As the sun dipped lower in the sky, it cast eerie shadows through the dense canopy. Suddenly, a soft weight on Paul’s shoulder captured his full attention. He froze in place, his heart pounding in his chest. Each second felt like an eternity as Paul steeled himself to confront the creature behind him.
Cautiously, he turned his head to face the unexpected presence. His eyes widened in shock as he found himself face-to-face with a massive female elephant. For a moment, he was unable to breathe, his breath caught in his throat. Taking shallow breaths, he assessed his options, acutely aware of the gravity of the situation.
He tried to figure out where the rest of the herd was. His head urged him to flee as far and fast as possible. Yet, something about the elephant made his heart want to do something else. When Paul finally mustered the courage to look into the elephant’s eyes, he immediately realized something was seriously wrong.
Paul’s breath hitched. He had encountered elephants before, but nothing like this. She was massive—unnaturally so. African rainforest elephants tend to be smaller than their Savannah counterparts, but this one had a massive belly hung over a scrawny frame . There was something else—something that sent a chill down his spine.