Rahul had heard elephants call many times before. He had heard their deep rumbles in the wild, their warning sounds in reserves, and their louder calls during moments of stress. After years of studying wildlife, he thought he understood the difference between a normal sound and a serious one. But the cry that tore through the forest that morning was unlike anything he had heard before. It was loud, desperate, and raw, as if something had gone terribly wrong.
Rahul stopped where he was standing. The sound came again, longer and more urgent this time, echoing through the trees and sending birds flying into the sky. His mind immediately went to the worst possibilities. Maybe the elephant was injured. Maybe it had been trapped. Maybe something even more dangerous was happening. Elephants in that region had already been under pressure from shrinking forests, nearby villages, and human interference. Rahul tightened his grip on his camera, took a slow breath, and began walking toward the sound. If something was wrong, he needed to know what it was.
