Mort laid Dorcas on the hard pavement. "Aafffrrrraaaiiiddd sshhhheeees ddeeaaddd." The animals drew in close and looked at the lifeless body. Penny started to wail. So did Methusaleh.
Raspy asked, "Tell me what happened, does anybody know? I couldn't see, Buck fell on top of me."
"When the ants attacked us, all of them at once, we started stomping but some got by us." Penny said tearfully. "Randall and Stammer ran out from the middle. Randall jumped over them and then turned to face us trying to lure them away. Some of the ants did go after him, and he slowly backed away from us at the same speed as the ants followed him. Orville lit behind them and started to pick them off from behind. That gave me a chance to turn to the middle and help Mort stamp out the ants headed toward Buck. Stammer jumped over them too and scampered over to the edge of the pasture and climbed up on a fencepost. Dorcas panicked, I guess. She tried to jump over them and run but she couldn't get high enough, they grabbed on to her. I saw her running away screaming but then she fell and started to kick wildly. Mort ran out after her and tried to help her. Then John came and sprayed her and our legs too. We finished off the ants around us, but last I knew there were still live ones following Randall. I saw him vanish into the high grass at the far end of the pasture."
Candace spoke up. "Two of my pigs and one of my cows ran away too. They ran toward the breach in the fence. I don't know what happened to them."
"What happened to Buck?" Raspy asked.
"When Harold pounced on the ants his back legs kicked up. I think he must have kicked Buck," Penny said.
Orville, who had flown in and landed on Mort's back, said, "Harold kicked him hard, I saw it happen. Got him right behind the ear and Buck fell immediately. Knocked him out cold, but it could be worse than that."
John shut the front door behind him and noticed the animals huddled around the duck. He also saw the owl sitting atop Mort and was both amused and amazed. He knelt beside the duck and felt her chest. She did not make it. There was an open wound on her belly, so John knew he had to destroy her body. There may be mites in there. John picked her up by the neck and disappeared into the garage, then reappeared still carrying Dorcas but also carrying a gas can. The animals watched in horror as John, now in the pasture, laid her down and doused her, then lit a match.
Methusaleh, the meticulous, aloof mouse, let out a howl as he watched the smoke that carried Dork's soul to the sky. In that small gathering of animals several sobs could be heard, and one wailing mouse. Orville flew off to go grieve by himself.