A creature—small and helpless—lay covered in oil, its fur matted and slick. Tessa’s pulse spiked: the bear had guided her here to something in desperate need of aid. Whatever it was, the animal was tangled in netting, suffocating beneath the black sludge.
The bear rumbled low, claws flexing as it tried to nudge the trapped body free. There was no aggression, only urgency. Tessa’s mind raced—no time to hesitate. The net was tight, the creature weak. She had to act or watch it die.