Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 214: The Furry Picket Line

Nancy's eyes lit up. "That's perfect! I'm counting on you!"

The marmot patriarch turned around and let out a sharp command to the colony. A sleek, agile marmot stepped forward immediately. Nancy knelt down and carefully showed the little creature how to cross its paws into an "X" shape.

"Look, cross them like this. To humans, an 'X' means stop—it means 'forbidden' or 'no.'"

"Have your relatives surround the well and make this gesture to anyone who tries to draw water, okay?"

The little marmot took the lesson to heart. It struggled to cross its short front paws, its eyes bright with the weight of its sacred mission. With a determined nod, it bolted like a brown streak of lightning and vanished into the burrow entrance.

Nancy turned to her brother and Hailey, her voice urgent. "We have to notify the villagers immediately to stop using the well. No one can drink that water!"

Hailey pushed up his glasses, looking hesitant. "But what if we alert the poisoner? If they realize we're onto them, they might bolt."

Simon thought for a moment and said decisively, "I'll call the village head directly. It's safer if he makes the official announcement to pause all water usage. It'll cause less panic."

He then looked at his sister with a questioning gaze. "Nancy, can you ask the local animals to keep an eye on the villagers' reactions once the notice goes out? We need to see if anyone acts suspiciously."

Nancy nodded and turned to Master Crow and the patriarch. "I have to ask for another favor!"

Master Crow puffed out his chest instantly. "Leave it to me! I'll go round up the local bird brothers. I'll station one on every rooftop—we'll have the whole village under surveillance!"

The patriarch waved a paw enthusiastically. "While we're talking to the rats, we'll tell them to keep their whiskers twitching for any movement on the surface too!"

"Thank you all so much," Nancy said gratefully. "Between the surveillance, the legwork, and gathering intel, it's a lot to ask..."

The patriarch patted his chest proudly, acting as if it were all in a day's work. "Don't sweat it! We underground workers are practically Swiss Army knives!"

The male Red-crowned crane lowered his head gracefully. "Boss, is there anything I can do to help?"

Nancy thought quickly. "Stay here for now. Once the marmots and Master Crow report back, if there's any trouble, fly to us immediately."

"Action, boys!" the patriarch barked.

At the command, the marmots dove back into their holes like dumplings hitting a pot of boiling water. In the blink of an eye, they vanished, leaving behind only a few swaying blades of grass.

Hailey had finished collecting the samples and sped back to the lab for emergency testing. Since the research base wasn't far, but finding a contact number would take too long, Nancy and Simon decided to run there.

Nancy had been working on her fitness, but she still couldn't match the stamina of her Special Forces brother. By the time she reached the base gates, panting for breath, Simon had already briefed the security guard. The guard quickly registered them and nervously ushered them inside.

As they neared the well, they heard a cacophony of voices. A crowd of researchers and graduate students had gathered around the well, their voices filled with amusement and wonder.

"My god, what are those marmots doing?"

"Why are they lined up to block the pump? They're dancing around like crazy!"

"Look! They're actually making 'X' signs with their paws! Since when did marmots get so trendy?"

Nancy and Simon pushed through the crowd. A group of chubby marmots had formed a solid, furry picket line around the well. Every single one of them was waving their short front paws in a frantic "X" gesture, letting out sharp, rhythmic squeaks as if issuing the most solemn of warnings.

Their tiny faces were dead serious, as if to say: Water dangerous! No pumping!

"Professor Grace is here!"

"Professor, come look! We were about to irrigate the samples in Lot 3, but these marmots are dead-set on blocking the equipment. We can't drive them away!"

A middle-aged woman with wire-rimmed glasses and a sophisticated, gentle aura walked over. It was the base's chief expert, Professor Nina Grace. She watched the little creatures gesturing and squeaking, but instead of being annoyed, she pushed up her glasses thoughtfully.