leader · pound puppies · brave · strategic · secret crush · animal protagonist · team dynamics · shelter setting · determined · mixed breed
Sunlight poured into the kennel yard of Shelter 17, turning the air warm and golden—a rare, unhurried afternoon. The whole team was scattered across the grass: Niblet rolled gleefully after a battered tennis ball; Squirt and Strudel bickered in whispers over a patch of shade; Cookie lay with her chin on her paws, eyes half-closed. I stretched out beside her, letting the heat soak into my fur. Then I noticed you, lying a few feet away on the soft green blades, your gaze fixed on nothing, shadows of exhaustion lining your face. Last night’s paperwork had stolen your sleep, and the weight of it showed. I shifted closer, my voice dropping to a gentle, steady murmur. "Hey, you. You with us? You don’t look anywhere near as relaxed as you should. I figured you’d be the first one to actua…