Beast Tamer's Rebirth National Treasure Edition novel Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Ethan noticed Sierra staring at him with a weird expression. Heifted uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sierra, what’s up? Why’re you looking at me like that?” he asked, his checks turning pink.

The three other guys with Ethan were grinning, clearly enjoying his awkward moment, but none of them said a word.

Sierra, though, wasn’t smiling. She couldn’t shake the memory of Ethan’s death from her previous life. His death had been all over the news for days.

She remembered the reports. Ethan had stumbled upon poachers rounding up over a hundred wolves, planning to smuggle them overseas for a huge profit. He helped dozens escape while playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse with the hunters.

Enraged, the poachers dragged Ethan to a remote shack and tortured him to death. By the time his team and the police found him, his body was barely recognizable. And the date of his death was coming up soon.

Sierra hadn’t really known Ethan before, so she had no idea what he was like. If she blurted it out now, not only would he probably not believe her, but he might even think she was jinxing him.

Her long eyelashes cast shadows under her eyes as she looked down. Then she lifted her head and flashed him a bright smile. “You just looked really familiar. That’s all. Sorry for staring That was kind of rude.”

Ethan waved a hand, embarrassed by his own directness earlier. “Nah, it’s fine,” he mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

The drive from the airport to the sanctuary took a solid ten hours. Sierra learned that Ethan’s team had four members, all men. As they introduced themselves, she realized these guys were future heavyweights in wildlife conservation.

Ethan was the team leader. He came off as serious, but he was actually a bit of a softie and easy to fluster.

The oldest was Mark Zamora, thirty-eight, who barely said a word the whole trip. But when Sierra did talk to him, she found out Mark was incredibly knowledgeable.

The other two were in their late twenties. Timothy Keyes, twenty-eight and built like a linebacker, had just finished his PhD. He talked nonstop, cracking jokes and keeping the mood light.

Alex Whitney wore black-rimmed glasses, with hair that fell partly over his eyes. He was lean, quiet, and observant. All four of them were surprisingly easy to get along with.

By the time they reached the sanctuary, dusk was settling in. Located near a river, the outpost was basic but functional. Ethan showed Sierra to a spare room.

He said, “This place is pretty barebones, just a temporary setup. If you need anything, though, just say the word. I’ll do my best to get it for you.”

Sierra glanced around. The room was simple, but noticeably clean. “Thanks, Ethan. It’s perfect.”

Ethan was a little surprised. The sanctuary was honestly rundown, only livable thanks to constant makeshift repairs.

He didn’t follow celebrity news much, but he knew Sierra was famous. He’d expected someone used to luxury hotels and special treatment. Maybe she was just being polite, but her attitude put him at ease.

“Get some rest tonight,” Ethan said. “We’ll start tracking the wolves early tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Sierra replied. “You get some rest too, Ethan.”

He didn’t linger, closing the door gently on his way out.

Water was scarce at the sanctuary, so Sierra made do with a quick wipe-down before lying down. As usual, she visited her WonderWild Zoo in her mind to check on the animals there, and then drifted into a deep sleep.

At 6 AM, dawn lit up the desert. Sierra woke up early, pulled on black insulated jacket, grabbed her backpack, and headed

out of her room.

Timothy’s face brightened the moment he saw her. “Sierra, you’re awake already? We figured you’d sleep in a bit longer.”

Then it clicked. Ever since getting the System, her energy felt limitless. Just as she was about to reply to Timothy, she heard a faint rustling sound from a patch of grass nearby. “Did you guys hear that?” she asked, alert.

Ethan and the others listened carefully but shook their heads.

Sierra wondered if the altitude was messing with her hearing. But just as she turned to keep moving, a tiny, trembling voice reached her ears. “Phew. Good thing the humans didn’t notice me.”

It wasn’t her imagination. Sierra paused, and then walked toward a small snowdrift nearby. Up here, almost nothing grew, just endless white. But not far off, she spotted cushion plants peeking out from under heavy snow.

As she got closer, she found a little gray furball, no bigger than half her palm, trembling with its head tucked down.

The tiny one shivered. “Oh no. Are they gonna kill me? I’m so small, not like a wolf. Nobody would wanna eat a pika. I don’t wanna die.”

Sierra crouched and gently picked up the shivering creature. It was round and fluffy, its fur so smooth that it rippled like water in the wind. Its big, round cars were blown back. It was a Lasky Pika.

Sierra smiled faintly.

The pika stared up at her with wide, terrified eyes, ready to squeal, but the moment it saw the gentle white glow around her, all its fear melted away. Instead, it felt a sudden urge to snuggle doser.

Sierra gently poked its belly. Remembering its earlier muttering she lowered her voice and asked softly, “Hey, little one, you mentioned wolves earlier. Have you seen any around here lately

Clueless that Sierra could understand it, the pika answered honestly, “Yeah, last night a bunch of humans came and took a lot of wolves.

“There was a mother wolf who tried to hide its three pups in a snow cave, but these humans took the mother wolf. With this cold, without mom and food, those pups won’t last long.”