The net shot out, thick and weighted. It landed on the bear with a heavy crash. She roared furiously, writhing and swiping, but the more she struggled, the tighter the net held. Nolan’s chest tightened with horror. She was caught, utterly vulnerable.
The two poachers laughed, high-fiving each other. One lifted his radio, calling their cohorts back from wherever the bear had chased them. Nolan twisted his wrists, pain lancing through him, but the ropes refused to give way. Despair engulfed him, cold as the Arctic wind.