Pedro slowed near the base, scanning the ground, the nearby bushes, anything that might hold a trace of her. “Lola,” he whispered at first, stepping closer. Nothing. The night answered only with wind and rustling branches. His heart sank. “Lola!” he called again, louder this time. Still nothing.
But then, a bark. Faint. Distant. Hope surged through him like a wave. “Lola!” he shouted, spinning toward the sound. Another bark, clearer this time, carried through the bushes. He ran, stumbling across uneven grass, calling her name again and again, following the voice like it was a lifeline.
The sound grew stronger until he stopped at a thick tangle of shrubs near the far end of the lawn. Carefully, he parted the branches— there she was. But the moment Pedro saw her, he forgot how to breathe….