Caleb squeezed her shoulder gently, his own heart pounding. Margaret crouched a few meters away, lowering herself until she was level with the tigress’s gaze. “That’s it. Good girl,” she murmured. “Show me your side, huh? Let me see what’s bothering you.” To everyone’s disbelief, Shira slowly shifted, rolling slightly onto her flank.
Margaret moved closer, careful, murmuring under her breath as she ran a hand along the striped fur. Her body blocked the view of whatever she was inspecting, but those outside could see her expression change, her jaw tightening, her eyes narrowing. Then she gave a sharp signal with her hand. “Ethan,” she whispered into the radio. “You need to see this.”