Visitors noticed the change. Families left muttering, children asking, “Where’s the dog?” The director dismissed their disappointment: “Better this than blood on the floor.” But Ethan knew something irreplaceable had been lost.
Time pressed forward anyway. Bella grew slower, her once-bright stride shortened by a limp. The cubs became lions—muscles rippling, eyes fierce. Keepers spoke of breeding programs and danger protocols. Yet when Ethan passed the enclosure, the lions pressed to the bars, sniffing as though searching for a memory that wouldn’t fade.