Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 260: The Little Underachiever

Nancy felt a sharp pang of sympathy. "Do you remember what he looked like?"

The kestrel opened its small beak. "I do. I saw where he snuck into the park, too. He didn’t use the gate like the other humans. He climbed over the wall."

Nancy pulled up a few images of grey hoodies on her phone, dimmed the brightness, and held it out. "Was the person who hurt you wearing something like this?"

The kestrel’s head rested heavily on the bedding, its round eyes following the screen. It gave a nod. "Yeah... that grey thing. He was a tall human male. He came out of a black car... the car dropped him by the wall and just drove away."

The bird took a ragged breath. "I saw him climbing with a bag. I was curious, so I kept watching. He pulled out a huge white kite." Its eyes widened slightly. "There was a little black box tied to it."

"A black box?" Nancy whispered, her voice barely audible. "That had to be the ignition device."

The kestrel let out a pathetic little chirp and tried to shift, but the movement caught its wound. It went still again. "It’s my fault for being nosy. I saw him flying it and I just had to stretch my neck out for a better look."

Nancy nodded. She understood. Usually, people gave raptors a wide berth, but this kestrel seemed far gentler than the others of its kind.

"Most humans just point their phones at me and make loud noises from far away," the bird complained, its feathers puffing up in indignation. "But that jerk! He saw me and shot at me instantly. I’m not exactly the best flyer..." Its voice trailed off, sounding small. "I didn't move fast enough, and he hit me."

Nancy reached out and gently smoothed the downy feathers near its neck. This kestrel was surprisingly docile. "Did the bad man try to get to you after you fell?"

The kestrel nodded. "He started walking toward me, but then a group of old humans arrived. The ones who like to play loud music and sing. He got spooked and ran away. Probably because he knew he’d done something wrong."

Nancy grabbed a charcoal pencil and a sketchbook. Following the bird’s description, she began to draft the suspect's face. As the features took shape, a sense of recognition hit her. The structure of the face looked familiar.

Once she confirmed the exact spot where the suspect had scaled the wall, she called Simon.

"Check the surveillance on the southwest side of the park for a black car about thirty minutes before the fire. The witness says the suspect went over the wall. He was going to finish the bird off, but an elderly choir showed up for practice and scared him off."

She snapped a photo of the sketch and sent it over. "I'm sending the portrait now."

"On it," Simon replied.

Nancy hung up and tried to settle her racing heart. She used a syringe to drip a little water into the kestrel’s beak. "Rest now. Our human police are going to catch the man who hurt you."

The kestrel huddled into a ball. "Human, I believe you."

Seeing the bird’s beady eyes fixed on her, Nancy guessed the little guy was hungry. She brought over a prepared meal. Which were thin strips of meat no thicker than toothpicks. The kestrel snapped them up instantly.

"Why is this so good?" it asked, tilting its head. "I haven't had fresh meat this tasty in a long time."

Nancy was confused. "Were you eating carrion before this?"

The kestrel looked down, seemingly embarrassed. "I... I’m not as good at hunting or flying as the others. I can't catch much, so I usually just pick through the trash cans at the park. When my parents were teaching my brothers and sisters to hunt, I just couldn't keep up."

Nancy looked at the shy, timid bird. It was nothing like Master Crow’s street-hardened crew. It was a special needs student in the world of predators. It just didn't have the instinct for the wild.

The bird suddenly went quiet, looking dejected. "Human, don't waste your food and medicine on me. I'm a mess now. I don't know where I'd go anyway. I should probably just find a quiet spot to wait for the end. That’s what happens to the weak ones who can't hunt."

Nancy’s heart broke. She stroked its feathers softly. "You little dummy, we aren't going to let you die. Just focus on getting better. You can stay here at the zoo or go to a raptor sanctuary. We'll take care of you."