The men bound his wrists with coarse rope. He could taste blood in his mouth, likely from a split lip. The cub whimpered, huddling near him. Nolan glanced around, but there was no one else to help. He was alone, at their mercy.
Suddenly, thunderous paws pounded the ice behind the poachers. The mother bear had returned, her fury radiating through each stride. Nolan’s hope flared momentarily, envisioning the criminals fleeing in terror. But then he noticed one poacher’s unsettling smile. Something was off.