Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 304: The Bounty

The man shrieked, scrambling back on all fours in a pathetic, undignified crawl.

His heel caught a root and sent him slamming into the dirt, but the sheer terror in him was louder than the pain. He lunged back to his feet and sprinted into the dark, legs pumping with frantic, desperate speed.

Nancy felt the goosebumps prickle across her skin.

It wasn't fear. It was the rush.

When he hit the ground, she caught a perfect look at his face. Her mental files clicked into place instantly. This wasn't just some local thug; he was one of the most wanted men in the country.

Howard Hugh. Twelve years on the run. The mastermind behind a massive trafficking ring with a body count to match. He had dropped off the map five years ago, leaving the police with nothing but dead ends. It turned out he hadn't vanished; he had just been rotting in the heart of these mountains.

Nancy felt a jolt of pure energy. She lunged toward the lead bull and vaulted onto its back in one smooth motion.

"Get him!" she barked, her voice cold as iron as she slapped the bull’s neck. "He’s the reason people think your kind are the killers!"

The bull’s massive eyes flared. Thick plumes of white steam snorted from its nostrils in a fit of rage. It dug its hooves into the muck and prepared to launch.

"Wait! Use your head!"

Nancy leaned low, hugging the bull’s neck. "Stay back a bit. Don't run him off a cliff. I want him alive!"

Howard was the key. Alive, he was a goldmine of intel that could burn down his entire network. Dead, he was just another body in the woods.

"Tell the others," she shouted, clinging to the bull. "We are doing a full pincer move. Box him in!"

The lead bull got the message. It checked its pace and threw its head back, letting out a deep, resonant roar that tore through the fog.

Suddenly, the entire mountain seemed to wake up.

From every corner of the forest, the dark was filled with the answering bellows of the herd.

Nancy was floored. "That many?"

The bull flicked its tail, looking smug. "The ones you saw before were just the scouts."

Takins were the kings of these woods, and right now, Nancy had the whole army on speed dial.

Ever since she had started consulting for the police, she had spent every spare minute burning the faces of wanted men into her brain. She had memorized every scar and sneer, waiting for the chance to use her animal network to hunt them down.

Finally, the grind was paying off.

All that time staring at crime files was about to turn into a massive payday. Howard Hugh was sitting on a mountain of secrets, from money trails to supplier lists. Bringing him in would dismantle the whole operation.

And then there was the reward. A million-dollar bounty for his capture.

One million dollars and she was going to be set for life.

...

Deep in the woods, Howard ran like a blind animal.

"Where the hell did that snake come from?"

He glanced back, lungs burning, but the mist had swallowed everything. The thudding hooves had gone quiet. The forest was dead silent again.

He almost convinced himself the girl and the white snake were just a fever dream brought on by the stress.

"Finally... I lost them."

He collapsed in a hollow of tall grass, clutching his knees as he fought for air.

"This is why I picked the middle of nowhere," he wheezed.

He wiped the mud and sweat from his face, cursing. "What a goddamn nightmare. I hide in a place this remote and I still get spotted? First I have to kill that herb-gatherer, and now some government brat shows up."

He hadn't even caught his breath before a woman’s voice drifted down from above, dripping with spite.

"Heh. Gotcha."

Howard jumped so hard he nearly pissed himself. He looked up to see the massive head of a Takin staring down from a ledge ten feet up. A thick glob of spit dropped from the bull’s mouth and landed right on his forehead.

Nancy was perched on its back, her eyes gleaming. She was looking at him like he was a winning lottery ticket.

"Tired yet? Let's go. I'll buy you a nice prison meal."

"You bitch! You're like a goddamn ghost!"

Howard scrambled to his feet to run, but the second he moved, the heavy, rhythmic thud of hooves closed in from every side. It sounded like war drums beating against his ribs.

He tried to bolt left, but Simon emerged from the trees on a hulking bull, his eyes cold as ice in the moonlight. The path was blocked.

He spun right, only to find Jerome already there, mounted and waiting. The badge on his chest caught the light, and his stare was like a hawk’s, killing the last bit of hope Howard had left.

"Bring him in!"

Nancy’s voice rang out from the ridge, and the circle of Takins tightened.

The massive bodies, the hot breath, and the low, rumbling huffs pressed in from all sides, crushing Howard's spirit until there was nothing left.