He sat at his desk momentarily, tracing maps of the river’s bend. He marked where the wolf stood, where the earth sloped into uneven ground. His pen hovered above the page, caught between science and instinct. Each minute wasted meant lives slipping further from reach.
He could hardly recognize himself in the mirror. Dark circles rimmed his eyes, jaw tight with obsession. He knew he was risking not just his safety but his reputation. Colleagues would call him reckless. Yet the wolf’s vigil had transformed into a challenge he couldn’t abandon.