Elena’s pov

Kolia shoved her behind him even though he was only a boy himself. His free arm stretched out as if he could somehow hold the animal back with will alone.

A woman’s voice cut through the chaos.

“Elena!”

My mother.

She appeared at the edge of the garden, running hard, her dress catching the light. She had heard the screams. She saw the tiger and the children and did not stop to think. She threw herself between them without hesitation, arms open, body a shield.

The tiger leapt.

The impact knocked her to the ground. The sound of it,of weight and claws and her sharp cry of pain,filled...