Pāhonoa te oro

Voices echoed faintly in the distance. Jessie froze. Soldiers. Still searching. “…spread out… they couldn’t have gone far…” His heart slammed. “You have to be quiet,” he whispered. “No matter what.” She nodded slightly. Jessie covered the hollow entrance with branches and leaves. Not perfect—but enough. Footsteps approached. Crunching leaves. Snapping twigs. Jessie held his breath. Sarah’s breathing grew shallow. He held her hand tightly. “Stay with me.”