Thunder cracked overhead, rain slashing harder. Elise stumbled along the ravine edge, mud sucking at her boots. She heard it then—a low cough, not threat but presence. Shadow. Somewhere close, unseen, his sound reverberated through the wet air like an announcement. Her chest tightened with equal parts relief and terror.
She crept down the slope, nearly slipping. At the base, water surged over stone. A small figure was huddled on a ledge—Theo, trapped, his ankle was stuck among the rocks. Shadow stood nearby, massive and still, tail lashing. Golden eyes fixed on Elise, unreadable. Protector, guardian… or captor? She couldn’t tell.