Jude and I took care of these as best we could. And Da told us what they liked to eat and drink. He also told us some of the plants to use when they had a fever or had a gash or even a broken leg. Once they were healed, Da would take us all out to an area that was like the land they came from. Birds and squirrels would be placed into tree branches, deer and raccoons would be placed by the edges of clearings, each to find their own way.
As Jude and I grew older, we were sure that many of these patients of ours would return to visit us every now and then. Or their relatives.
Da told us to not make pets of them, as it would endanger them. Not all humans respected animals as we did.
In the warmer seasons, we would gather berries and nuts to bring them back to the house for storage. When we
