Odo stood and looked at the earthen mounds that covered the large pits where his precious herd was buried. It tore him apart, and he knew it was as tragic an event as anything he'd ever experienced. The pain was real and lasting. Unconsciously, his hand went to his head where he'd suffered the wound in his home the evening they'd culled and burned his herd.

No one spoke; it was obvious to all how Odo felt, even to Jagger, who only now was fully ...