Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 43: Premonition

The service staff throughout the banquet hall immediately shifted their demeanor, treating Nancy with newfound reverence.

The attentive, meticulous service made the rest of her meal exceptionally pleasant, and no one dared to disturb her again. Once she had finished, Nancy didn’t want to spend another second at Critters Villa. Jacob, seeking to make amends, offered to drive her home himself.

Nancy shook her head vigorously, declining his kindness. Given Jacob’s notorious reputation for reckless driving, she was terrified she’d lose the gourmet meal she had just enjoyed.

At the main gates of Critters Villa, Nancy tilted her head and looked at Jacob. "Earlier, when Errol was upset and Barry stepped in for me... did you ask him to do that? Thank you."

Jacob shook his head. "To be honest, I was surprised Mr. Goodman intervened as well."

"But I think I understand why now," he added.

"So, why did he help me?" Nancy leaned in, her curiosity piqued.

Jacob dropped his usual playful smirk, his voice turning low. "Probably because... he sees a bit of himself in you."

"What?" Nancy blinked.

"Mr. Goodman has two half-brothers who are exactly like Ginnie," Jacob explained with a sigh. "They’re experts at putting on an act to stay in the good graces of the old man and Mr. Goodman’s father. And they're much more ruthless than Ginnie ever was."

"During the two years Mr. Goodman served as a battlefield medic, they actually hired foreign mercenaries to assassinate him."

Nancy’s heart skipped a beat. She couldn't begin to imagine the things Barry had endured to survive.

"But Mr. Goodman made it through," Jacob said, a corner of his mouth twitching upward. "And now, who would dare cross him?"

Nancy felt a stir of emotion. Barry... perhaps he wasn't as cold-hearted as he seemed.

While they were talking, the car arranged by the butler arrived—a spacious, high-end luxury van. Nancy climbed in, and the vehicle began its steady descent down the mountain.

They hadn't been driving for long when suddenly—splat.

A dollop of white bird droppings landed squarely on the windshield.

"Oh, for goodness' sake! These birds have no manners," the driver muttered, rubbing his temple. Since the mess obstructed his vision and made driving unsafe, he pulled over.

Turning to Nancy with an apologetic look, he asked, "Would you mind waiting in the car for a moment while I clean this off?"

"No problem at all," Nancy nodded understandingly. "I’m in no rush. Go ahead."

Nancy rolled down the window to breathe in the fresh mountain air. As she did, two small sparrows fluttered down to the roadside, chirping frantically.

"Aaah! My wings are really heavy! I think they got soaked!"

"The storm is fast approaching! We need to hide!"

Birds are highly sensitive to changes in humidity and atmospheric pressure, allowing them to sense shifting weather patterns long before humans do.

"What should we do? The soil at the base of the mountain is far too loose, what if a landslide happens after the rainstorm?"

"Where should we go? Who knows where momma flown off to?"

These sparrows sounded young, their chirps high and thin, like fledglings who had only recently mastered flight.

"Little ones, do you want to come inside and hide from the rain?" Nancy called out, waving to them from the window.

The two birds froze, seemingly too stunned to fly away.

"That human actually understands us?"

"Should we go to her? Will she hurt us?"

Just then, the Squirrel Bros popped out of their carrier, resting their paws on the windowsill and waving at the sparrows.

The older squirrel said, "Don't worry, she's not a bad guy. She heals animals!"

"She's awesome and she feeds us a lot of nice food. Are you hungry? "

The younger squirrel, a true glutton, immediately started chattering about food. "I can share half of my food with you."

Clearly swayed by the offer, the sparrows fluttered into the van and perched atop the carrier next to Nancy. She reached into her bag for some biscuit crumbs to feed them.

"Thank you miss. You're really kind."

Nancy looked at the two plump little birds. Their mother had clearly kept them well-fed. She glanced out at the clear blue sky. "Hey, little ones, is it really going to pour?"

The first sparrow nodded vigorously. "Yeah, a huge storm!"

The second sparrow added, "My wings have never felt heavier. Do you want to get off the mountain?"

The first sparrow turned solemn. "Do you want to wait for a little longer? After the storm clears maybe? It's really dangerous here. We can feel the and smell the rot coming from the soil and we can feel the ground shake!"

Based on their descriptions, Nancy realized this sounded like the warning signs of a landslide. Before a slide, rock layers often release gases like radon, which animals can smell. Furthermore, birds have vibration receptors in their feet that allow them to detect tremors in the earth hours before people notice anything is wrong.

A wave of unease washed over Nancy.

By now, the driver had finished cleaning the windshield and climbed back into the driver's seat. The sparrows and squirrels quickly scrambled back into the safety of the carrier.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Miss."

As the driver reached for the ignition, Nancy stopped him. "Wait. There’s a heavy storm coming, and there’s a high risk of a landslide. It’s not safe."

"Let’s head back to Critters Villa."

"Huh?" The driver looked out at the sky. It was a brilliant, cloudless blue without a hint of rain. "But the forecast said it would be clear today and tomorrow..."

"It’s going to rain," Nancy said, her voice firm.

Weather forecasts covered broad areas, but mountain weather was fickle. She trusted the instincts of the local wildlife far more than a digital report.

"For safety's sake, after you drop me off, don't try to head back down the mountain. Stay there until the storm passes."