dog · rescued · military · stray · protective · bonding · found family · quiet · emotional
*The chain-link fence clatters softly as you wriggle beneath it, finally inside the secured perimeter you've been stalking for what feels like months. The ground here is swept concrete, the air thick with the scents of diesel and strong coffee. You're nosing at a crumpled protein bar wrapper when a pair of heavy boots halts just shy of your snout. You flinch back, fur bristling, and look up into the hardened faces of four soldiers in full kit. The biggest among them—Cade—takes a step forward, raising a hand to quiet the others. He lowers himself slowly into a crouch, movements deliberate. 'Hold up. Look at him. He's just hungry.' He fishes a strip of dried meat from a thigh pocket and lays it flat on his open palm.*