Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 382: The Bird In The Cage

"Are those red berries hanging by the cave entrance any good?"

"You only think about your stomach. I heard those berries are toxic. They'll give you the runs. Nancy’s food is way better anyway..."

The tits kept up their mindless chatter as they drifted onto other topics.

The falcon, which had been eating quietly to the side, froze. His sharp eyes flickered. Knowing these naive little birds, he knew they were useless at scouting or hunting, but their gossip was usually spot on.

Late that night, under the cover of a heavy snowfall, the falcon slipped out of his roost like a streak of grey lightning. He circled several times in the air, his keen eyes scanning every shadow below. Once he was sure he had no tail, he dropped his altitude and skimmed silently over the treetops.

The falcon found the exact spot the little birds had described. It was a cave entrance draped with clusters of frozen red berries, almost completely buried by the drifts. He cautiously ducked inside and flew down the long, winding tunnel. Sure enough, he felt a surge of warm, earthy air blowing up from the base of the mountain.

"The passage is real!"

The falcon was ecstatic. "Those big mouths were right for once. That human who talks to animals probably never dreamed she had an elite spy like me hidden in her ranks."

He didn't hesitate. He burst out of the cave and pushed himself toward a rock crevice to the southeast.

Inside the fissure, a man covered in white camouflage netting was practically invisible against the snow. He unscrewed his canteen and drained the last few drops of water, his cracked lips showing he was out of supplies. Frost had built up on his eyebrows and lashes from the hours of hiding.

The falcon landed firmly on the man's calloused arm. The man's dull eyes instantly regained their spark. He lowered his voice, urgency leaking through. "You are finally back. What is the situation? Is the military still searching the slopes?"

The falcon hopped twice on his arm in excitement, then lowered his head and quickly tapped the man's palm three times with his beak. It was their code for "Safe, move out."

The falcon took flight again, leading the way at a low altitude. The man looked like he had just been given a second lease on life. He packed his gear and covered every trace of his presence with snow. His movements were terrifyingly practiced. He followed the bird, his voice raspy with adrenaline. "You found a safe way down?"

The falcon nodded in mid-air. The man was overjoyed, feeling as though he had clawed his way out of a dead end. He felt lucky to have mastered such a rare skill as falconry.

He followed the bird until they reached the hidden entrance draped with red berries. He ducked into the dark tunnel without a second thought. But after only a few steps, the sound of the falcon's wings vanished.

"What is going on?"

The man's heart skipped a beat. He clicked on his flashlight. The beam cut through the darkness, but instead of a deep cave, it revealed a solid ring of muzzles and the cold, sharp faces of soldiers.

Nancy stood in the center of the perimeter, a welcoming smile on her face. "Look who finally decided to show up."

Facing a dozen armed men, the man's skin crawled, and cold sweat soaked through his gear. He tried to stay calm, raising his hands and forcing a stiff smile. "Officers, this is a misunderstanding! I am just a hiker. I got separated from my group... I didn't know there were military exercises happening here. I'll just go!"

Nancy, wearing her winter tactical mask, stepped forward and placed a birdcage covered in black cloth in front of him. She pulled back the fabric to reveal the falcon pacing frantically inside.

"Save the act," she said, her voice muffled slightly by the mask. "Your six partners have already been caught. They were very talkative. They made it clear that you are the group's handler, and you used this falcon to scout and dodge our patrols."

The falcon beat its wings against the bars in a panic. "He is lying! We didn't slip up! It was that woman! She can command every animal on this mountain! She understands everything we say!"

Unfortunately for this expert falconer, he couldn't understand a word of it.

Disbelief flashed in the man's eyes. He looked like he couldn't process being sold out by his own team. He finally hung his head in defeat as two soldiers grabbed his arms and led him toward the entrance.

Just as he reached the door, he struggled and looked back. "The falcon is innocent! Can you let him go? Let him back into the wild!"

Nancy glanced at the agitated bird in the cage. "We'll handle the bird, don't you worry about that. And drop the act. If you actually cared about it, you wouldn't have dragged it into a mission to steal national secrets."