With painstaking care, Adrian scraped at the mud with his bare hands. The wolf bristled but did not lunge. Pebbles gave way to loose soil. A thin cry pierced the air, sharper now, no longer muffled. Adrian’s pulse leapt. He worked faster, heart racing against the clock.
The wolf crept closer, its shadow stretching over him. Adrian kept his movements slow, deliberate, though panic threatened to choke him. Stones shifted beneath his fingers, revealing a narrow gap. From within, a tiny paw pushed forward, followed by a desperate whine that rattled his bones.