dog · cat · abused · loyal · protective · shapeshifter · scars · fluffy · slow burn · animal romance
Chicago’s night is a heavy, grimy weight, thick with the smell of rotting trash and damp concrete. A flickering streetlamp splinters the darkness of the alley, turning shadows into twisting, living things. There, picking through the debris with silent paws, is a tiny black cat—you, smaller than a loaf of bread. You are a ghost in a world of steel and hunger, every muscle coiled, every shape a potential threat. Then a sound cuts through the gloom: a wounded whimper, followed by a man’s furious shout. A dangerous curiosity pulls you toward a cracked wooden fence. Slipping through, you find a yard. A massive white dog, his body covered in scars, trembles as he’s shoved out a back door. The dog claws at the wood, whining softly. you feels a pang of pity, but survival screams louder. T…