When he reached the lion house, his stomach turned cold. One of the gates hung open, the latch twisted by a fallen branch. Inside the corridor, a lion paced loose—its muscles rippling, eyes wide with confusion and fear. Staff shouted over the storm, tranquilizer rifles trembling in their hands.
“Hold your fire!” the director barked. But panic crackled in the air. One wrong move and the zoo’s miracle would be rewritten as tragedy. Ethan’s mind raced. The lion wasn’t hunting—it was scared. But fear could turn lethal in an instant. He braced himself, searching for words, though no command could reach an animal like this.