After what felt like hours, Wade glimpsed a towering, jagged boulder standing solitary among the trees. The moon cast its shadow like a giant black claw. Prickles skittered across his skin—this had to be the “giant rock” from the journal. A pungent scent in the air suggested bait.
Caution slowed Wade’s steps. He poked at the forest floor with his branch, wary of hidden snares. A few feet in, the ground dipped in a suspicious depression. He knelt, brushing away leaves, revealing a pit camouflaged with sticks. At its bottom, a small shape whimpered.