"Yes."
"Those animals were killed too."
Her jaw tightens. "That's different."
"How?"
She stops eating again, her spoon loaded with potato and carrot. Her dark green eyes narrow as though she's deciding whether I'm asking a genuine question or laying a trap.
There's intelligence in that stare. Sharp and fast, even when she's defending an argument that doesn't survive much pressure.
"Those animals were raised for food," she says. "It's not the same as hunting wild animals."
"Right."
I cut off another piece of venison and eat it deliberately.
"Different."
Silence stretches between us while she picks up her spoon again. She takes a bite of vegetables and chews as though she's giving the matter serious consideration.
I let it sit.
"A life is a life," I say.
She looks up and meets my eyes for the first time since we sat down.
"It's not that simple."
"Most things aren't."
I finish the bite in my mouth, then lean back in my chair.
"Tell me about Waldo," I say. "Three years is a long time to follow one animal."
Her expression changes immediately.
Whatever rises beneath it, she buries before I can read it.
"He's special. Dr. Brine, my mentor, believed Waldo might be the key to understanding how caribou herds adapt to climate change. His migration patterns are different from the rest of his herd."
"Different how?"
"He takes routes that shouldn't work, but somehow they do. He leads his group to better grazing areas, almost as though he knows where the resources will be before they get there."
Her voice gains strength as she talks about the research. The stiffness leaves her shoulders. Her hands begin moving as she explains, quick and expressive.
I nod.
I've seen animals do things that shouldn't make sense but work out perfectly. Instinct runs deeper than logic, and some creatures are born with gifts no one can explain.
"And his collar is failing," I say.
"The battery is nearly dead." She sets down her spoon. "I need to recover the collar and download the data it's been storing. Then we have to fit him with a replacement so we can continue tracking him."
"And if we don't find him before the battery dies?"
"We lose the signal."
