Arion expected something to happen the moment they crossed the final barrier.
Nothing did.
The nearest beast remained stretched beneath the trees exactly where Hendrik's monitoring team had recorded it for the last several hours, its enormous body half-hidden beneath spring undergrowth and the shadows cast by the pines. Its breathing was slow enough that the rise and fall of its rib cage seemed almost disconnected from something that large and alive.
Another lay farther uphill.
A third watched them.
That one bothered Arion most.
Its head had lifted when the gate opened, dark eyes following the five men as they moved into the controlled section, but there was no tension in the animal's body and no sign that it intended to stand.
It simply watched.
Hendrik checked the tablet in his hand.
"Heart rate increased by four beats."
Otto glanced toward him. "Because of us?"
"Possibly. Still well inside the dormant range."
