Soul Call -A reverse harem story-

Chapter Three

We proceeded to tell the guys about the sheep and rogues. Asking about shifts and making a plan amongst ourselves. "Now that you mentioned it, we did have some chickens and a pig killed last week. We didn't smell any other wolves, though." A look dawned on James. "Pigs blood, they bleed so much when you cut the jugular... I bet it washed away any scent. When we found the bodies, they were drug out to the tree line. All together, but this was about a week ago." Levi nodded in agreement. Tucker brushed the light stubble on his hand. "Y'all think they've been here a while?" "I think they got here maybe a week and a half ago. It makes sense if there are three of them. They've probably been taken from all three livestock farms. Small things at first, but one chicken a piece wouldn't satisfy three grown wolves once a day. They will probably alternate between Cattle Cove and Stone Ranch. I would do it." Alex nodded, "alternate the kills. Not enough to where we thought an animal specifically targeted one herd, but that it was a random occurrence every other night or so." The Street and Douglas boys looked lost in thought as they looked out to the fields. They had mainly cattle, each tagged and accounted for as best as possible with a 3,000-head herd. Goats and pigs were their other large animals. A few chickens for a steady supply of eggs. Panic set on Tucker's face, "We had a calf attacked two weeks ago. We thought it was just some regular wolves... it's momma, and one of our bulls saved it.... Lily Mae, you have the best nose of all of us. Come check the calf? We got her and momma in the barn if we saw any signs of infection." I nodded, Tucker leading the way. He led us into the large blue barn. Long ago, we agreed that we would all have a separate blue barn to indicate it was for animals with medical conditions. To safely keep them separated from the herd. When we got inside, the calf was in the left paddock. I held back my dinner at the smell. It was a blood infection not yet pulled to the surface.We didn't know it, but our Dads had finished a discussion and also came out to the barn. They sat back and watched us, not a word uttered between them. The calf in question was a female, only around a month old, a Nelore. Her ear was missing, and bite marks littered around her hooves. The wound was pale even against her pale white hide. But my nose knew that whatever it was, she was shutting down. I looked at the boys, "I need antibiotics, a shaver, get me some sedatives, and get momma cow out of here. I also need a needle to draw some blood. She's got an infection; it's circulating through her bloodstream." The guys all jumped at my commands, each running in a different direction. Alex stayed with me, securing the calf in a harness while I grabbed the swabs and needles from Vance. I cleaned the calf off on her back end with some iodine. Slipping the needle in and drawing three vials of blood. Then I swabbed all the bite marks, going in until my swab was coated with the calf's blood. I placed them all together and labeled them with time and date."Ivan, can you run these to Doctor Myers at the vet clinic? Tell him we need the results stat. Appropriate medication as well." I placed them in a burlap sack. Ivan nodded, taking the swab and viles to the pack veterinary. He shifted into his dark, tawny wolf, knowing it was faster than a vehicle. Next to arrive was Levi, passing me the sedative for the calf. I administered it quickly. James came back from putting momma cow away. "Where did you put her?" "Back pasture. She's alone." My chest sighed in mild relief. When Tucker came back with antibiotics and shavers, we started a regimen.Kyle Stone, Matthew Street, and Peter Douglas watched as their kids tended to the calf. Matthew and Peter are impressed with Lily Mae's nose. "I hate to say it, but we're lucky you brought her today. I never thought I'd be thankful for rogues; we would have never second-guessed the calf if it wasn't brought to our attention. " Peter nodded in agreement with Matthew. "How could she smell it? We didn't find any hints of an infection. We were just keeping her in here just in case..." They trailed off, looking at Kyle. "It's that white wolf of hers. We all know it's rare, but we never know why. The alpha says it's dangerous to have a white wolf so far south, and she's lived in Texas her whole life. She's the first white wolf native to Texas. Her bright fur makes her a risk, but her senses are more honed than all of us." The guys nodded when Lily Mae looked up and waved them over. "We got a problem!"There on the calf hide was a puncture mark. It looked like one from a 12 gauge needle, used to administer medication instead of drawing blood. The three elders looked at each other, and the thought that this calf was purposely made sick crossed through their minds. Lily Mae stood up, "I have thoughts about what this could be. Judging by the smell and the calf's body... I believe it is Brucellosis." Tucker looked at me wide-eyed, "But how?" "I have some suspicions, but we won't know until tomorrow when the blood work returns. For now, we wait. She's clean and comfortable."My father and brothers left to warn the other farms while I stayed the night waiting for the results of the young calf. It was a long night full of worry, but eventually, I fell into a deep sleep.