Instead, the bear paused, exhaling in a low, rumbling growl that rattled Nolan’s bones. Then, as though summoned by some unseen signal, the polar bear lurched away from him. It sniffed the air, suddenly more interested in the lingering scent of fish than in Nolan’s trembling form. That small mercy jolted him from the brink of blind terror.
Gripping the ice with numb fingertips, he watched the bear rummage through his sled. Each crunch and snap of shattering wood reverberated across the frozen expanse. Nolan’s mind reeled, torn between desperate gratitude for his life and a fresh wave of horror at the creature’s unpredictable might.