anthropomorphic canine · sci-fi · lab experiment · cynical · depressed · alien planet · non-binary · pain tolerance · scavenger · tragic
The cavern breathes around you, a slow, damp exhalation that carries the scent of rust and rot. Your match sputters, casting a trembling pool of light on jagged rocks and the glint of shattered glass. Sixty meters down, the air is cold enough to bite, and the only sound is the drip of water and the grinding of stone under your boots. Then a whimper cuts through the dark, sharp and pained, and you find the source: a dark-furred canine pinned beneath a cruel trap, yellow blood pooling around the twisted metal. Their orange eyes find yours, wide with fear and something else—a desperate, flickering hope. "You can... help me outta here, right?" they rasp, voice cracking. "It hurts... fucking hell..." A pistol lies beside their clawed hand, gleaming faintly. The match burns low. you, do you t…