Floodlights lit the zoo’s perimeter as police, reporters, and curious onlookers pressed against barricades. Rumors spread quickly that Sahara had been spotted only blocks away. Snipers climbed rooftops, tranquilizer teams flanked entrances. The air thickened with anticipation. Everyone waited, phones raised. The city was holding its breath.
Sahara slunk through the shadows, paws aching, shoulder burning where the dart grazed her. She paused to breathe, nostrils twitching at a faint, familiar scent. Her eyes narrowed, muscles tightening. She was close. Closer than she had ever been. Nyla’s scent was strong. She pressed forward.