Time seemed to slow as Noemi struggled with the net. Every second dragged on, but at last, the tangled fibers gave way. The little cub slipped free and scrambled toward its mother, weak and unsteady after its ordeal.
The mother wolf immediately moved forward, placing herself between Noemi and her pup.
For one terrifying instant, Noemi was certain the animal was about to attack. She held her breath, waiting for the lunge that never came.
Instead, the wolf remained silent. She lowered her head, carefully grasped her cub by the loose skin at the back of its neck, and began carrying it away from the shore. The pup hung still in her jaws, exhausted but safe.
Before disappearing into the cover of the forest, the mother wolf paused.
She gently placed her cub on the ground, and both wolves turned back toward Noemi. Their eyes met hers for a long, silent moment—a strange, unspoken exchange between them.
Then they turned away and slipped into the trees, leaving Noemi alone with the waves and the memory of what had just happened.