As the night wore on, rangers arranged medical help for the moose. The white calf, though frail, received immediate care. Wade stood back, exhaustion flooding him. The forest, ominous mere moments before, felt different now—still dark, but no longer silently hostile. Rescue lights splashed color across moss and bark.
Eventually, one ranger turned to Wade, praising his courage for following a wounded moose into unknown territory. Wade shook his head, voice hollow with awe. “He led me,” he corrected softly. “I just—couldn’t abandon him.” Milo pressed against his leg as if echoing the sentiment.