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"No food here," the sheriff says. "You better believe that'll be going into the court case."
"You can add to it that the animals look starved and very likely have worms," Liz says.
"I'll need confirmation of that from an examination," the sheriff says. "And I'll sure as hell use it."
While the conversation continues, I talk softly to the alpaca and they relax even more.
When the smallest of them steps forward and nuzzles my hand, my breath catches. There is nothing quite like an animal putting its trust in me.
I wish Grant were here for this.
I shove that thought down. "Liz is a doctor," I tell the alpaca nuzzling my hand. "She's going to take you to a big trailer."
"Ours has grain and hay in it," Winnie says, her voice as soft as mine.
"Did you hear that, friend?" I ask. "There's food just waiting for you."
"We'll need to feed them slowly," Jared says in a low voice. "Too much food too soon for a starving animal can make them sick."
The other two alpaca step forward, but I'm focused on the one still nuzzling my hand. "Liz is going to put a rope around your neck, little one, but she won't use it to hurt you."
Liz moves the rope into the alpaca's line of sight. The animal pulls its head from my hand and rears back, but Liz is quick and has the rope around its neck in an instant. "A rope is easier than a halter right now when we just need to get them somewhere safe," Liz says to me.
I nod and help Jared and Winnie rope the other two alpaca. We lead them out into the softly falling rain just as more thunder rumbles. They move slowly and awkwardly, wary but also unsteady on their feet.
"Are they in pain?" I ask Liz as I walk next to her toward the trailers.
"Their hooves need to be trimmed and they're clearly weak. I won't be able to tell you more until we get them back to your place and I can do a full examination."
We load up the alpaca and head back out. There are two pigs, one that's so weak Liz backs her trailer right up to the dilapidated barn where the pigs have been locked in their stall for weeks at least based on the height of the manure. We have to dig through it to give the pigs space to step out of the stall.
By the time we load the pigs, tears are streaming freely down my cheeks and mixing with the rainwater. It's cooling off fast as evening approaches, but the work is keeping me warm. Thankfully, Jared and Winnie brought blankets for the animals.
There are so many aspects of this work I've never considered before, so much to learn.
I'll learn everything I can for these animals. I can't imagine not doing everything in my power to give them a better life. The life they deserve.
Next, we load up four horses that Winnie and Grace are going to take to a horse farm in the next town. They are in better shape than the rest of the animals, but not by much.
We close the gate on Winnie's trailer. The alpaca and pigs are in Liz and Jared's trailer, separated by a gate in the center of the trailer.
"That looks like all the animals," the sheriff says. "There are three dogs and a guinea pig that the shelter can't take. Who wants them?"
I'm exhausted and overwhelmed, but this is my job now. "We'll take them." We'll figure it out.
"Thank you. I appreciate your help here today."
"Glad to do it."
Clover is already in her car. The rain is picking up and getting under cover seems like a great idea.
I start toward the car, but stop when I hear something over the patter of rain. I turn back to look at the sheriff, who's looking over his shoulder toward the bare acreage we just left.
He heard it, too.
Then it comes again, a low, wailing moan of a sound.
The sheriff turns back to me. "I should check that out."
