Maya turned her gaze toward the door. Juno was curled into a ball near the heater, chest rising and falling in a deep, contented rhythm. The glow of the flame flickered across his soaked fur. He hadn’t left his task unfinished. Not even once. Not until help came.
They waited out the storm together. Thunder faded to distant rumbles, and the rain softened against the windows. As soon as Maya’s cell regained signal, she called 911. An ambulance came for Ester, and Juno—wrapped in a blanket—was taken to the vet to check for hypothermia.