The Water Deer's Call

When Lee Jun's party arrived at the base camp, the people holding it down greeted them with startled eyes. They'd heard about the chipmunk rescue, but nobody had mentioned a water deer.

They sprang into action soon enough. Some of them draped a large blanket over the travel kennel holding the chipmunks, while others prepared a place for the water deer to rest.

That place was a steel enclosure.

"Should we put a leash on it, just in case? It looks like it could hop this fence no problem..."

The water deer had an injured leg, but the fence was low enough that it could easily clear it if it had a mind to.

"No, it'll be fine. This one already figured out we're here to treat it."

"Right?"

Lee Jun looked at the water deer, and it looked back at him with something like a smile. It wasn't trembling with fear, and it showed no sign of wanting to run.

The person who'd been asking Lee Jun while setting up the steel fence blinked.

"R-right."

The water deer was already sitting inside the enclosure. Go Gi-jin, who'd been carrying it, had stepped in and set it down.

Lee Jun spoke to the water deer.

"Rest easy."

"Owak!" The water deer let out a small cry. Lee Jun and Go Gi-jin looked at it for a moment.

Then Go Gi-jin picked up his phone, tapped the screen a few times, and called his father — Veterinarian Go Panseok. The call connected at once, and Go Gi-jin explained the situation.

When the Go father-and-son call ended, Lee Jun, who'd been listening beside them, spoke up.

"Gi-jin, thank you."

"What're you talkin' about? Pa's the one who's grateful to you, Hyung-nim."

"Come on. He's just saying that so I won't feel too guilty."

"No, sir. Pa's always said somethin'. He said our family's made a livin' off this skill, so now we oughta give somethin' back through volunteer work, too."

"...He said that?"

"Sure did. Thanks to you, Hyung-nim, Pa got to make that wish come true. Hehehe."

Go Gi-jin grinned and went on.

"Hyung-nim, let's go find those little ones."

"Ah, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠right. Let's go."

"Thing is, even if we find those water deer, I dunno if we can bring 'em back. They're the jumpin' type, you know... Hyung-nim, you got any idea how fast a hurt animal can run? Well, the real bad-off ones can't move a muscle, of course."

He meant the ones that were seriously injured.

"Yeah, I can see that."

Finding the injured water deer wasn't the worry. They had the three of them, of course, plus Benji and Bangwool-i and all their friends. The problem is getting them to come with us. Would he have to tell each and every fleeing animal, one by one, that they wouldn't be harmed — that they'd be made well? And how many of them would even understand?

While Lee Jun was turning that over, a rustling sound of grass being chewed reached his ears. The source was the water deer, happily munching on the hay the people had provided. The moment he looked at it, a good idea struck him. Nothing beats having a friend on your side.

Lee Jun stepped into the enclosure and spoke to the water deer in a near-whisper.

"Hey there. Could you tell your friends for me? We're going to come get them."

He added,

"The ones that are hurting. We're going to make them not hurt anymore."

The water deer smiled far more brightly than before. Then it cried out at the top of its lungs.

"W-what's it doing all of a sudden? Is it in pain?"

The person who'd brought the water deer its hay asked Lee Jun in a startled rush. Everyone else was just as alarmed. Every pair of eyes left at the base camp locked onto Lee Jun.

"Good grief, can't you tell just by lookin'? That one's tellin' its friends we're comin' to find 'em, so don't hide — just trust us and come along. That's what it's sayin'."

Leave it to Go Gi-jin. And just as he'd said, that was exactly what the water deer was telling its friends.

"I-I guess it does kind of look like that..."

"We'll be heading out, then. Ah — if we need more people, I'll radio in."

"Yes, yes."

Lee Jun set out with Benji and Benji's friends, who had already gathered after receiving the call. Hoesaegi, Gkamnyangi, and Sapsaree coming along went without saying.

Lee Jun spoke to the animals walking ahead.

"Kids, there might be other hurt ones besides that friend. Let's bring those ones too."

Everyone answered with a hearty yes.

Then they got to work. The dogs weren't simply walking — they'd packed empty pouches full of feed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and seeds. The people gathered fruits and grasses too bulky for pouches. And as animals and people walked on, a path of grain and seeds, fruit and grass unfurled in their wake.

They found a water deer less than five minutes after leaving the base camp. Benji, who'd spotted it, sent a signal. The other dogs followed with signals of their own, one after another. To Lee Jun, the words came through crystal clear.

They found the injured animals quickly and brought them back to the base camp. Go Gi-jin carried two, even three water deer at a time, and Lee Jun had no trouble scooping up two himself. The others did the same.

And it wasn't just water deer. There were gorals, too, and sometimes cats, raccoons. Even moles.

The scale of it all grew larger than expected, and worry started to set in — but it was soon put to rest.

"Don't you worry. Our field's a bit on the big side~!"

Veterinarian Go Panseok, who'd gathered five trucks at once, said it like it was nothing. Go Gi-jin's face lit up.

"Wait, Pa — you takin' 'em over there?"

"That's right. There's fences and all, so they'll be fine. And there's a barn, so if it gets cold we can put a heater in there. These little ones are gonna be freezin'."

Veterinarian Go Panseok looked with pity at the water deer whose backs had been stripped bare of fur.

Lee Jun blinked, looking between Veterinarian Go Panseok and Go Gi-jin.

"Wait — so you rented a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ranch?"

"Huh, a ranch? Well, it is a ranch, that's true."

"He didn't rent it. Pa's got a ranch of his own, sittin' empty. Ah, wait — Pa, how many you say you've got now?"

"That's right. Two more came in this time, so that makes eight."

"Ah, so you're running a ranch?"

"That's not it."

"It's somethin' like Uriteul Shelter."

"Ah, I see. So Pa brought over the ones among the cattle that're done workin'."

"The cattle... like an Animal Sanctuary?"

"Nothin' so grand as that. I just brought over the ones I was lookin' after that couldn't make it on a regular ranch, and I feed 'em."

Ah. So that was why he'd said not to worry about the space.

Lee Jun's waist bent at a ninety-degree angle.

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

"Don't mention it. I'm just pitchin' in a little on the work you folks are already doin'."

A faint flush rose on Veterinarian Go Panseok's face as he answered.

"Then I'll ask the Woori Hamkke members for help."

The space might be enough, but they were desperately short of hands for treatment.

"Can those folks even treat these ones? They'll all be small-animal vets, won't they?"

He meant: how were companion-animal veterinarians supposed to treat large animals and wildlife?

"There are exotic-animal vets among them... and for the cats and raccoons, we can handle those just fine..."

"Don't you worry about it. We'll take care of it. The clinic directors said they'd roll up their sleeves. And besides~ the folks over here said they'd help, so there's no need for busy people to come all the way out."

"Over here" meant the Chungnam Wild Animal Rescue Center. Veterinarian Go Panseok had already brought one of their veterinarians along.

The rescue center veterinarian bowed to Lee Jun's group.

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

"Not at all — you must already be so busy, and you flew all the way from Yesan..."

"We're closer than you folks are."

Lee Jun had been about to apologize to the veterinarian waving it off for piling more work on him, but he changed tack. They were both grateful to each other, after all.

"We're always so grateful to you."

He offered his thanks.

"Come on, son. Let's load these ones onto the truck."

"Yes, Pa."

Go Gi-jin and Veterinarian Go Panseok walked side by side toward the truck, each hoisting three water deer at once. Watching the father and son's retreating backs, gratitude welled up in Lee Jun all on its own.

"Director Go, thank you. Gi-jin, thank you."

That evening, Lee Jun kept the promise he'd made to the water deer.

Veterinarian Go Panseok and the directors of nearby animal hospitals had rolled up their sleeves and stepped in, but Lee Jun didn't want to go back on a promise he'd made to the animals. I need to tell the kids the precautions, too. He hoped every wild animal that people and animals had found together would return to nature healthy. And for that, communicating with the animals was essential.

While he was at it, Lee Jun didn't head back up to Seoul. He made his way to Ko Pan-seok Animal Hospital instead. The local directors had said they'd take on the treatment, so it wouldn't take too much time.

The chipmunks were resting — drinking water, eating acorns and berries. Of course, for the ones that still couldn't drink on their own, he planned to administer subcutaneous fluid therapy one more time before they left.

The chipmunks that Hoesaegi, Gkamnyangi, and Sapsaree were watching over would begin their formal treatment once they arrived at Mongmong Animal Hospital. That, too, was a matter of a promise. He couldn't leave behind chipmunks who were excited about going to Mongmong Animal Hospital. They trusted and followed Lee Jun, Hoesaegi, Gkamnyangi, and Sapsaree.

The water deer Lee Jun had first found was transferred to Ko Pan-seok Animal Hospital. The exam results confirmed Lee Jun's prediction: a tibia fissure. A crack in the shinbone of the left leg.

"This little one got real lucky. Didn't snap clean through."

"The infection ain't too bad, either. Right, Hyung-nim?"

"Yeah, we're lucky. If we just keep the casted leg from moving around for a while, it'll knit. That's right."

Lee Jun felt a wave of relief as he put a cast on the water deer's leg. Even more fortunate: there was nothing wrong besides the leg. There was a mild anemia, but that would improve once it was getting proper nutrition. So there was no need to worry.

"Thing is, I dunno if this one'll sit still till it heals."

Veterinarian Go Panseok was worried. He was thinking of the stress wild animals could develop when confined. On top of that, they had no concept of a cast, and no idea they weren't supposed to put weight on a casted leg. Looking at the water deer Lee Jun had so carefully put in a cast, Veterinarian Go Panseok was already imagining failure.

"If it goes wrong and festers, we'll have to cut it off~"

If those teeth chewed through the confining cast, it'd be worse than leaving it alone.

"This one's smart. It'll be fine. It knows we're treating it right now. Doesn't it look that way to you?"

At Lee Jun's words, Veterinarian Go Panseok gazed at the water deer. It wasn't putting any weight on the casted leg, and it showed no sign of wanting to chew it.

"When Director Lee puts it that way, I s'pose it does look like that..."

"Yes. Just think of them as good dogs and take care of them that way."

"That's right, Pa. When they eat, when they poop, when they pee — you just gotta support their body so no weight goes on the leg."

Go Gi-jin shared the know-how he'd picked up caring for so many large dogs with Veterinarian Go Panseok. Watching that, Lee Jun said to him,

"Gi-jin, stay and help the director for about a week."

"Yeah, that's a good idea. No matter how you slice it, you'll do better at this than I would. And you can teach these folks while you're at it."

"W-well, should I?"

"Yes. While you're at it, pass on your know-how. There ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠are plenty of big dogs around here, too."

"Hold on — then what's gonna happen to our Mongmong Hospital?"

"Your know-how is already baked into the place. It'll be fine."

With Lee Jun and Veterinarian Go Panseok praising him one after another, Go Gi-jin's mouth stretched all the way to his ears.

"Well, I guess I got no choice, then. Alright."

"That's the spirit. Pass on everything you learned at Mongmong Hospital to these folks, nice and generous~"

Veterinarian Go Panseok said, pointing at the junior veterinarians who were treating the large animals.

"Then I'll stop by the ranch before I head back."

"Alright. These little ones came all this way, and I didn't even get to feed 'em anything tasty."

Veterinarian Go Panseok scooped up Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi, who were clinging to his legs, and hugged them tight against his chest. Then he stroked Sapsaree with equal care. Reluctance dripped from every touch. And of course, the three animals' eyes were just as full of it.

But the three of them were brave, and they were selfless.

The chipmunks' recovery came first, so the three of them put their exciting Hongseong life on hold.

"Alright, then let's head over there. You're gonna go see those ones before you leave, right?"

"Yes."

Lee Jun followed the Go father and son to the ranch they'd made as a planned haven for retired cattle. There, he told the animals that had settled in the same thing he'd told the water deer.

If they trusted and followed, they wouldn't hurt anymore.

And late that night, Lee Jun returned to Mongmong Animal Hospital.

Now it was time to make the chipmunks well.