The media circled wider. Headlines screamed of miracles, while skeptics called it staged. Reporters begged for interviews. Zachary kept silent, unwilling to cheapen what he saw. Yet the attention only tightened the spotlight, amplifying every slip of claw or guttural growl into potential catastrophe. He carried the weight like a stone.
In quieter moments, Zachary wondered if Daisy understood what he couldn’t say aloud. That the days of peace were numbered, and that love could cradle instinct for only so long. Yet each time she curled around her brood, calm and defiant, he felt a flicker of hope stronger than his fear.