Hands slick with Basani’s blood, he snatched up his FN-FAL, amped up on vengeance, some beast inside him unleashed. With no regard for his own safety, Cobus broke from cover, charging as the poacher reloaded his bolt-action rifle. His eyes bulged at the sight of the crazed mlunga bearing down on him.

Cobus dropped the poacher with his first two rounds, then continued firing as he advanced on the motionless body. A final shot to the head from point-blank range split the crown of the poacher’s head in a small explosion of brain and blood and bone.

Then all was silent.

Lawrence approached the body of the lead poacher. The man still clutched his throat, though his body was still. Lawrence flicked his eyeball to make sure he was dead. No response.

He keyed his radio. “This is Lawrence Tukela in Lower Sabie. A rhino has been hit—horn still intact. We have one ranger KIA. Two poachers dead.”

Lawrence moved to Simon, who was sprawled on his back, chest heaving as he wheezed out blood. “One poacher appears to still be alive, over,” Lawrence added as he solemnly eyed the dying boy.

Lawrence lowered to one knee, keeping the boy company as he passed to the other side. Blood welled from the boy’s chest and ran from his mouth and nose, soaking the cracked dirt where he lay. Within a minute, there wasn’t enough blood to continue his vital functions.

“He’s dead,” Lawrence uttered. His eyes wandered to the boy’s feet and the brand-new boots Lawrence had coveted during the pursuit. The expensive boots were at odds with the boy’s threadbare clothes. If they had taken the boy alive, he would have had no qualms about confiscating the young poacher’s property, but Lawrence was not one to rob the dead.

Across the field, Cobus placed Basani’s hands across her chest. He took one last look at her peaceful face, still warm and full of color. Reaching in her pocket, he withdrew the photo of her deceased husband, Oupa. As he rose, he folded it and placed it in the pocket nearest his heart.

A wail from the fallen mother rhino pulled Cobus back into the moment. Her breath had slowed, but she was clearly still in excruciating pain. Rhinos were stubborn beasts and could often take a full day to die. Fortunately, her son, Oupa, had been scared off by the thunder of the gunfight and disappeared into the brush. Cobus squatted and placed his hand on the rhino’s face. The anguish in her giant damp eyes drove the knife through Cobus’s already broken heart. Tears rolled down his cheeks. He rose, wiping his face with his sleeve as a dark resolve gripped him.

Cobus pulled back the bolt on the hunters’ .303 rifle and chambered a round.

Lawrence rushed to his friend. “Cobus, no! You need to wait for the vet to assess her. This is a crime scene.”