Chapter Three...target audience...(ages 10-13-ish)

In order for a baby to be safely born, it should come out headfirst. Jodi struggled and struggled with Jasmine's head, but in the small space, she just wasn't strong enough to turn her. Meanwhile, it was getting drier and drier inside that belly, which meant Jasmine's time was getting shorter and shorter. Jodi was still wrestling with Jasmine when the men arrived with the chain. 1

Jodi had to make a choice. To turn a calf with a chain is a dangerous business, kind of like trying to shave with a chainsaw. If she turned the calf the wrong way, she could kill it. But, if she didn't get it out quickly enough, it was going to suffocate. 2

Jodi knew what she had to do. Moving quickly, she carefully worked the chain into the opening, around the calf, and back out. Joy and Seth held firmly onto the mother's body as Jodi and one of the men steadily pulled the chain, drawing the calf's legs away from the birth canal. Every so often, they would stop, so Jodi could check on the position of the calf. 3

Everything seemed to be progressing nicely, aside from that fourth leg. It was still bent back around the body in the wrong direction, but there was no time to even try to fix it. A final tug brought the head into position, but also produced a muffled crack that made Jodi wince. She knew they had probably broken the fourth leg. 4

For the first time, the calf began to struggle. The movement caused the chain to slip off. After removing the chain, Jodi again lay down and reached in to help the calf on its way. This time, she easily hooked her arm beneath the right shoulder and pulled. Still, Jodi was breathing heavily by the time the calf lay next to her on the cold metal floor of the trailer, silent and unmoving. 5

Joy's eyes welled up with tears as she stared at the calf's tiny body. Her fur was matted up with blood and who knows what else, her eyes were barely open, and her chest was not rising. But worst of all was that fourth leg. Not only was it clearly broken, but it was underdeveloped and shriveled. Even if the calf lived, joy doubted if that leg could never be saved. 6

Jodi was frantically working on the lifeless calf, clearing its tiny nostrils of mucus and examining its pupils for dilation. Suddenly, it gave a muffled cough, then sneezed, spraying Jodi's face with a fine layer of cow mucus. Jodi smiled. The calf was breathing.7

Jasmine felt cold and unsafe. Everything was spinning. Jasmine kicked her legs, rocking back and forth as she tried to get her bearings. Finally, she managed to roll to her belly, and unsteadily lifted her head. She squinted at her surroundings. Gradually, the world stopped moving. Jasmine tried to rise to her feet, but found she couldn't. She made out several hazy silhouettes moving around her, but all she wanted was her mother. 8

Where was she?9

Then, she saw her. Her mother was lying on her side, unmoving. Her eyes were open and staring, her tongue lolling unnaturally from the side of her mouth. Jasmine struggled to her mother's side, and used her head to gently nudge the side of her mother's face. Nothing. She tried again, but her mother wouldn't move. 10

Jasmine was caught off guard by the big, strong arms that grabbed her and picked her up, carrying her away from her mother's side. Jasmine didn't want to leave, but when she struggled, it only brought sharp pain to her leg. 11

She was being carried away from the trailer. Away from her mother. Didn't they know they belonged together? Jasmine opened her mouth to try to explain. 12

"Mooooooo!"13

No one seemed to understand. The arms that held her only tightened their grip. 14

"MOOOOOOOOOOOO!" She tried again, louder this time. 15

The man carrying her only laughed. "Strong lungs on this one, eh?"16

Jasmine stopped fighting, letting her tiny body go limp. She was exhausted. The man carried her into a large stall and carefully lay her down on a bed of straw. He quickly turned and left, latching the door behind him. Jasmine tried to stand, but couldn't. She fell, her muzzle striking the dirt with all of the force of her weight behind it. She blinked the dust from her eyes and struggled, desperately willing herself to rise to her feet. 17

But it was no use. Jasmine lay helpless, sobbing into the dirt. No one understood. For the first time in her life, Jasmine felt alone. 18

And, for the first time in her life, she actually was. 19