CHAPTER 2: THE SECRET OF THE MISSING HUNTER
Walter could barely breathe.
The pendant hanging from the leather pouch belonged to Ethan Brooks.
His closest friend.
The man who vanished in these woods thirty years earlier.
Back then, the entire town searched for Ethan.
Police.
Volunteers.
Hunters.
Everyone.
But no body was ever found.
Eventually people assumed he had died somewhere deep in the forest.
Walter never accepted that explanation.
The guilt haunted him.
Because Ethan had disappeared during a hunting trip they were supposed to take together.
Walter had canceled at the last minute.
Ethan went alone.
And never came home.
Now the impossible pendant lay before him.
Attached to a pouch protected by a wounded wolf.
Max carefully reached for it.
The wolf watched him but didn't resist.
Inside the pouch was a weathered notebook wrapped in plastic.
Walter's hands trembled as he opened it.
The first page carried Ethan's handwriting.
If anyone finds this...
I was betrayed.
Walter's blood ran cold.
Page after page revealed a horrifying story.
Ethan had discovered illegal poachers operating deep in the forest.
They were trapping wolves, bears, and deer for profit.
When he threatened to report them, they attacked him.
Injured and unable to escape, Ethan hid evidence in the forest.
The final pages contained names.
Dates.
Locations.
Proof.
But one name stood out above all others.
Thomas Reed.
Walter's eyes widened.
Thomas wasn't just anyone.
He had become the richest businessman in town.
Respected.
Powerful.
Untouchable.
And according to Ethan's journal...
He had been the leader of the poaching operation.
Walter suddenly understood why Ethan disappeared.
He had known too much.
Max looked up.
"Grandpa... should we tell the police?"
Before Walter could answer, a sound echoed through the trees.
An engine.
Then another.
The wolf immediately became alert.
Its ears rose.
Its growl deepened.
Walter turned toward the noise.
His heart nearly stopped.
Three pickup trucks were approaching through an old logging road.
And standing in the first vehicle was none other than Thomas Reed himself.
Even after thirty years, Walter recognized him instantly.
Thomas stared directly at the old man.
Then his eyes dropped to the notebook.
A smile slowly disappeared from his face.
He knew.
May you like
He knew they had found the evidence.
And suddenly Walter realized they were in terrible danger.
