The analysis of the algae-water came back with inconclusive results. Like everything else Barcus has studied, the rate of decay is much higher than it should be, but that doesn't tell him as much as he wants to know. His way is to study and learn and experiment before interacting directly with a problem, and so it never occurred to him to return to the town until now. He didn't have an answer yet. He still doesn't have an answer.
When they see the outskirts of town littered with the corpses of dead livestock, he realizes, suddenly, that sometimes there is no time to wait for an answer, before acting.
"We're too late," he says, almost inaudible, but then he reaches out to put a hand on Maedhros' arm, not wanting him to feel personally attacked. They should have acted more quickly, perhaps, but--how could they have known this would happen?
Steeling himself, he makes his way to one of the fresher carcasses and crouches, looking it over. There are teeth marks on some of the visible bones, but the gaping wounds in the neck and head seem to be what killed it. "Someone took a pickaxe to this poor animal's skull," he gasps. "No wolf did this."
CW: implied violence toward animals
When they see the outskirts of town littered with the corpses of dead livestock, he realizes, suddenly, that sometimes there is no time to wait for an answer, before acting.
"We're too late," he says, almost inaudible, but then he reaches out to put a hand on Maedhros' arm, not wanting him to feel personally attacked. They should have acted more quickly, perhaps, but--how could they have known this would happen?
Steeling himself, he makes his way to one of the fresher carcasses and crouches, looking it over. There are teeth marks on some of the visible bones, but the gaping wounds in the neck and head seem to be what killed it. "Someone took a pickaxe to this poor animal's skull," he gasps. "No wolf did this."