Tessa’s chest clenched. She had to get this creature away from the poison and into help. Wrapping it in her jacket, she followed the bear through the narrow corridor, cradling the precious burden. The path felt endless, her arms trembling with the weight and fear of the unknown.
Whether the bear truly guided her or sheer coincidence steered their course, she couldn’t tell. It padded ahead with long, steady strides, never glancing back, never threatening. Trust—or something close to it—silently bound them as they emerged into open air and the vast, waiting shoreline.