Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 301: The Salt Brick Peace Offering

"Hey, this wasn't in the script, was it?"

"So what now? Do we still charge?"

"Listen up, everyone. I’m an animal communicator," Nancy called out. "I can understand you. I know you didn't kill that man. You’re being framed, and I know how pissed off you are about it."

She pointed right at Jerome in his uniform.

"Look! I brought a human officer with me specifically to clear your names!"

Jerome caught the drift. The takins weren't the killers. He slowly moved his hand away from his weapon. Still, the massive trauma on the victim had clearly been caused by those horns.

Despite the confusion, Jerome played along and offered a respectful nod. "Right, exactly. We messed up yesterday. We’re here to make things right."

At the sight of Jerome’s uniform, the lead bull’s temper flared again. "Hmph! It was the guys in blue and the ones in white! They tried to corner us yesterday and poked us with needles! We didn't do a damn thing!"

The big guy felt wronged, not that he’d ever admit it out loud.

"It was a misunderstanding, I promise! We brought some top-tier salt bricks as an apology."

Nancy nudged Simon. "Simon, feed them!"

Simon didn't miss a beat. He pulled the bricks from his pack and tossed them with perfect precision to a spot right in front of the herd. Jerome watched the accuracy of the throws with a flicker of surprise. This guy clearly had some serious training.

Nancy had picked these up as a precaution after hearing about the herd on the mountain. She hadn't expected to use them so soon, but it just goes to show you should never show up to a negotiation empty-handed.

The herd stared at the bricks, skeptical.

"Everyone," Nancy explained, "consider this compensation for the trouble humans have been giving you lately."

Before she even finished, the sharp, heavy scent of salt hit the air. For takins, salt wasn't just a treat. It was a biological addiction. Between their massive size and constant movement, they burned through minerals fast.

The aggressive tension in the herd vanished instantly. Every nose twitched in unison. The fire in their wide eyes was replaced by pure craving. A few of the younger bulls couldn't help themselves and shuffled forward as drool started to pool at the corners of their mouths.

The lead bull tried to keep his dignity. "Ahem. Well, at least you humans have some sense. Since you're being so sincere about the apology, I’ll give you a pass today."

He waited for the usual chorus of intimidating grunts from his crew. Instead, all he heard was a wet, rhythmic sound of frantic licking.

"Holy shit, this is the good stuff!"

The leader turned around and nearly lost it. His elite squad had abandoned all pride, crowding around the salt like junkies, their rough tongues working overtime. They looked absolutely pathetic with their faces buried in the bricks.

Feeling his authority slip, he let out an embarrassed roar. "You idiots! Have a little self-respect!"

Just then, a particularly strong whiff of salt hit his nostrils. He swallowed hard. Attempting to look majestic, he strode forward, shouldered a spot for himself, and lowered his head. Within seconds, he was licking faster than any of them and letting out a satisfied groan.

Between mouthfuls, the leader couldn't help but grumble, "You humans are obsessed with us. Are you all just as bored as we are? Or did you eat too much salt yourselves?"

"I told you it was a mistake!" Nancy rubbed her chin. "We saw the photos from the scene. The body definitely had horn marks and hoof prints. What’s the real story?"

Now that they were fed, the bulls were a lot more talkative.

The lead bull didn't even look up. "Oh, you mean that guy blocking the path. He was already dead when we found him. A few days ago, we were heading to the cliffs to find a salt lick, and his corpse was right in the middle of our trail. We just tossed him off the mountain to get him out of the way."

Nancy’s eyes widened as she relayed the message.

Simon’s expression turned cold. "So someone killed the herb gatherer and dumped the body specifically on the takins' migration path to frame them."

"But the body only had injuries from the herd," Nancy noted. "The killer must have used the animals to mask the actual cause of death."

Simon pulled up the crime scene photos Jerome had sent. "Maybe the victim was struck with a heavy object or pushed from a higher ledge first. The attack was just the cover-up."