Four Days Earlier…
Lily hadn’t wandered far from the trail that day. She’d just wanted to draw a picture of the deer she saw by the river. But when she tried to return, the path looked unfamiliar.
Then the fog rolled in.
She panicked, running in the wrong direction until she fell into a hollow space beneath a fallen tree. She tried to cry out, but her voice was lost in the thick forest.
That’s when Max appeared.
The German Shepherd had broken free of the backyard gate at home—miles away. He shouldn’t have known where she was. But somehow… he did.
He licked her face, barked softly, and lay beside her through the cold night.
And when she fainted from hunger, he didn’t leave.
Instead, he scratched markings into nearby trees. He dragged one of her gloves halfway back to the trail, hoping someone would find it.
But no one saw Max.
And the glove? It was found—but misinterpreted. They assumed Lily had drowned in the river nearby.
They didn’t look deeper.
But Max never gave up.
