A second shadow surfaced. Smaller, but still substantial enough to represent a lethal force.
Nick’s head tilted a fraction. Whatever he was listening for, he found it.
The first hippo emerged.
It was a slow, purposeful transition from water to land. The ground seemed to groan under the sheer tonnage, a vibration I felt through the soles of my shoes. It was a contained, prehistoric force.
Jesus. Annie would fucking love this.
Nick’s foot settled on the brake.
Wait.
My rib cage forgot its one job.
The animal paused at the edge of the reeds, water darkening the silt in a widening pool. Its nostrils flared, cataloging the scent of river rot, hot engine oil, and two humans who were currently violating its perimeter.
Nick let the jeep roll back another foot.
Then stopped.
The gap between us and the reeds widened by inches, which suddenly felt like the most important measurement in the world. The hippo’s ears flicked, its focus shifting past us toward the open ground.
Nick didn’t move the jeep again. He held us there until the animal’s weight was fully committed to the path away from us. Only when the intersection of our trajectories was no longer a risk did he finish the retreat.
Only then did he shift again, easing the jeep back another several feet before stopping beneath the thorn scrub.
The engine stayed low beneath us. We simply sat in the charged quiet as the second animal followed the first, their massive shapes moving through the reeds like gray boulders coming to life.
The water settled.
Nick watched them until they drifted toward the tree line. Only then did he exhale—a single, controlled release of pressure that changed the entire atmosphere of the cabin.
I realized my fingers were white-knuckled against the seat. I loosened them, one by one. The return of blood flow was a stinging, slow-motion rush.
He gave the jeep a little more power. The vibration felt grounded now. Solid. We pulled away, the reeds closing behind us, erasing the evidence of the encounter.
“Too close,” I said. My voice was more stable than I expected.
“Yes.”
“You knew.”
“I suspected.”
“That there was a herd.”
“Yes.”
“You didn’t get out.”
His eyes stayed on the mirrors. “No.”
“That bad?”
“Near reeds and water? You don’t improve the situation by becoming softer, slower, and easier to kill.”
“Useful safety philosophy.”
