Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 398: The Sand Acting Troupe

She let go of his arm like she’d been burned.

Barry leaned against the tree, looking at her with a smirk. "It’s fine. I’m not going anywhere."

…

The day of the shoot arrived at the new dune Master Crow had found for Ramsay.

Nancy pulled up with her crew of animals. The dunes rolled out under the sun, gold and sharp, with the ruins of an old watchtower sitting in the distance. It was a good spot, but keeping the animals in check was like herding toddlers.

"Hey kitty, stop trying to eat the jerboa! Spit it out. We have food coming. And jerboa, quit teasing him with your tail."

The sand fox stepped in to handle the chaos. He acted like an old-school talent manager, flicking his tail to cut off a Pallas cat that was busy spinning in circles. The cat just stood there, a round ball of fur with a flat, confused face.

"Line up! All of you!" the fox barked. "Pallas cat, stop spinning before you go cross-eyed. You have a close-up. Try to look like a professional."

He turned to a jerboa that was currently trying to see how high it could jump. "And you. You want to be a stuntman? Keep that up and you’ll land in a cactus. The higher you jump, the harder you hit the sand."

The fox managed to get them into a shaky line.

Nancy noticed a girl nearby with sun-darkened skin and a ponytail. She looked tough, like she wasn't used to taking no for an answer. She was busy adjusting camera angles and talking to the crew. When she saw Nancy, she walked over.

"Ms. Nancy? I’m Sicily Donovan. I’m directing Sanddune."

Sicily’s voice was sharp and clear. She looked at the animals with interest and pointed toward a sheltered area. "I set up a spot for the actors. This way."

Nancy followed her to the back of a dune. Sicily had put up sunshades and windbreaks to keep the sand out. There were water troughs and a spread of roots and meat for the animals' lunch.

Ramsay had told Nancy that Sicily was independent. She didn't use her father's name for favors. She’d scrapped for every bit of funding herself. Seeing how well she treated the animals despite a tight budget made an impression on Nancy. Sicily was running the whole show, writing and directing.

Ramsay was worried about her. He’d told Nancy privately, "If she asks, tell her the animals are five hundred a day. Don’t mention the real price is two thousand. I’ll pay the difference."

After the introductions, Sicily went back to the set. Nancy stayed with the animals to walk them through the scenes. The sand fox was already barking orders.

"Listen up! It’s an easy shot. Walk from here to that dead tree, look scared, and squeak. That’s it."

The shoot went fast. The animals didn't have lines to forget, and with Nancy translating the director's cues, there weren't many retakes.

Nancy liked the script. The animals weren't just props; they had actual roles. It was a smart, clean story.

She looked over and saw Sicily was parched, still talking to the lead actors. Nancy turned to the group. "Who wants to take a bottle of water to Sicily?"

Every paw in the pile went up at once.