Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 463: The Death Trap

A sharp eagle cry rang out from high above in response.

Taking advantage of the confusion caused by the sedative mist, the team fought a tactical retreat toward the northwest, the only direction currently free of approaching beasts.

But before they had covered three hundred feet, Master Crow let out a piercing and frantic warning.

"Nancy! Stop! You cannot go further! The snow behind you is flat, but the ground underneath is empty! It is a swamp of ice pits! If you fall in, you are never coming out!"

Nancy slammed on the brakes as a chill raced from the soles of her feet to the top of her skull.

She understood the trap instantly. The red fox was the lure, the three sides of wild boars were the drivers, and this single path was the only one left open. This was not an escape route. It was a dead end meticulously prepared by Professor Langstrom.

One more step back meant plunging into an abyss swallowed by camouflaged ice.

"Stop the retreat! Swamp ahead! All units, defensive positions!"

She screamed into her earpiece, her voice trembling slightly with the aftershock of a near miss.

The wave of snow carried the stench of filth and curved tusks as the boar herds pressed in like three collapsing mountain walls. Yet, in this moment of crisis, Nancy became eerily calm.

She pressed her lips thin, her pupils reflecting the chaotic rush of the beasts. Her gaze became as sharp as a sieve as she rapidly scanned the silhouettes, gaits, and the red glow in the eyes of every boar.

Her experience observing animals told her that not all boars were equal. Most were just a blind, following mob. The real threat came from a few exceptionally large boars with curved tusks, charging at the front and roaring the loudest. They were the leaders. They were the spearheads intended to shatter the team's defensive line.

"Simon!"

Nancy’s voice cut clearly through the wind and the roar of the beasts into Simon’s ear. "Directly in front, one hundred and thirty feet, black and white spotted, scarred forehead, the biggest one! Left front, one hundred feet, pure black with a broken tusk! Right front by the rocks, brown skin with a piece of the left ear missing! Take those three out first!"

Nancy only said it once, and Simon memorized the targets instantly. He did not hesitate or even turn back to confirm. He had absolute trust in his sister's judgment.

Simon yanked the reins as his horse reared up with a long neigh, performing a skillful pivot on the narrow, snowy ground. Before the horse's hooves even touched down, his right hand pulled a specialized large caliber tranquilizer gun from its holster.

He did not level the gun for a standard aim. Instead, he leaned back until he was nearly parallel with the horse's spine, performing a daring inverted hook maneuver. From this angle, his field of vision cleared the low brush and the other charging boars, locking the massive head of the spotted leader into his sights.

The wind howled and snow whipped against his face as the horse beneath him shifted uneasily. Yet Simon’s breath remained steady as a rock. The finger on the trigger did not tremble.

"Harmony!" At that exact moment, Nancy’s command shot out like an arrow.

Harmony, the Gyrfalcon circling above and waiting for his chance, let out a cry that could pierce stone!

"Here I come! Big pig, eat my talons!"

Harmony tucked his wings and turned into a streak of iron gray lightning, diving straight for the spotted boar's face!

The boar was just about to accelerate when its vision went dark. Two steel talons capable of tearing bark brought a gust of wind toward its eyes! It instinctively squeezed its eyes shut and jerked its head to the side, completely breaking its charging rhythm.

Now!

Thump!

A dull sound, distinct from the wind and the beasts, rang out. Simon pulled the trigger.

The tranquilizer dart streaked through the air and buried itself precisely into the thick skin and muscle of the boar's neck, exposed by the head jerk. The boar’s massive body shuddered. It let out a howl of rage and confusion before its momentum died. It staggered a few steps and crashed into the snow, kicking up mud and ice. Soon, only a heavy snoring remained.

"Nice!" Nancy felt her heart steady as she pivoted to the next target. "Left front, the black one with the broken tusk!"

Harmony pulled out of the dive the instant the command arrived. With a fluid aerial turn, he dove again, this time targeting the black boar's eyes and vulnerable ears! The boar tossed its head violently, trying to gore the annoying big bird with its tusks, and its pace faltered.

Simon adjusted his posture. His horse, sensing his intent, sidestepped to create a new shooting angle. He remained in that state of perfect unity with his mount, raising the gun, aiming, and firing in one continuous, cold, and elegant motion.

The second black boar went down.

Seeing this, the third brown boar with the missing ear felt a flash of primal fear. Its charge slowed. But in Simon’s eyes, hesitation was a fatal flaw.

"Right front, missing ear! Harmony, distract it! Simon, take the shot!"

Nancy’s instructions followed like a shadow. Harmony’s silhouette loomed again, and the barrel of Simon’s gun opened once more like the eyes of a reaper.