The separation was brutal. Staff stood ready with tranquilizer guns. Ethan coaxed Bella out with a soft voice, and she obeyed, though confusion flickered in her eyes when the cubs cried out. They pressed to the bars, roaring in protest. Bella barked back, straining against the leash, until Ethan pulled her close. The clang of the gate closing between them echoed like betrayal.
After that, nothing was the same. Bella lay in her kennel, ears flat, ignoring food. The cubs prowled their new pen restlessly, their roars sharp with grief. At night, their cries carried across the zoo, echoing in Ethan’s chest.