His breath hitched. This wasn’t part of the plan. He had come here to help, to gather evidence and get out before nightfall. But the sky was already bruising with twilight, and the forest ahead looked impossibly dark. Going deeper now, alone and unarmed, felt like walking straight into a trap.
But then he looked into the moose’s eyes again. They weren’t just desperate; they were afraid. Something out there had terrified this creature. It wasn’t just asking him to follow—it was pleading. The weight of that realization settled heavy in Jacob’s chest, stirring something deep inside him.