated a few more times, as if it would keep calling out forever unless Sierra answered.

Sierra felt her head start to ache.

She never imagined she’d end up with a little animal thinking she was its mom.

Mark pushed up his glasses and asked, puzzled, “Is this little guy thinking you’re its mom?”

Sierra shot Mark a surprised look.

Mark wasn’t the most outstanding member of the team, but in the wildlife rescue team, nobody was just along for the ride.

He was the oldest among them, always speaking in a gentle, polished way. Though he was slim, his abilities were impressive. Whenever the team hit a snag, Mark was the one who could always find a way around it.

Mark couldn’t understand what the little lamb was saying, but he could easily tell what was happening just by watching its behavior.

“Yeah, I guess it really does think I’m its mom,” Sierra said.

Mark didn’t look surprised at all. He explained, “This little lamb’s only been alive for two days, and its mother died right after it was born. So it never got a chance to bond with her.

“You just saved it, so naturally, it thinks you’re its mom now.”

Sierra looked exasperated. She said, “Let’s take these lambs back to the rescue station and get them checked out.”

She looked over at the heaps of Kaelenridge Sheep bodies in the shadows, and she choked up a little.

Ever since the major anti-poaching crackdown back in 1993, this might be the largest poaching incident the region had seen

in decades.

She absolutely couldn’t just let this slide!

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