Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 368: The Desert Witness

Graham nodded. "Let's go. I’ll lead the way. The security team will be with us the whole time."

The trucks headed out into the desert, following the lynx’s lead and Logan’s memory. They bounced over the dunes toward the spot where the stranger had been spotted. Outside, the sand stretched on forever. Since it was winter, it was actually decent out, maybe 15°C, which was a hell of a lot better than the 40°C heat that usually baked this place.

It didn't take long to find the spot. It was a sandy patch near some jagged rocks, exactly where a lynx would pick for a den. They don't build their own homes. They just find a good gap under a boulder or an old burrow and move in. It gives them a clear view of the area and keeps them out of the wind.

Coming back to the den, the lynx looked miserable. "This is where they killed my baby. Right outside our home."

Nancy patted her head. "Let's see if anyone else was around to see it."

The lynx’s ears flicked. She suddenly slammed a heavy paw into a patch of brush and pinned a fat, furry sand rat.

The little thing flipped onto its back, playing dead, its chest heaving with fast breaths. It looked like a shaking ball of fluff. These sand rats were actually kind of cute compared to city rats, with yellowish fur and white bellies.

Simon looked down at it. "Is it actually out, or just faking?"

Nancy knelt in the sand. She pulled out a sunflower seed and held it right under the rat's nose. The smell worked instantly. The rat’s nose twitched, and its legs started to shake.

"That smells incredible. Am I dead? Is this the afterlife?"

The second the rat saw the lynx's claws, it started squeaking like crazy.

"Don't eat me! I'm all skin and bones! I'm just a mouthful of hair!" It put its paws together, begging. "I know where some fat rabbits live! Over by the buckthorn! Go eat them, they're way better!"

Nancy laughed and rubbed the rat's back. "Relax. She won't eat you. She’s getting fed the good stuff by the humans now. She’s picky."

The lynx snorted. "Yeah, I get real meat now. I don't need to eat scrawny things like you."

The rat looked up, its black eyes blinking. "Really? You aren't lying to me?"

"I'm not lying," Nancy said, lowering her voice. "Listen, your family is everywhere out here. Did anyone see who hurt the lynx's baby? What happened that day?"

The rat finally sat up, tucking its paws in. "I didn't see it, but I heard the kitten. I was so terrified I didn't leave my hole for three days."

"Well," Nancy said, showing him the seeds. "Your family is huge. Can you ask around? If anyone knows something real..." She let the scent of the seeds hit him again. "They get these as a reward."

The rat's eyes went wide.

"And since you're the one setting it up, you'll get a cut of the seeds too."

Nancy was about to give him a few, but the little guy suddenly puffed out his chest, trying to look tough.

"Rat lives are short! My time is worth a lot! I want ten, no, twenty seeds! And I'm not budging on that!"