Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 375: Tundra Squad

Snowball scrambled up her shoulder immediately, his furry body expertly coiling around her neck like a living, self heating scarf. The soft, warm touch of the pure ermine fur chased away the biting cold instantly.

The massive snow capped peaks were half buried in the low hanging clouds. The only sound in the silence was the low, hollow whistle of the wind cutting through the trees.

From here on out, the path had to be measured step by step on foot. Nancy trudged through the deep snow, her boots sinking with every stride. She was glad she had kept up with her training. If she were still as fragile as she had been when she first left the Summers family, she would have collapsed from exhaustion after the first few yards.

She took a moment to send a silent word of thanks to Barry.

Graham scanned the area, his brow furrowed in a deep scowl. "We need to find a place for a temporary camp before the sun goes down. Once night hits, the temperature is going to tank. We need a hidden shelter that can hold some heat."

The location was everything. It had to be invisible but capable of blocking the extreme cold. While Graham and the other officers were locked in a grim debate over their options, Nancy reached down and raised the lynx’s furry paw.

"Reporting for duty, sir. Our lynx can scout out some abandoned dens for us."

That got the attention of the whole team. This was a reinforcement that was proving to be worth every penny.

There were no sand rats up here on the peaks, but the area was crawling with another creature, the pika. These things looked like a cross between a rat and a rabbit, round and stout with short ears and thick, grey brown fur. They looked like little moving balls of fluff, the most basic but resilient part of the mountain food chain.

The lynx used his old reliable trick and brought back a pika that looked absolutely dazed with shock.

The same scene played out again. To a pika struggling to survive the winter with its food supplies running low, Nancy was a miracle worker arriving with a mountain of food.

She quickly won over a new group of fiercely loyal followers. With the pikas leading the way, the team found several caves that were perfect for staying out of sight. The second they stepped inside, they realized the pikas were right. The caves were sheltered from the wind, and the bone chilling air from outside was cut off completely.

"These little guys are something else."

"No kidding. A top tier recommendation from the locals."

The team couldn't help but offer some genuine praise. The pika that had led them there curled into a shy ball, covering its eyes with its tiny paws and leaving nothing but a furry back visible. The sight earned a quiet laugh from everyone.

Nancy didn't want to push her luck with the pikas for the actual mission, though. She knew these creatures spent most of the winter deep underground to stay warm and hide from predators. Putting trackers on them would be useless once they went into their burrows and lost the signal. Besides, they were too small to carry the extra gear.

But that was fine. Her animal team had the home field advantage.

Nancy smiled as she buckled a small, custom pack onto Snowball. It was loaded with fragrant egg and meat patties. "The frozen peaks are home sweet home for a clever boy like you, right?"

An ermine was a year round assassin in these mountains. They were lethal despite the cute look, and their teeth were sharp enough that most animals knew to stay clear.

"Go on, Snowball," Nancy said, giving him a gentle pat. "We are bringing gifts this time. Go see if you can find some neighbors who want to work with us."

Snowball rubbed his paws together, spinning in circles with excitement. "Yes! Finally, I get to go play with the locals!"

He had been watching the birds in the sky with envy, his tail twitching. Now he was ready to go. "Master Crow has his Bird Gang, so Snowball is going to start the Tundra Squad!"

Nancy gave his head a soft stroke. "Go. Stay safe, and call me the second you smell trouble."

Snowball stood up and gave her a sharp little salute. "Tundra Squad, moving out!"

He turned into a streak of white lightning and vanished into the snow, leaving nothing but a line of tiny footprints behind.

At the same time, Nancy sent Hunter out. She asked the eagle and Master Crow to keep a lock on the spies in Crimson Valley. Master Crow went straight to work, using his silver tongue and the promise of winter rations to recruit the local birds.

By sunset, a massive intelligence web covered the entire mountain. The cave was a hive of activity. Under Master Crow’s command, rows of snow pigeons and plump tits were lined up to be fitted with their micro trackers.