Caleb lay frozen, too afraid to breathe. Inches away, the massive creature huffed and smacked its lips as it swallowed the last of the fish. He couldn’t move. One wrong twitch and he’d be under it. The walrus paused, steam rising off its hide.
Then, slowly, it turned its head and looked directly at him again. Caleb didn’t dare move. The walrus loomed over him now, its slick body radiating heat in the freezing air. Bits of fish clung to its whiskers as it stared, unmoving. Caleb tried not to blink, afraid even the smallest twitch would provoke it. Then, without warning, the walrus let out a short, sharp bark.