Page 102 of Healing Fate
“I thought we were going to the hotel first,” I protested, already feeling exhausted.
“The others will and catch up with us later. But we could really use the extra medical experience as quickly as possible. It’s quite possibly one of the most gruesome scenes I’ve ever encountered, and timing is of the essence.”
“Understood. We’re ready to roll out,” Grant said, speaking for the both of us.
I sighed. There was no point in protesting.
Jacob loaded us up into a Jeep and we immediately headed up the mountain while the rest of the team made their way to the hotel for a bit more sleep.
“I’ve asked them to track these poachers and stop this once and for all.”
“How bad is it?” I asked.
“We have thirty-five animals fighting for their lives right now. And six very agitated and angry vicuna shifters ready to take action on their own. With the slow extinction of the vicunas, they’ve been working on repopulating the area. So, as you can imagine, this is very personal to them. These were their children and the dedication and sacrifice of years of work.”
“What do we know about the vicuna?” Grant asked. “I don’t think I’ve ever even heard of such a thing.”
“They are closely related to the alpaca, a little smaller in size, but similar in appearance. They are a shy, docile creature who once roamed these mountains in great herds. Thanks to deforestation and poachers, amongst other things, their numbers have been drastically declining. Repopulating them is no small feat. Like their domesticated cousins, they can only conceive once a year with a long gestational period, resulting in only one offspring a year. The six shifters here are on a rotation for reproduction. There are three mated couples, and they are taking turns so that two of the females are pregnant each year giving them one of every three years off.”
“I can’t even imagine that kind of sacrifice,” I confessed.
“Yes, and with only two new additions to the herds each year, they can’t afford to lose a single one.”
“What about the wild animals? Are they not producing?” Grant asked.
“Good question. They are, which has been helping quite a bit as of late. There was talk of the shifters moving to only one new addition a year, and now this.”
I could hear the heaviness in his words. I had no idea what I was walking into, but whatever it was, it was bad.
Using my bag as a makeshift pillow, I closed my eyes and forced myself to go to sleep while Jacob and Grant chatted some more. I’d heard enough and unlike Bravo team, I wasn’t exactly used to these spontaneous calls resulting in little sleep. The most I had to deal with was a rare crisis or the occasional late-night birth. Yes, I was on call twenty-four seven, three-hundred and sixty-five days a year, but I could count on one hand just how many middle of the night calls came in as a result of that.
I wasn’t certain how long I had slept, but it felt like I’d just closed my eyes when the Jeep came to a stop.
“We’re here,” Grant informed me.
Groggily, I forced myself to sit up and look out. The area was beautiful, and it was hard to believe there was even a human within miles of the place. A large white tent was set in a field as a team pulled up with a flatbed truck unloading the bodies of the vicuna. I couldn’t tell from here if they were alive or dead.
Grant took off at a sprint to assist. Without even thinking, I chased after him. The closer we got the louder the screams and cries could be heard.
I couldn’t ever remember losing my stomach on a job before, but if it was going to happen, it would be here and now.
Bloodied bodies were unloaded as teams carried them into the field tent where a makeshift medical center had been established.
“Come on. I’m going to put you with our team out of Collier.”
I sniffed the air, trying to move past the smell of blood and decay.
“Humans?” I whispered.
He nodded. “Verndari. You’re safe here. I pulled in every resource I have for this.”
I followed behind him in silence, just taking it all in until I saw a familiar face.
“Clara!”
She paused from talking to a group of people and turned my way. Her weary face lit up when she saw me.
“Micah? Wow, you really did pull in every resource possible,” she said admiringly to Jacob.
