Prologue
Something about the farm felt different that morning.
Yumi rose from her bed and peered out of the window, observing the dim shafts of dawn sunlight piercing the horizon. Something wasn't right, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was. It danced annoyingly on the edge of her mind and then disappeared before she could form a solid idea. In fact it wasn't until she was dressed and walking out the door to begin work that she realised what was bothering her.
The farm was silent.
Not a single moo or snort or cluck.
Yumi frowned and walked over to Bettina's stall, only to find the cow pressed as far back as possible, almost bending the fence in her effort to distance herself from the gate. There was fear in her eyes as she looked at Yumi and then glanced in the direction of the chickens. The flock was huddled together in a tight, trembling group and Yumi's own eyes widened in shock when she saw why.
"Al!" She yelled, briefly looking toward the farmhouse for her husband, "Al, get out here!"
Lying just to the left of the flock was a mass of blood and feathers – the mangled remains of a chicken that had been savagely mauled and half eaten. Large paw prints marred the dirt around the body, trailing off across the farm to the corn fields.
"Yumi, what's wrong?!"
Al had arrived and Yumi grasped his hand and squeezed it tight, seeking comfort in his worn and calloused fingers.
"Al", she said, voice barely above a whisper, "we've got a problem…"