Whatever she saw made her expression soften. She brushed the mud gently away from its snout, revealing a small nose, then the faint pattern of white markings along the muzzle. Two tiny ears folded back against its skull, and its short claws twitched faintly against the towel. “It’s a badger pup,” she said quietly. Clara blinked. “A badger?”
Mallory nodded, a small smile flickering at the corner of her mouth. “A very young one. Probably only a few weeks old. The claws are what give it away, and the markings. Hard to see through all that mud.” Tom exhaled slowly. “Well, I’ll be damned.”