The group slowed as they reached the trees. No one rushed in. They could see her now. Still digging. But the hole had changed. Wider. Deeper. The ground around it looked unstable. They watched the elephant’s continued strikes against the ground. One of the younger men stepped forward.
“Maybe we should get closer,” he said. Before anyone could stop him, he moved ahead. The elephant froze. Her head snapped up. Ears spread wide. A sharp trumpet tore through the air. The man stumbled back immediately. The warning was clear. No one moved after that. “She won’t let us near,” someone whispered. Rahul didn’t answer.
He was watching her. Her movements had slowed, fatigue he wondered, but they also did feel increasingly urgent. “She’s been here since last night,” an older man said. Rahul turned. “What?” “I heard it,” he replied. “That same sound.”
Rahul looked back at the hole. Something about it didn’t feel right. “She’s trying to reach something,” he said.