Wild Desperation

Chapter 68

                                                  Sang

The next morning I did my regular chores earlier than usual, then after seeing Jess off to the garden for the morning I spent a few hours working with the new dogs. I leashed up all three of them and took hem to the barn to try getting them used to the goats, Max was instantly fine with them. He was curious at first but once he sniffed Licorice he lost interest and laid down so I felt comfortable taking him off leash. The next one I chose to introduce to the herd was Rosie since she had showed some interest in the goats but not too much. 

I brought Sadie and her triplets over to meet the new dog and Rosie sniffed each of them curiously, but the real test came when one of the little bucklings dashed around his mother. The fast movement was something to trigger a hunting instinct in the dog beside me she lurched forward slightly but I corrected her with a firm NO and a tug on her leash. We did it a few more times and I rewarded her with a piece of jerky each time she ignored the bouncing babies, correcting her sternly if she showed any predatory interest. It took a few tries before she finally seemed to understand leaving the bouncing fur balls alone got her food, and bothering them got her nothing more tgan a scolding.

 By the sixth time I actually laid the bouncy buckling on her front paws and other than licking his ear she left him and the other goats alone, she passed the leash free test too. Then it was time for Pepper to have a turn, she was the most energetic and obsessive over the goats, when she saw them she started to pull at the leash and whine out her excitement. It took a while to get her calmed down before I let her near the goat pasture, still she very clearly wanted to get to them. "Listen Pep I know you think they look like a ton of fun to chase and maybe even eat but we don't do that here. If you can't learn to be nice to them then there won't be any playful herding either." I scolded slightly. 

I didn't quite trust her with the does or kids yet but I also had another idea, the bucks were bigger and I still wasn't all that fond of Stewie. I decided to close Pepper up in the buck stall before grabbing Stewie and dragging him into the stall to see what happened. Pepper immediately started to circle the buck when she charged in towards him I scolded and gave a tug on the leash she was dragging behind her. It didn't look like I had much to worry about though considering before I had finished correcting her Stewie had given her a firm ramming. She seemed a bit stunned and seeing as how he was able to defend himself I put one of the small buckling in the stall too. 

Of course Pepper tried to go for him too but just as I thought Stewie again rammed her back, I did this a few more times until Pepper started to back away from the goats instead of charging in at the babies. When she decided to lay down in the corner panting I let the goats back out with the herd and decided that was enough for today, I still didn't trust her off leash but with training she would get better. I took the three dogs back to the cottage with food and water before going to do my morning training at the Toma house. After training was over I got my stuff together to go hunting since I knew with more hungry dogs to feed we would need all the meat we could get.

 I let Arrow lead the hunt as he followed a fresh scent trail, in the opposite direction of the orchards. We spent hours tracking the scent he'd caught as I set snares along the way and looked for signs of easier game. We found the small herd of deer drinking and I got two quick healthy kills before gutting them and harnessing Arrow up to help drag them back. On the way back we stumbled on a flock of turkeys and I took out two huge toms and one hen before the others could scatter off. Once they were health approved and cleaned I saved their beautiful feathers and headed back towards the fence. Our hunt had taken us on a wide arc so we ended up passing by the orchards on the way back and what I saw gave me pause, apparently no one cared to inform me the harvest was today.

 "Good hunt today Sang." Axel praised as he inspected the two deer and three turkeys, I only nodded. "You have everything covered here, I can help guard if you need me to?" I asked uncertainly as I noted the people in the trees plucking fruit and dropping it to the people below. "We've got it covered, we have two perimeter lines out so that the ones harvesting are safe." Axel stated gently and I sighed, still that didn't stop the uneasy twisting in my gut that something wasn't right. I had set enough snares in and around the orchard that I knew there were a fair number of smaller critters that lived in the orchards, and more than a few had not passed the health test by Arrow.

 "What about the trees, did you check them before letting the workers climb up?" I voiced lowly and he sent me a strange look. "There's hundreds of trees we don't have the man power to climb each one ourselves, we did sweep through them to check for dangers though. What has you so worried about them?" Axel frowned. "Because I've seen what lives in these trees a beast doesn't have to be big to be deadly." I murmured out as I unlatched Arrow from his harness since he had been trying to get free. Axel was about to say something but I never found out what since I heard my name being shrieked from a tree 10 yards away. 

"SANG HELP!!!" Jessica's shout had me racing past Axel as I searched the trees for her, what I saw terrified me. "Jess jump!" I called back as I took aim at one of a family of squirrels that had been racing from their tree hole and heading to attack Jess. The younger girl did as I said and jumped from the tree as the first squirrel I shot fell. I took another shot as one dared to leap from the tree after Jess, it hit the dirt dead just feet from where she had fallen. Seeing this the 5 remaining squirrels turned their attention off Jess and onto me. I heard guns going off and some of the squirrels fell but still more came forward as I aimed another arrow for three of them just feet away. 

Seeing them so close I could see the symptoms of the virus and I knew even as I let my arrow fly I couldn't kill them all before they reached me, another shot rang out and two of the three fell. I was going to accept my fate as I drew my knife to kill the last one but someone else beat me to it. For the first time since I'd rescued him I watched the wolf dog that  ran from every sick beast snap the squirrel between his jaws, shake it once and drop it dead at my feet with a whine. It was like time had stopped and my blood ran cold as I realized he'd just saved my life by sacrificing his own. "Arrow." His name left my throat with a sob as I knelt and wrapped my arms around his neck as I buried my face in his scruff. 

I couldn't accept this, I couldn't lose my best friend, my four legged family, I just couldn't lose him like this. "Sang they were all sick weren't they?" Jess asked on a whisper as I turned to where she was looking down at her hand, the tiny tooth marks confirming one of my greatest fears. "I'm so sorry." I sobbed out. I had failed both of them, I promised to keep them both safe and I failed. "Raven get Jess and the wolf mutt back to the research building maybe they can get the cure quicker with a bit more incentive." Axel ordered out. "Come on little warrior bird." Raven coaxed me to let go of Arrow as we all headed back inside the fence.

 I leashed Arrow for Raven and watched through my sobs as he took them both to the research lab. I wanted so badly to go with them but I had to tell Kota and the others, I stumbled blindly into Uncle's kitchen where all of them were having lunch. "Sang what's wrong?" The urgent fear in Kota's voice only increased my guilt. I collapsed onto my knees as my sobs grew more and more choked and desperate. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." I blubbered the chant out through my sobs as I collapsed in on myself. "Easy Pookie, you have to breathe, what are you sorry for?" Sean whispered out as arms surrounded me, but at the moment all they offered was empty comfort. "I failed them. Oh, god Kota I'm so sorry." I choked out. 

"Peanut you're scaring us here, what are you talking about?" Nate voiced worriedly. "A squirrel bit Jess before I could save her, and Arrow killed one before it could bite me. They're going to die because of me! I'm a murdering failure!" I wailed as the arms around me tightened. "Jess was bitten by a beast?" Kota voiced and I could only nod. In that moment he looked how I felt, beaten, broken and overall hopeless. "Raven took her and Arrow to the research lab. Kota I'm so sorry I couldn't save her in time." I choked out as the knots in my stomach finally reached an all time high. The last thing I remembered was a bucket shoved in my face as my measly breakfast made a reappearance and everything went dark.