They were chasing.
She didn’t think—just ran. Legs burning, lungs heaving, but she pushed onward. The world narrowed to a single goal: escape.
Then—light. An opening between the trees.
The trail.
She burst through the last thicket just as a figure stepped into view.
A uniform. A badge.
A park ranger.
Claire barely caught her breath before the men chasing her crashed through the trees.
The ranger reacted instantly, raising a hand and shouting, “Stop!”
Another ranger appeared, rifle raised.
“Hands where we can see them!”
The men skidded to a halt.
Claire collapsed to her knees, breathless. She was safe.
Behind her, the poachers hesitated, then raised their hands.
The second ranger moved in, securing the scene.
Claire trembled, overwhelmed. It was over.
The forest stretched endlessly behind her, but she had made it out.
She exhaled shakily, looking up at the ranger who’d saved her.
“There’s something you need to see,” she said hoarsely..
The bobcat snare. The proof. The reason she’d nearly lost herself in the woods.
The ranger nodded.
“Let’s get you home, miss.”
As they led her away, Claire glanced back once more at the trees.
Somewhere in that wild expanse, a bobcat had trusted her—and in doing so, had saved her life.