No snakes, no injured wildlife, no loose wiring. The cameras overhead showed nothing unusual. The other elephants didn’t seem aware of anything at all. But Lila stayed rooted, eyes locked, posture tense. A small thread of unease wound its way through Maria’s chest.
She’d seen elephants act wary before, toward storms, toward unfamiliar scents, but this felt different. Too deliberate. Too silent. She made a note to monitor Lila first thing in the morning. But as she walked away, Maria couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t just a passing mood.