âGood news, itâs not a wolf that attacked your sheep,â the Ranger concluded after examining the cadaver of the killed sheep. âOtherwise there would have been more casualties.â
The farmer let out a sigh of relief. He had heard about the attack only that morning, since he had been away for a few days.
âAny idea what it could have been, Ranger Meratyn?â he asked.
Crowley thought for a few seconds, going over the bite marks on the sheep.
âItâs a larger animal, thatâs for sure. I doubt itâs a feline. Their jaws are different and they tend to have smaller teeth. However, if itâs a big one, like a lynx, then itâs not that unlikely. Though they more often bring their preys with them, rather than leaving them behind.â Crowley frowned as he went through the options in his mind. He would need to do more research around the farm to narrow the possibilities down.
He got up from his crouched position, putting away his saxe knife.
âUntil I have taken care of it, Iâd suggest you keep your sheep inside a barn or shed, with a door that you can lock. If you happen to get new information, please inform me about it. And it might also be a good idea to warn other farmers around, might you see them.â
The farmer nodded that he understood. He reached out a hand, thanking the Ranger for his help, even if he couldnât identify who had killed his sheep.
âI shall do so,â the farmer said.
Crowley nodded, then turned around to go back to the other side of the farm. Cropper was waiting there, together with a horse he had borrowed from the stables.
When they reached the front door, the farmer went inside while Crowley waited outside. He used to the time to look for some clues that could help him. After finding nothing more than a couple of pawprints, he went to Cropper and was already getting back into the saddle when the door opened.
âHere, for helping me with the chores,â a woman said, handing a silver crown to the girl that had followed her.
She looked in Crowleyâs direction, asking silently if she could take it. Almost unnoticeable, Crowley gave a small nod. Excitedly, the girl took the money and went to the Ranger. He held out his hand, indicating she had to give it to him. After she had done, she got in the saddle as well.
âLetâs see if there are more clues over there.â Crowley put the money in his pocket and turned Cropper towards the forest, giving him a small tap with the back of his foot. Slowly, Cropper started walking, waiting for the girlâs horse to catch up with him.
When she was riding next to the Rangerâs horse, Crowley had Cropper go into a trot. It took a moment before the girl followed him, but she was soon riding next to him.
âAny more details that you got when helping?â Crowley inquired, looking at the girl.
âNot really, only that the woman was too afraid to go have a look outside when the sheep were attacked. She heard growling, but couldnât say if it leaned more to a canine or feline.â
Crowley hummed softly. That wasnât much he could work with then.
âShe did find this in the morning,â the girl said, going through her pocket to retrieve what looked like a tooth. âWanted to give it to you, but was then too occupied to do so.â
The girl reached out her hand, giving the object to the Ranger. Crowley took it, then had a look at it.
âThatâs a tooth for sure, but rather that of a dog.â He handed it back to the girl. âIt could have been from a neighbouring one.â
The girl took it back, then had a look as well. The tooth was white, sharp and still had a bit of the gum attached to it.
âThere are no neighbouring dogs here. Besides, if there are any, theyâre guard dogs. And they stay on the farm they live. It would be a wild dog then.â
Crowley was already shaking his head before she had finished her thought.
âThere are no wild dogs in Araluen, Melany. You would have known that, had you paid attention to yesterdayâs lesson.â
Melanyâs cheeks turned a bit red and she wished she could disappear into the ground.
âIt was just a suggestion,â she mumbled softly.
Crowley lifted an eyebrow.
âInstead of pouting,â he said, pointing to the ground. âI suggest you help me find some paw prints.â
Glad to have something to focus on, Melany helped the Ranger with finding some sort of track. They had been following some, but it had disappeared.
âThere is a paw print!â Melany pointed to something in the mud. âAnd there is fur hanging on a branch.â
Crowley stopped Cropper next to it. He bent down to get the fur. It was black, so that she had seen it was impressive. He hadnât noticed it at first, because the colours behind were also dark.
âSeems like weâre going in the right direction. Letâs continue and see what else we can find.â
Melany still couldnât believe that the plan had worked, or rather that she had managed to survive. After Crowley had found the hiding place â which had been covered in old bones of killed cattle and other animals â he had ordered her to act as bait while he would wait for her at another spot. The plan was that she led the animal there, then he would shoot it down.
It turned out that there were more â a whole pack â and Melany had to go a different direction after the horse got startled and ran off. Part of the pack went after it, the other part after her.
She had found shelter in a tree, but was now stuck in there. Underneath, at least five dogs were barking, trying to get to her. Aside from the noise, they werenât a direct threat to her. Not too long ago, she had heard the cry of her horse, probably when it was attacked. That was then followed by the cries of dogs. Melany didnât know what had happened, but she hoped it wasnât another large animal.
After almost an hour in the tree, Melany noticed that the barking had stopped. Looking down, she couldnât see any of the dogs. She threw a branch down, trying to see if there would be one lurking around. When nothing happened, she carefully moved one branch. She kept doing so until she was almost on the ground.
The scream was accompanied with bushes moving and the growling of the dogs. Melany froze in her spot, her leg hanging down. Her eyes went to the animal that was closest to her. As she was lifting up her leg, the dog jumped and grabbed her leg, pulling it down with its weight. She wasnât able to hold herself up and fell down onto the ground.
Her eyes widened in fear when the dog decided to go for her face, its mouth open and teeth bare. Melany wanted to scream, but there was no sound coming out of her mouth.
Suddenly, the dog fell down on her chest, an arrow sticking out of its side. She hadnât even heard the arrow being loosed, the sound being blocked out.
When he had seen the five dogs emerging from the bushes, Crowley had screamed, both as a warning as well as a distraction. It only worked partly because three of the dogs went in his direction. Not seeing any other option, he had shot them down before going to the ones that were still trying to get to Melany.
Now that the threat was taken care of, Crowley hurried to the girl. He moved the dead dog off her chest, then held her in his arms.
âTheyâre gone,â he told her. The girl started shaking in his arms. âIâm here. Youâre safe.â
Melany embraced him, burying her face in his tunic. Tears fell down and stained the fabric.
âAre you injured?â Crowley asked when she wasnât shaking that much anymore.
He quickly examined her, then his eye stayed on her leg. He could see where she had been bitten, the woollen leg wrap now a dark red colour because of her blood.
âLetâs take care of that first.â Crowley opened a pouch on his belt and took at a gaze and a bandage. âIâll have a better look at it later on, but then itâs at least wrapped.â He undid the leg wrap and moved up the fabric, revealing the injury.
In an attempt to distract herself from the upcoming pain, Melany looked at the dogs.
âI thought you said there arenât wild dogs here?â
Crowley briefly stopped, following her gaze.
âTheyâre not wild dogs. Theyâre most likely feral ones.â
âYou mean that someone dropped them here?â Melany asked, grunting when Crowley pressed too hard.
âSorry, girl. No, feral dogs are born in the wild, but their parents were most likely strays; domesticated but ended up in the wild. I sure hope not dropped, but they could as well have walked away or got lost.â
After finishing his work, Crowley made a quick round to retrieve his arrows. When he couldnât, he broke off the shaft, taking the feathers with him.
Melany tried to stand onto her injured leg, but couldnât put any pressure on it.
âI got you,â Crowley said. He handed her his quiver and then carried her onto his back. The way to the horses took longer, but eventually they made it.
Crowley set the girl down, making sure that she was comfortable before taking care of the injured leg. He needed to place a few stitches, but thankfully the wounds werenât deep.
âI donât know about you, but I could use a cup of coffee,â Crowley said as he started to make a fire. âI think we both deserve that after todayâs work.â